Champ Car vs. IRL

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aracefan
Not a thread to start a big argument... but

don't you find it funny that the IRL (America's oval racing series)
now has 3 Americans in it...
Champ Car has only 2, but the IRL was supposedly going
to be an "American Oval Series"
Lets see,
IRL: Andretti, Fisher, Hornish, Jr.
Champ: Vasser, Reay


How funny and ironic is it that A.J. Foyt is running
a Honda engine with a Japanese driver...
I think it's farking hilarious.
[I know there are other Americans in IRL but don't have a ride.]
You go Tony George. You the MAN!

BTW, Sarah Fisher is the only driver in the IRL that grew up
on dirt ovals, and that was what the IRL was gonna be. A series
for all the dirt oval talent to step up to.
_____________________________________

I know T.V. ratings for CART are not good, but the races sale well.
Guess how many people were at St. Petersburg?
About 60,000
Guess how many were at IRL's opening race??



Ready for this...
Just over 17,000, Bwahaaa haaa..
and they made the fans all sit in one section of the
grandstands so it would look like the place was full.

I just don't get it... probably never will.
 
"I'm not driving one of those crapwagons." -Paul Tracy after being asked by a reporter if he'd consider racing in the IRL.

THE IRL IS A JOKE

A big effin' joke. What do you have in there? a dozen of ex-CART stars that got pissed, and another dozen of has-beens and losers that aren't able to run in front after 10 years of racing experience (Billy Boat, Al Unser, Shigeaki Hattori, Buddy Lazier, etc...) These guys were too slow and ridiculous to cut it in CART, and they're still struggling in EARL. Eliseo Salazar, anyone?

Sure, they've got a women driving... If you want to consider the trainwreck that Sarah Fisher is, a women.


The serie's been dubbed the Invisible Racing League, because we never see it on TV. Advertising is worse than CART has been in years...

If it wasn't for the Indy 500, this series would be dead. Indy is the only race that has some popularity.


3 Canucks in CART, 0 in IRL. 3 Canadian races in CART, and 3 popular ones at that, 0 in IRL.

I know what i'll be watching, and who i'll be cheering. Maybe the serie's not doing too good ATM, but it's still 10x better than anything the IRL has given since 1996.
 
ok lets get this going,

the reason all of the cart drivers went to IRL is because irl is a heck of alot cheaper and draws a bigger crowd. the racing is better, more side by side action.

when they ment IRL was going to be the american oval series because it only runs ovals and in america, with the eception of motegi now that honda is a supplier of engines.

CART sucks, the only way they can make themselve to appear good is by making fun of the IRL.

CART said they would not become a spec engine series, but look what happened, they now run only ford cosworths.

they claimed that running a car in the IRL cost as much as running one in CART, but when most of their teams went to IRL they were saying how much money they were going to save.

CART claimed to have 80,000 people in the stands at the cleavleand race last year (think thats the track) when a reporter claimed that there was not even 60,000 seats.

CART ends up giving most of, if not almost all of their tickets away.
i have recieved tickets for free from cart for their last couple of races here. and no i did not go.
 
Wow, we've got one of the 2 worldwide IRL fans on GTPlanet!


Bigger crowds? Aside Indy, all the CART races had bigger attendances. Heck, the race in Montreal attracted more people than the F1 race.

Most guys that made the switch to IRL didn't have choice. Honda and Toyota wanted them, simple as that. Helio CastroNeves, Gil De Ferran and Tony Kanaan, amongst others, said they'd come back if it only was for them.

If you think the IRL is a superior form of motorsport, you may need to get your head checked...


Mmm... strange thing, but i haven't seen an IRL driver climb up the ladder to another serie. Maybe it's because you don't need talent to race these cars? Foot on the floor, steering cranked to the left, hang on and pray?
 
you try driving one around richmond.

there may of been a big crowd for CART in canada because mainly foreigners race in that series.

yes, contracts. thats why there are so many damn foreigners there in the first place.

i dont think the IRL is the superior form of motorsport, just that i hate CART for several reasons, scumbags.

i prefer USAC.

hmm, heard of tony stewart.

barryf1fan, you ever get a chance to go to the chili bowl?
 
Yup. He's doing fine in the Winston Cup, that's for sure. Too bad he's the only one that "graduated", and too bad he's turning left 80% of the time. Which, coincidentally, is all they do in USAC and in the IRL.



Christiano Da Matta, Jacques Villeneuve, Juan Pablo Montoya. Heard of those names? Perhaps it's no surprise that 6 of the top 10 finishers at the IRL's season opener were ex-CART drivers, 4 of them 6 were "rookies", so to speak.



Perhaps it's also no surprise that the FIA does not consider the IRL as a major racing series if a racer wants a Super License.
 
in usac they are actually turning right a lot of the time.

maybe its because there teams have more money. but then again remember that there are alot of rookies, and almost all of them are foreigners.
 
They're turning right to go left. Same deal.

