Forsythe a little peeved

[KLang]

Just a little..... ;)


"It was a ridiculous error on the part of our crew, running Paul out of fuel. That's so embarrassing. That's totally uncalled for," said Forsythe.

"I read them the riot act on Sunday and (Monday) I was reading it to them again. If this happens again, there will be a whole new crew in that stand.

"I hope they learned their lesson."

He was just warming up.

"It better never happen again. This is the second time. The first time was one too many. This cannot happen, not from the calibre of team we have. This is not a weekend stint. This is a full-time job. Team members get paid handsomely. There is no room for error. No excuses. All they can do is hang their heads low. They all feel sorry but it doesn't get us a win back."

Forsythe said team members spend too much time watching the race on TV monitors in the pit stand, rather than tending to their computer screens, so he is removing all but one of the monitors for the Grand Prix of Edmonton on Sunday. And he expects a far better performance from the crew, to match that of Tracy, who could be heard on the TV broadcast uttering an expletive as he pulled the car off the track on Sunday.



link (http://www.canada.com/edmonton/edmontonjournal/news/sports/story.html?id=b87e8eb1-de77-43c0-9dd0-ae2f6c4a1f03)

[RaceGrrl]

Forsythe said team members spend too much time watching the race on TV monitors in the pit stand, rather than tending to their computer screens, so he is removing all but one of the monitors for the Grand Prix of Edmonton on Sunday.

They're grounded from TV. :D

[Andrew Longman]

I take it they are clear this was an issue of miscalculation and not some mysterious pick up problem.

Agreed that it is a straight-forward, though certainly not simple, math challenge to set fuel strategy. And you should never set your fuel window such that you run to the last lap just in case the course goes yellow and the pits close.

Not sure what the point of telling all of us that he chewed the crew out was though.

[KLang]

Not sure what the point of telling all of us that he chewed the crew out was though.

He normally isn't quoted much. I think it's an indication of how angry he is over the team screw-up.

[DagoFast]

Anyone think PT will run out of fuel again? :laugh:

[Jag_Warrior]

Not sure what the point of telling all of us that he chewed the crew out was though.

Notice that Team Forsythe is accepting resumes? :laugh:

[cameraman]

Not sure what the point of telling all of us that he chewed the crew out was though.

There is a difference between a public reaming and a private one. The public version from someone like Forsythe is not a good thing...

[stroker]

I would take it as an indication of how much GF wants to beat NH this year. I'll grant you it's a bit over-the-top-public as an indication of his displeasure, but that's not a big deal to me. If the team's going to win the championship they're obviously going to have to pin their hopes on PT.

Y'know, I'm not really much of a PT fan, but I'd really like to see what he could do in an F1 test. I think he's still got it, but I wouldn't think he'll have it for much longer...

[Insomniac]

I'd be a little pissed too when the lowest funded teams don't run out of fuel and this is the second time his team does it.

[Ed_Severson]

I don't really understand why they didn't just bring him in two or three laps earlier anyhow. With the pace he was running, it would not have mattered, and at least they would not have run the risk of running him out of fuel.

I know Forsythe has a very good engineering staff, but these guys could learn a thing or two about race strategy from the likes of HVM and PKVR. It seems pretty obvious to me that at minimum, you plan your stop with one lap of fuel remaining, if for no other reason than to have a cushion in case there's a communication ****-up and the driver doesn't come in when he's supposed to.

On the other hand, though, I'm not impressed by a public dressing down. That's not a very good way to manage, in my opinion. It's an internal problem, and should be handled internally. Going public with a tirade like that can only damage your professional relationships, and public humiliation is far down the list of effective motivators.

[NismoZ]

Sounds like Bourdais is a little peeved as well. When interviewed in Edmonton he said Tracy had "plenty of room" and reminded one and all of Tracy's history of "crazy" moves then cited how "stupid" it was to run the car out of fuel! Appears Forsythe agrees with him!

