Gentillozzi on Windbag tonite.....

[devilmaster]

Despain is hyping it that Paul will talk about buying CART.

SPEED at 9 pm est.

Steve

[pchall]

So, are you going to give us an instantaneous transcription in the chat room? ;)

[devilmaster]

Originally posted by pchall
So, are you going to give us an instantaneous transcription in the chat room? ;)

True story...... In a bar one year the Opening Ceremonies of the Olympics were on. The closed captioning was on while we watched this show.

Did a double take when I was reading about how some athlete had lived with 'The Ben And Dick Time Monks.' :D

Steve

[flobee1kenobi]

LMFAO:rofl:

[jonovision_man]

Does anyone have any info/comments on what Bernie said on Wind Tunnel? I missed it, and am really curious.

jono

[Chief]

I have it, it needs some cleaning up, I'll post it later in the day.

[jonovision_man]

Originally posted by Chief
I have it, it needs some cleaning up, I'll post it later in the day.

Thanks, I would appreciate it very much.

jono

[Chief]

Derek Daly interview of Bernie Eccelstone on Wind Tunnel Sept. 29, 2003. Please excuse the errors, it's not perfect. Here's the CC transcript, enjoy!


Derek Daly>>If i asked you what is the state of formula one today, what wouldyou tell me?

Bernie Eccelstone>> Good. It's good. I mean this is only six times the world championship has beenwith three guys able to win with any one race to go. It's still good.We still get in the big tv audiences. I mean, our tv audiences have dropped everything, but we haveheld up against other sports.

DD>> Do you monitor formula one strengths mainly television audience?

BE>> No. And the public, you know? People -- here, for example, here in indianapolis, and up onlast year's gate, which is good, it's heartening.

DD>> I know you once said that any publicity is good publicity.

BE>> I never said, be you're probably right.

DD>> I'm definitely right.The tire controversy recentlywith michelin, do you viewsomething like that as havingmerit or do you like things likethat being brought out in thepress?

BE>> I don't see -- i think it'snegative because people firstlydon't care and secondly don'tunderstand what it is.I doubt that many peoplewould -- they would know it wascontroversial and wouldn't knowwhy.

DD>> Let's talk of canada.A lot of people are disappointedthat that race is gone.Do you see anything changing.

BE>> Gone for 2004.

DD>> So you see somethingpotentially changing there?

BE>> We have to wait and see.It's come down to the factwhether we can raise the financeto reimburse the teams for themoney they would lose if theycan't run with the advertising.

DD>> So how governed is it run bythe cigarettes today?

BE>> See, the problem is most ofthe teams that have -- thatcarry cigarette branding haveclauses in their contract.If they lose whatever so manyraces, different contracts fordifferent teams, they get apercentage of their revenueknocked off, basically.So they need to replace that.

DD>> Let's talk about some of theteams.I know you invested in the menar did team.Why did you do that?

BE>> Well, you know, we --somebody's got to be last, andwe need those sort of teams tobring in drivers that suddenly,you know, they're out there andif you look at the sort ofdrivers that have come throughthat type of team it has been aworthwhile cause.

DD>> What happens if a team likejordan or any other team fallson similar hard times, whichcould realistically happen, willthey look to you again forfinancial support?

BE>> Probably would.Whether they get it is anotherstory, but they look to it.

DD>> How would you make thatdecision?

BE>> Well, based on -- when it isin the season.I mean, i think if todaysomebody came to us we can't runnext year unless we get whateverI think we have to say sorryyou're running a business andthat's it.But if through circumstancesoutside of their control theyrun into problems which a lot ofteams forget this currently,have done things for williams inthe old days, so if that thathappened we'd try and help them.

DD>> Even if it was were anirishman?

BE>> Yeah.

DD>> That wasn't part of it.Bernie, the grand prix worldchampionship, how unstable canthat potentially make formulaone in the short term and how doyou strengthen formula in thefuture?

BE>> I think all the damage thatit could have done it has done.And not so much for the worldchampionship, maybe for teamswith their sponsors.You know, with us, i have triedto make things stable.So people could invest informula one.Not invest with us but with theteams.The races start at 2:00, thecalendar's out there in plentyof time.So we are stable and the minuteyou've got something that'sdestabilizing in there peoplestart thinking.

DD>> But so with -- but with somany manufacturers going on theside, is that trying to give youa message that they wanted youto change something?

BE>> The message really and trulywas give us more money.Simple, it's union, really.So we had the mafia against theunions.

DD>> Who's going to win?