Takes 2 big brass balls to race Sprint cars, that's for sure. But it takes half a brain to race in the IRL.
 
strange thing, but i haven't seen an IRL driver climb up the ladder to another serie.
I wasn't going to bring that up.
But Toyota Picked The CART champ from last year not the IRL.

And I don't hate either one.
I just think it is funny.

But bigwhlkid, don't go off on Ticket sales and attendance.
Indy is the only race that used to sell out.
But not anymore, sure they will tell you it sold out last year
but it didn't. Mr George and his family gave his remaining tickets to Corporate sponsers.

BTW, what are your reasons for hating CART??
I don't hate IRL, just Tony George and AJ Foyt.

They both wanted a flag wavin' all american series and look what it got them.
Honda and Toyota. Can you say -Japan-
A lot, and I mean A freaking lot of the money in the IRL comes from the drivers now, which are not Americans.

Also it's not cheaper in the IRL. AJ Foyt said that, he just doesn't spend the money on the engines or drivers. He spends it on wind tunnel testing, which is freaking ridiculous expensive, and things like that.

I personally wish they could somehow combine the two but have seperate champs, ie. an oval champ and a road champ. I would like to see both serie make it, but if I had to pick one I would pick CART.
And why did you bring up Tony Stewart?? He doesn't run in the IRL.
but paul tracy is too scared to run at texas in his CART car?
That was actually Tracy, Vasser, Max Papis, and "The Andretti".
Hmm, a Canadian, American, Italian and another American.
 
Originally posted by PunkRock
Christiano daMatta, Jacques Villeneuve, Juan Pablo Montoya. Heard of those names? Perhaps it's no surprise that 6 of the top 10 finishers at the IRL's season opener were ex-CART drivers, 4 of them 6 were "rookies", so to speak.



Perhaps it's also no surprise that the FIA does not consider the IRL as a major racing series if a racer wants a Super License.
Alex Zanardi also comes to mind.


I don't blame any of the drivers, they are just trying to stay employed.
the owners like Penske, Andretti and Ganassi were forced to go because of their sponsorship demanding to be at the Indy 500.
Roger Penske even said that had Marlboro not made them go that he would have kept his team in CART.
 
Originally posted by barryf1fan


But bigwhlkid, don't go off on Ticket sales and attendance.
Indy is the only race that used to sell out.
But not anymore, sure they will tell you it sold out last year
but it didn't. Mr George and his family gave his remaining tickets to Corporate sponsers.


Not to mention they destroyed the finish. We all know who won, but of course Mr. George couldn't let a driver from the other serie win his race.



And why did you bring up Tony Stewart?? He doesn't run in the IRL.


He used to. Didn't do much there, but he ran.
 
Originally posted by barryf1fan
Alex Zanardi also comes to mind.



Yes, but Zanardi didn't do really well in F1. He got to Williams in a transition phase, the car was plagued with problems. And we all know what happened next.

Michael Andretti also comes to mind... it's no surprise he's in IRL now.
 
CART is constantly bashing IRL with these redicluas claims. thats why i hate CART.

a lot of races never do sell out.

tony george and AJ were trying to recreate a modern form of the old USAC roadster era.

raod racing teaches you how to drive, oval racing teaches you how to race. i will leave it to that.

the Andrettis, snit an snot.

i also hate CART because they stole the Champ Car name from USACs silver crown series.
 
Originally posted by bigwhlkid
barryf1fan, you ever get a chance to go to the chili bowl?

I always mean to go and then don't.
I have a 5 and 2 year old and it gets extremely dusty in the
IPE building (where they race) and almost gags you.

I do go to local dirt oval races - Tulsa Speedway and Port city raceway. They're outside and family friendly.
I don't dislike ovals, that is not my stance.
I dislike the principals that T. George has built the IRL on.
I don't have a problem with him wanting a series, just the things he said in the begining he wanted is just the opposite that he has now. I guarantee you Chevy won't be running next year.
It will be Toy-Honda series.
[but we will have to see]
 
umn tony stewart won a few championships.

in the IRL as well as USAC there is no race back to the yellow, it goes by the last lap order.
 
On the other hand, i hate oval racing with open wheelers. Too dangerous. Especially at the speeds the IRL guys are going.


If Mr.George wasn't so arrogant, or rather had not been so arrogant in the past, it would have been a nice series to watch. Too bad it's full of idiots with a steering wheel *cough* Schekter *cough*
 
Originally posted by PunkRock
Yes, but Zanardi didn't do really well in F1. He got to Williams in a transition phase, the car was plagued with problems. And we all know what happened next.



Zanardi ran in F1 before CART as well. He was at Lotus with Johnny Herbert.

Originally posted by PunkRock
Michael Andretti also comes to mind... it's no surprise he's in IRL now.

That isn't fair, McLaren(the team) and Ron Dennis came out and said that they didn't treat him fairly and it could have been better.
Take that for what it is worth.

raod racing teaches you how to drive, oval racing teaches you how to race.
I disagree, and I like everything from the lawnmower racing to Nascar to F1 and I don't think your statement is very indicative of what you meant.
Jeff Gordon, Jimmy Johnson, and Colin Edwards just won the Michelin Rally Race Of Champions. Rally racing?? Hmm Jeff Gordon?
 