[oddlycalm]

I'm not impressed by a public dressing down. That's not a very good way to manage, in my opinion. Agreed, but JF has demonstrated over many years that he a man of action and few words and is normally the last person you would hear speak up in public about anything. It may be that we will soon see a major shakeup and that the reason he spoke out is that he doesn't anticipate having a future relationship with most/all of those involved and thus he doesn't care.

oc

[oddlycalm]

Sounds like Bourdais is a little peeved as well. When interviewed in Edmonton he said Tracy had "plenty of room" and reminded one and all of Tracy's history of "crazy" moves Bourdais like to maintain the mild mannered facade in public, but on the track he is just as aggressive as PT. Whether it's knocking wheels with a team mate at Denver or punting off some poor driver who happens to be where he wants to go at Le Mans, Kermit is not a guy who is going to ever back down or even show a lot of patience. He may not be a wild as Tracy can be on a bad day, but he many degrees tougher than a guy like Bruno which is why he wins races.

oc

[Chitowncartfreak]

Apparently, when the team short-filled him on the first stop, they knew exactly how much fuel they added to the tank, but the computer estimates of how much fuel was left in the tank when he came in were high. The compter indicated he had more fuel than he actually he had. Since they didn't give him a full fuel load, they really had no accurate way of judging how much was in the tank when you combine the amount they added with what was left when he pitted. Still, I would think the team would have some sort of confidence interval around the fuel number to account for these variances in the computer measurements.

The public dressing-down is not necessary. The team probably feels horrible about costing PT the win. That is punishment enough.

[Andrew Longman]

There is a difference between a public reaming and a private one. The public version from someone like Forsythe is not a good thing...

As a long time Yankee fan I've had to endure and cringe through many public tirades from The Boss. Its unseemly and I'm more interested in the performance on the field.

But it gives the writers something to write about, the fans something to read about, and it keeps the team top of everyone's mind knowing that the Boss wants a victory.

So if it fills the stands in Edmonton and beyond then I guess I will take it. The team does deserve it and its not some manufactured WWE/Nascar crap.

[fourrunner]

As a long time Yankee fan I've had to endure and cringe through many public tirades from The Boss. Its unseemly and I'm more interested in the performance on the field.

But it gives the writers something to write about, the fans something to read about, and it keeps the team top of everyone's mind knowing that the Boss wants a victory.

So if it fills the stands in Edmonton and beyond then I guess I will take it. The team does deserve it and its not some manufactured WWE/Nascar crap.

This coupled with the Bourdais vs Tracy feud is fantastic ... a great read and build up to this next Race ....

I hope it builds up more, and gets the Fans going, and buying tickets !

Maybe even get the TV ratings up

Nothing like having heated competition between the Top Teams AND the Top Drivers of the series

Sure makes it about the Racing, and not some "Soft Core Racing Bimbo" who the Fans just wet their pant's over when she comes in 13th!!!

[Insomniac]

I don't really understand why they didn't just bring him in two or three laps earlier anyhow. With the pace he was running, it would not have mattered, and at least they would not have run the risk of running him out of fuel.

I know Forsythe has a very good engineering staff, but these guys could learn a thing or two about race strategy from the likes of HVM and PKVR. It seems pretty obvious to me that at minimum, you plan your stop with one lap of fuel remaining, if for no other reason than to have a cushion in case there's a communication ****-up and the driver doesn't come in when he's supposed to.

On the other hand, though, I'm not impressed by a public dressing down. That's not a very good way to manage, in my opinion. It's an internal problem, and should be handled internally. Going public with a tirade like that can only damage your professional relationships, and public humiliation is far down the list of effective motivators.

I don't think the pit window had opened yet. Also, they, or the person who makes the call, thought they had enough fuel. That's really the problem. They weren't trying to push it that close.

[Insomniac]

Sounds like Bourdais is a little peeved as well. When interviewed in Edmonton he said Tracy had "plenty of room" and reminded one and all of Tracy's history of "crazy" moves then cited how "stupid" it was to run the car out of fuel! Appears Forsythe agrees with him!

And Bourdais thought it was all PT's fault in Mexico too.

[Insomniac]

As a long time Yankee fan I've had to endure and cringe through many public tirades from The Boss. Its unseemly and I'm more interested in the performance on the field.

But it gives the writers something to write about, the fans something to read about, and it keeps the team top of everyone's mind knowing that the Boss wants a victory.

So if it fills the stands in Edmonton and beyond then I guess I will take it. The team does deserve it and its not some manufactured WWE/Nascar crap.