BE>> Who always wins?

DD>> So are you actively involvedin the negotiations to try andsatisfy all these --

BE>> Yeah.I mean, we like a big-shotwindow.Like a car show room.These people are putting theirproduct in our show room andthey want a bit more money fortheir product.So we're trying to get togetherand see what's good foreverybody.It will sort itself out.

DD>> So you're not concerned?

BE>> Not at all.Not the slightest bit.-------------------------CommercialMon Sep 29 21:50:47 2003-------------------------

DD>> Let's talk about the U.S.Grand prix.Tony george at the start of thecontract said(?)(?) is would be apermanent home for formula onein the U.S.Has it become that permanenthome, do you think?

BE>> At the moment it is becausewe're here and we're the only --you know, race formula one raceis in indianapolis.So it's permanent at the moment.

DD>> So what about -- let me goforward to year six, seven,eight after the contract?

BE>>we're happy.If tony can make it commerciallyviable for him we're happy to behere.

DD>> Do you think it's been asuccess here at indy?

BE>> For us?Yeah, sure.I mean, anywhere we go in theworld and we say indianapolis,people know what it means.Yeah.It's racing.

DD>> When formula one in longbeach, they were great days.

BE>> True.

DD>> That was a huge happening incalifornia.

BE>> Yep.

DD>> Do you see an event like thatbeing attractive in americaagain down the road?

BE>> You know, when you thinkabout it, all the places wherewe have been, we have had goodcrowds.I mean, the only place not sogood was really in phoenix.But everywhere else we havebeen -- detroit, we have big,big followings.You think of america, same sizeas europe.And you think if we only had onerace in europe, we have the samerace here.If we have 10 races here, we'dbe much more popular than we arebecause there's more exposure.

DD>> America in a bit of ananomaly in that we have so manysports here.

BE>> Right.

DD>> Are you conscious that youhave to build an emotionalaudience here, or are you drivenby the dollar, the check, theamount?Does that make your businessdecisions?

BE>> No.The amount we get for competingis a very tiny part of theirbudget, so nothing to do withit.We're a world championship andobviously we need to be inamerica.I don't see that we should tryto make formula one oramericanize formula one.They have open-wheel racingwhich is american -- run theamerican way.We sort of appeal to the peopleperhaps who want to buy europeanthings.Somebody who buys an armani suitfor example.We're not trying to competedirectly with nascar.

DD>> Budgets are a big item.Are you conscious that there'snot as much money out thereanymore?Are you planning any costcutting measures that aredifferent than what we have seenin recent years?

BE>> No.I mean, you can't cut costs.Sorry, you can't try and makeanything cheaper.The teams will spend the amountof money that's available tothem to spend, no matter what.So whatever you do, if they gotmoney left over in the budget,let's spend it another way.So in the end, the on thing thatwill cut costs is less moneycoming in and then I have to cutthe costs.

DD>> Some people will say thatwe're in the era of the uglyformula one car, the raised nosethe grooved tires.Do you buy into that?

BE>> Don't have the grooved tires.

DD>> Does that mean that you wouldchange that if you could?

BE>> I don't think they do what itwas intended.The intention was to slow thecars down for that period.Then if they didn't -- if theeffect of that to do was wasgoing to be another groove andwhat would happen, we would havefinished up with another slickin the end, another groove.I don't think it did what wewanted or looks very nice.

DD>> You have teams like williams,mclaren and ferrari who haveteams that are bigger than theracing teams so they will votenot to do the thursday morningtesting.How can you persuade them to doall the same thing?

BE>> With great difficulty, iwould think.The problem is we're run -- it'snot democratic, actually, andyou need unanimous decision tochange most of the things wecurrently do.Which is a bit crazy becausesome of the teams you quiterightly said, the test teams arebigger than the me nar did'srace team.So they want somethingdifferent.I think what we have achievedthis year was probably ok.

DD>> If you lose another team andyou go down to 18, do you getconcerned or are you alreadyconcerned that you only have 20?

BE>> No.The teams would be concernedbecause they'd have to run threecars, some of them.

DD>> And that would be call -- acall you would make?You would tell them this is whatwe have to do to continue ourbusiness?

BE>> Oh, yeah.They've got to provide betweenthem 20 cars.

Dave Despain>> We'll continue our tapedinterview with bernie ecclestonein a moment.Remember the rumors that he wasgoing to buy C.A.R.T.?

DD>> You mentioned americanopen-wheel racing.If I can change gears here for amoment.There were some strong rumorsthat you potentially may havebeen involved in the businessgroup that purchased C.A.R.T.