Originally posted by barryf1fan
Zanardi ran in F1 before CART as well. He was at Lotus with Johnny Herbert.


Well he wasn't doing too bad there, considering the car he had, until the savage crash at Spa. that's why he went to America after, with the results we know.



That isn't fair, McLaren(the team) and Ron Dennis came out and said that they didn't treat him fairly and it could have been better.
Take that for what it is worth.


He also had a teammate that would make pretty much anyone look like a tool, and a car/engine combo that wasn't exactly stellar. He had a few good races, but his lifestyle made things harder for the team.
 
Thought i'd throw more oil on the fire here, after a race from both series this weekend.

The Japanese were surely affected by the SARS virus (Shitty American Racing Series) because they forgot to show up for the race.

irl-2003-mot-tm-0745.jpg



Not to mention the poor TV rating, ratings that were actually lower than those of the Arena Football game. Or perhaps it was the lack of racing action, the fiery and downright stupid wrecks that left Tony Kanaan with a broken arm, and Scott Dixon with a broken wrist?

This series, no, wait, this JOKE, gets worse after every race. They don't even have enough cars to fill the field for the INDY 500, and the registration deadline was last week. And people tell me CART is dead? This pathetic excuse for a series can't even attract enough entries for its most important race.



EARL is limping, and i can't wait for it to die, so i can pee on its grave.
 
you must remember though that it is the first time for the series running outside of the country and thefirst time at that track.

IRL is dead? must i remind you that CART has only 18 cars.

CART is dieing, they will be about out of money by the end of the season.
 
IRL sucks plain and simple... im suprised that every driver doesnt get killed....but 200 mph around richmond makes my blood rush
 
Originally posted by PunkRock
Yes, but Zanardi didn't do really well in F1. He got to Williams in a transition phase, the car was plagued with problems. And we all know what happened next.

Yeah, but Alex was a well-known dud from his earlier foray into F1 with Lotus - blown off by Johnny Herbert of all people.

I followed CART really closely in the early 90's, when it was looking like rivalling F1 (how many of you know Ferrari actually built an Indycar to threaten the FIA) and it was a fantastic series. It had a strong following in Australia and got TV coverage that wasn't far away from what the F1

Since the Irrelevant Racing League took Indy away, though, it's fallen away to the current disaster it is. I think the IRL's been a terribly destructive thing for US open wheeler racing, and if CART falls over you'll see an avenue for US drivers to come to the attention of F1 teams evaporate.

....and I hate oval racing. I'll watch Indy, and some of the ultra short half mile ovals (where's that one where's it's twenty something seconds a lap), but superspeedway racing is dull...and the IRL cars are HIDEOUS...
 
Originally posted by vat_man
how many of you know Ferrari actually built an Indycar to threaten the FIA

Me Me Me!!! I think it's in the Galleria Ferrari in Maranello. Either that, or its engine is. In which case I've seen it.

Apparently it was something of a go-er.
 
Originally posted by GilesGuthrie
Me Me Me!!! I think it's in the Galleria Ferrari in Maranello. Either that, or its engine is. In which case I've seen it.

Apparently it was something of a go-er.
Well, apart from you, obviously, Giles.

Ooooh...lookie what I found.

Galleria.98.006.jpg


That reminds me - there was a really good photo from an interview with Paul Tracy in the Australian publication 'Motorsport News' - it was of Tracy talking to Senna during Senna's famous Penske test. Took me way back.
 
oohh this arguement is ssooo good i just had to join

im just going to say it plain and simple irl sucks balls
i cant put it any simplier
if IRL is soo much better, how come they arnt running races in canada, england, germany, mexico and of course right here in australia. ive been to the australian cart race for 3 years running, even in the dounpour of rain last year, the crowds just keep getting bigger and bigger every year. on to a street circuit where high rises dominate the land available for spectating, the race managed to attract more than 100,000 people for race day. how can cart be dying with figures like that

we have coverage of all the cart races here in australia, and only the indy 500 fromthe irl is shown over here.

i can understand the concept behind the irl BACK IN 1996, all american oval series where drivers cant 'buy' rides. i thought "not a bad idea, but they cant match cart"

now they have dropped theyre ideals. honda and toyota coming along for the ride, a ton of brazllian drivers in the series. here is a classic example, shegiaki hattori, couldnt drive for **** in Cart. comes over to the irl and buys a ride with his epson money, and does resonably well. hang on lets see, japanese driver, buying a ride. this is the sme guy that got his cart licence taken away because he kept crashing.

tony george is only thinking about his wallet and how to expand it. he is lying to the american public by saying one thing and allowing the opposite just so he can jamm some more money in his wallet. its all about the rich guy. tony george has only been thinking about his wallet for nearly a decade now, instead of thinking which is best for american open wheel racing. he destroyed it when it was at its peak. imagine of there was no IRL, the indy 500 stayed with CART, imagine the strength of american open wheel racing then. thank you tony for wrecking a golden future
 
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