Kirby article on cart.com

[RichK]

excerpt:


One evening at Mid-Ohio in August, things turned almost nasty. After Tracy told me he'd had enough of Michael bad-mouthing CART, I joined Paul in arguing with Ganassi. At one stage Tracy delivered some very pointed criticism to Ganassi and a little later after Chip had left in disgust Kim Green cackled over his shoulder at us, laughing heartily as he asked what CART was going to do in 2003 when it had only twelve cars and the IRL had thirty. Everyone has their own version of the truth and history often proves us wrong, but it was very disappointing to hear people who had made their reputations and careers in CART being so venomously destructive.

[JoeBob]

Here's a link to the whole article: http://www.cart.com/News/Article.asp?ID=5445

Very interesting read.

[rabbit]

I love this paragraph.

Champ Car racing also enjoys serious international appeal and credibility. If you can't race in Formula One, Champ Car racing is the only serious option for young drivers and team owners alike. This fact has fueled CART for many years, going back to the days of Bobby Rahal and Danny Sullivan through drivers like Teo Fabi, Derek Daly, Emerson Fittipaldi, Roberto Guerrero, Stefan Johansson and Nigel Mansell--no less--to Jacques Villeneuve, Alex Zanardi, Juan Montoya and Cristiano da Matta. Whether they move this way or that, the transmigration between Champ Cars and Formula One has been and will continue to be a good thing.

[Napoleon]

but of course Green wasn't really bashing C^RT.

[rabbit]

If I could pattern myself after any sportswriter, it would be Gordon Kirby.

[Warlock!]

Or howzabout daMatta's summarization of how hard it is to drive a champcar...

"You can see it in every driver who drives in CART. They feel like they are proud of driving there because they know it's not easy to drive those cars. It makes you feel like something special when you drive those cars because you know not any wanker can drive them. It's a beast to drive."

Winter Warlock!

[IlliniRacer]

At one stage Tracy delivered some very pointed criticism to Ganassi

Any bets if PT made a comment regarding the size of Cheep's backside?

[Kiwifan]

Or that Dixon really belongs in C^RT? :D

Rusty. (Just had to get that one in. lol.)

[Don Quixote]

Originally posted by Napoleon
but of course Green wasn't really bashing C^RT.

We all know that none of those guys have ever bashed C^RT. We just heard them wrong.

[mnkywrch]

I thought reporters were supposed to report on what happened, not make themselves part of the story like Kirby has.

That's my only beef.



Many times I argued that CART would not only survive but ultimately thrive once again because it had so many strong venues. I believe the future of street racing and road racing in the United States, Canada and Mexico depends on Champ Cars. What other type of cars could race so successfully at places like Long Beach, Toronto and Elkhart Lake? More than ever, CART is the driving force for big-time road racing in North America.

Champ Car racing also enjoys serious international appeal and credibility. If you can't race in Formula One, Champ Car racing is the only serious option for young drivers and team owners alike. This fact has fueled CART for many years, going back to the days of Bobby Rahal and Danny Sullivan through drivers like Teo Fabi, Derek Daly, Emerson Fittipaldi, Roberto Guerrero, Stefan Johansson and Nigel Mansell--no less--to Jacques Villeneuve, Alex Zanardi, Juan Montoya and Cristiano da Matta. Whether they move this way or that, the transmigration between Champ Cars and Formula One has been and will continue to be a good thing.

Another very important aspect is the continued inclusion of at least a handful of oval races. An eclectic mix of racetracks is what made CART unique in America and around the world and will continue to make the Champ Car World Series the most broad-based challenge in all of racing.

I believed the combination of these facts and Chris Pook's inventiveness and salesmanship would generate a field for 2003, as it has.

He can say that all he wants, but without that $30 million they've spent on the teams, CART wouldn't be answering the bell in St. Pete, regardless of mix of tracks or what the international community thinks of it.

[Napoleon]

Finally had a chance to read it. Good read that put me in a positive mood.

[Hurling Frootmig]

A most excellent piece of writing. Gordon Kirby remains the King.

I didn't mind that he referenced himself in the article since it was part of a very insightful tidbit. It would have been wrong for him to remove himself from what he described.

[RTKar]

An excellent article. Over the last few years I've spent some time talking to Gordon Kirby, he is passionate about CART, a tremendous asset to have on the side of truth.

[owfan]

I think it was important that he reference himself and his passion for CART, as he was using conversations he was part of in the article. Anything less would have been poor journalism.

Too many times we get the bias reporting without any reference to the bias.

Kim Green, the whiner, and fat man = scumbags

[DaveL]

I can't help but get the feeling that if Honda and Toyota gave these guys enough money, they'd sell their mothers into slavery.

Screw 'em and good riddance.