BE>> Yep.

DD>> Is that true?

BE>> Correct.

DD>> You elected not to do that.

BE>> Yeah.

DD>> Why?

BE>> Too much of a conflict withwhat we're doing in formula one.Indeed, I'd have to do somethingproperly and live in the states,so'd neglect formula one.So we deseeded that would be thewrong way to go.

DD>> What was your interest ingetting involved in first place?

BE>> I don't know.It seemed a good idea at thetime, I think.

DD>> Was it any way to build upanother series that --

BE>> No.

DD>> That you could patch ittogether?

BE>> No.I helped chris and it went fromthere.

DD>> And was that based on afriendship from the long beachdays?

BE>> Yeah, yeah, i knew chris fora long time.

DD>> Did you give chris any adviceon what he should or shouldn'tdo?

BE>> I gave him what i thought theyshould do.

DD>> Looking now -- do you thinkC.A.R.T. Is important toamerican racing?

BE>> Well, I think the two seriesshould be one.I think, you know, I think maybemy idea you'd -- C.A.R.T. Wouldrun say 10 road circuits andtony would run 10 ovals andyou'd have the champion in bothof the sectors and then put thepoints together and you'd have asuper winner of the two seriestogether.So both the teams would run inboth series.

DD>> Was tony open to that idea?

BE>> Not really, no.

DD>> Was chris open to it?

BE>> He thought tony wouldn't beinterested, so he didn't pursueit.

DD>> Knowing what you know nowabout C.A.R.T., Do you thinkthey'll survive?

BE>> I don't know.I really don't know.I think -- all i know is thatthe two series would be betteroff together.

DD>> With villeneuve, montoya andnow damatta, fairlysignificant names in formula oneso C.A.R.T. Has been a goodplace for some good drivers todevelop.Do you think its growth couldstill help the formula one worldchampionship?

BE>> Be better if they produced agood american driver.

DD>> With that in mind, howconscious are you that thecolombians today are out hereand they are screaming like asoccer match?How conscious are you that thefuture of the american grandprix could hinge on theemotional support for one oftheir own drivers?

BE>> I don't know know whetherthat will happen but it will bemuch better if we had acompetitive american driver.

DD>> I think it's fair to saygermany probably has moresupport now for formula one thanit had many years past?

BE>> Sure.Spain is a very good example.

DD>> There are lots of supposedlyamerican driver developmentprograms.You of course support those?

BE>> Yeah.Sure.

DD>> Do you financially supportany of them can

BE>> Indirect, perhaps.

DD>> Would you financially supportit if you thought it would swellthe crowd and make this americanstop better than it was before?

BE>> I mean, if we find anamerican driver that would becompetitive in formula one, we'dobviously support that for sure.

DD>> Anything we haven't covered?

BE>> Normally you ask, do you havesex before the race and all thatdo you not want to ask all that?

DD>> I saw an interview with jameshunt and jackie stewart says hehas never -- says he never hasit and the other said he doesit.Do you have sex before --

BE>> I try it both way.

DaveDespain>> There are some images thatare a little difficult to getyour mind around.A plan of few words, I'm glad wehad the opportunity to to getthose few word pross ride isingsome insight into the mind ofthe man who has made formula onethe most powerful motorsportsforce in the world.Thank you, derick daly formaking it happen.

[jonovision_man]

Nice, thanks.

Some interesting take-aways from that interview with Bernie... he could very well have been part of a CART ownership group, but it seems as though the direction he wanted was to merge CART and IRL. When Tony wasn't open to that he lost interest. That's the impression I get...

jono

[Andrew Longman]

I was fascinated by the interview last night

Good questions from Daly.

Good direct answers from BE, except that IMS is the "permanent home of the USGP at the moment". Actually maybe that IS very direct ;)

Also he seems to say that grooved tires were a mistake.

I'd like to have heard his assessment on the new qualifying format.

[lateralus42]

I really really really hate grooved tires, I was so happy to hear him say he didnt like them either. Hopefully they can get rid of those things soon.

Also on the CART thing, it was eye opening to see him admit it, so may people were ranting and raving that the rumors were being started by Forsythe and Pook. Wilke was wrong again! :rofl:

[Cam]

Bernie has always been against the grooves.... They were Mosley's idea.... I think Bernie is starting to realize MM needs to put down the pipe. However he doesnt poke his nose into the running of the FIA..... Maybe it's time for him to do so tho!