It also tells the public, as the owner, that you expect better and you pay fopr better. You are doing all you can. (Which is also what I think Steinbrenner does)

[Ed_Severson]

I don't think the pit window had opened yet.

I don't buy that part of the argument at all. Tracy's in lap was lap 34, so they knew they could make it 34 laps on a full tank. With 88 laps scheduled, they could have brought him in as early as lap 54 and topped off, but they ran him out of fuel just after finishing lap 57.

You're right about an incorrect fuel level being the problem. Nonetheless, it would never have been an issue if they had brought him in when the window opened.

[Insomniac]

I don't buy that part of the argument at all. Tracy's in lap was lap 34, so they knew they could make it 34 laps on a full tank. With 88 laps scheduled, they could have brought him in as early as lap 54 and topped off, but they ran him out of fuel just after finishing lap 57.

You're right about an incorrect fuel level being the problem. Nonetheless, it would never have been an issue if they had brought him in when the window opened.

I wsn't tryoing to argue it, just what I thought. :) I am corrected though. Clearly the window was open. Hopefully someone will be able to keep track from now on. :)

[KLang]

Tracy's perspective:


Tracy stepped in front of the rocket fired by his Forsythe Racing boss Gerald Forsythe, who read the riot act to his crew for the No. 3 car running out of fuel in Toronto with a podium spot and championship points at stake.

The Scarborough, Ont., native defended his team and suggested a maturity about himself for not blowing a gasket over the costly blunder.

"The team made a mistake and miscalculated the fuel. I've made mistakes. I've crashed cars and no one yelled at me," he said.

"The look of disappointment on the crew was enough. It was a missed opportunity and we'll try to bounce back and get the win here. I've forgotten about it already. I talked to my engineer today and all we're concerned about is this weekend."



I have a hard time believing he hasn't been yelled at. ;) :laugh:

link (http://www.edmontonsun.com/Sports/Thursday/2005/07/14/1131038-sun.html)

[FTG]

Barry Green yelled at him, once.

[Andrew Longman]

It also tells the public, as the owner, that you expect better and you pay fopr better. You are doing all you can. (Which is also what I think Steinbrenner does)

Exactly. Steinbrenners two greatest weaknesses are that he is the Yankees #1 fan and he has the money and power to do something about it when he feels they are letting the fans down.

I like that Forsythe is saying to everyone that he expects better. I just hope he doesn't do the equivilant of mortgaging the farm system to get some aging overpriced injured has-been superstar. (or worse run Forsythe's Don Zimmer out of town)

[Insomniac]

Exactly. Steinbrenners two greatest weaknesses are that he is the Yankees #1 fan and he has the money and power to do something about it when he feels they are letting the fans down.

I like that Forsythe is saying to everyone that he expects better. I just hope he doesn't do the equivilant of mortgaging the farm system to get some aging overpriced injured has-been superstar. (or worse run Forsythe's Don Zimmer out of town)

Hopefully his effort to put pressure on them to do better (or as expected?) won't make things worse. Then this will all be forgotten. Especially when PT is doing donuts on Sunday. :thumbup:

[Jervis Tetch 1]

On the other hand, though, I'm not impressed by a public dressing down. That's not a very good way to manage, in my opinion. It's an internal problem, and should be handled internally. Going public with a tirade like that can only damage your professional relationships, and public humiliation is far down the list of effective motivators.You hit the nail squarely Ed, but on the last paragraph I can answer that one. There's no PR person there to help manage it. It's a damn shame too because I know of at least one or two guys who could help out there.

[TKGAngel]

You hit the nail squarely Ed, but on the last paragraph I can answer that one. There's no PR person there to help manage it. It's a damn shame too because I know of at least one or two guys who could help out there.

A team like Forsythe, which is one of the top teams in the series has no PR person? Wow.

The only way this situation could work in Forsythe's favor is if he is of the opinion that any press about the series/team is good press about the series/team. Not a great communication strategy if you ask me.

[theunions]

A team like Forsythe, which is one of the top teams in the series has no PR person? Wow.

What about Joe Kirklin?

[FCYTravis]

No PR person? :eek:

I guess when you have no sponsor to keep happy you just don't need one.