[JT265]

Originally posted by DaveL
I can't help but get the feeling that if Honda and Toyota gave these guys enough money, they'd sell their mothers into slavery.

Screw 'em and good riddance.

Exactly. If this bottom feeding group of bastards were as tall in stature as they are in principles, they would all need an extension ladder to reach high enough to kiss a snakes ass.

[nrc]

Originally posted by mnkywrch
I thought reporters were supposed to report on what happened, not make themselves part of the story like Kirby has.Come on, mnky, you're smart enough to recognize that "Gordon Kirby's Inside Track" is commentary, not news.

That's my only beef.Then ya got precious little beef. :)


He can say that all he wants, but without that $30 million they've spent on the teams, CART wouldn't be answering the bell in St. Pete, regardless of mix of tracks or what the international community thinks of it. That's true to a degree. If CART didn't have a product that the new owners believe in I don't think most of them would be involved. That 30 million dollars is seed money. If the new owners don't believe that CART's product can sustain them in the longer term they would be steering their business down a dead end street.

But this is exactly what I was telling everyone six months ago. CART had the money to put together a field once they slashed costs. Yet even some of the diehards started buying into the gloom and doom.

CART isn't in the state they're in because they didn't have a good product. They're in the state they're in because greedy, back-biting owners failed to manage the company properly. Once you fix that and reassemble a field, it's the qualities that made CART great that will sustain the series.

[mnkywrch]

Originally posted by nrc
Come on, mnky, you're smart enough to recognize that "Gordon Kirby's Inside Track" is commentary, not news.

It's OK for journos to make themselves part of the story as long as they write about it in commentary pieces?

I don't like hearing about journalists going to confront team owners with drivers, or drinking beer with car owners & drivers, or driving courtesy cars from IMS.

Because, at that point, IMO, they've lost any journalistic integrity they had.


That's true to a degree. If CART didn't have a product that the new owners believe in I don't think most of them would be involved. That 30 million dollars is seed money. If the new owners don't believe that CART's product can sustain them in the longer term they would be steering their business down a dead end street.

But this is exactly what I was telling everyone six months ago. CART had the money to put together a field once they slashed costs. Yet even some of the diehards started buying into the gloom and doom.

So most of these owners chase the money from Honda & Toyota... but they're not chasing the money from CART?

Very few owners have looked at what CART & the IRL have to offer and decided to stay with CART entirely (Patrick, Haas, Walker, Forsythe). More have either moved to the IRL (AGR, Ganassi, Penske, Nunn) or hedged their bets with both IRL & CART entries (Rahal, Fernandez).

CART needs, eventually, to figure out how to replace their funds going to teams... with manufacturers sending money to teams... without manufacturers having to buy teams.

[CART2Day]

Originally posted by IlliniRacer
Any bets if PT made a comment regarding the size of Cheep's backside?

Should have walked down to the pits & grabbed ol Floyd like PT did with Barry in 98 :laugh:

[RaceGrrl]

Originally posted by mnkywrch

So most of these owners chase the money from Honda & Toyota... but they're not chasing the money from CART?

CART needs, eventually, to figure out how to replace their funds going to teams... with manufacturers sending money to teams... without manufacturers having to buy teams.

You know very well that CART's funding help is intended to be stop-gap only. It's better that CART supports the teams that support them rather than continue to whore themselves for Toyo/Honda money.

[fourrunner]

Originally posted by RaceGrrl
You know very well that CART's funding help is intended to be stop-gap only. It's better that CART supports the teams that support them rather than continue to whore themselves for Toyo/Honda money.

That is and was Chris Pooks whole idea in reshaping the series to begin with. Toyota & Honda were basically calling the shots in the series. It was time to give the power back to the organization.

I find it probable to believe that in time Toyota & Honda will be running the IRL in the same way. I see Chevy is playing third fiddle already in the early going. How soon till they leave? Tony really can't say anything about it.

Role reversal could prove interesting!

[oddlycalm]

Originally posted by fourrunner
I find it probable to believe that in time Toyota & Honda will be running the IRL in the same way. I see Chevy is playing third fiddle already in the early going. How soon till they leave? Tony really can't say anything about it.

Exactly right. These are huge Japanese companies with their own agendas. There is no controlling them, and when they are done, they will simply fold their tent and leave as we have seen with Honda twice in F1 and recently with C^RT. Anyone that saw how Toyota treated Gurney and Wells knows that loyalty isn't something they feel for some gaijin outfit.

[MightySurfClam]

What raises my eyebrow is thats a cart.com article. Color me unimpressed

[fourrunner]

Actually it's a Gordon Kirby article on Cart.com

Gordon is pretty respected. Robin Miller is on CART.com and hasn't been totally CART friendly in the past.

If there is something in Gordon Kirby's article that is a lie then I can't see why it can't be accepted! :)