Cart: General

[TheRob]

prime pit babes

Keeper,

To get back on the CART topic, here is a prime pit babe from the CART series. She's probably in town as we speak.

 

[Keeper]

Is that Ashley Judd?

Speaking of CART -- heck, this is the CART thread -- have you got tickets for this weekend? Unless I win on one of the local radio stations, I guess I'll be watching the tube. The little lady's up North this weekend, so I'll be nabbing the use of the 27-incher (no wise-cracks on that one ).

 

[TheRob]

It's tempting.

Yes on both counts. I've got a silver grandstand seat on the pit straight. As long as it doesn't rain, it will be good. Any predictions Keeper?

TR.

 

[Regs]

Are you sure?

or language of love, German

I thought it was Arabaic?

~TB.

 

[Keeper]

Well, I'd be lying if I said I was confident about predicting this race, however, Carpentier has been doing well in the last four races (perhaps he'll turn it up on Canadian concrete). Andretti's won it three times so far, but then again, not since '96 (when it was a different track). Last year Tracy won it, but then six different drivers have won it in the last six years.

If Carpentier can stay out of trouble, he'll take second. I'll pick Gil de Ferran because of his top-five finishes in his last three races and his 5th place finish here last year.

 

[TheRob]

What the.....

My god Keeper! For the last month and a half, I've been in here blabbing to myself, and taking jabs from Bucky, and all this time, you with your vast CART knowledge has just sat by and watched? Shame!

If Carpentier can stay out of trouble

That's the key. If he does that, he will do well. The Players cars are going great right now. They are really dialled in. I like Franchitti to win. He was the class of the field last year, and should be again. I guess it has something to do with driving close to his "second home."

TR.

 

[Keeper]

Just what the paper tells me.

 

[TheRob]

No paper supplies that much CART info.

TRwhothinksKeeperisahugeCARTfan,butdoesn'twanttoadmitit.

 

[Keeper]

CFOX

Did you listen to Pat Carpentier on the radio this morning with L&W? Fcuk, that guy cracks me up.

 

[TheRob]

Missed it.

I wish I could have heard it. I think he was on last year. Him, and Larry were pretty funny. He is a witty guy. Funny looking to.

Won those tickets yet? Good luck.

TR.

 

[Hands of Stone]

Scream My Name

TR

When you run into to the hottest of the hot Cart Babes, Ashley Judd, could you please ask her to scream my name when she gets shagged by Dario that night.

OHHHH! HOOOOOOOSSSSSSSS!

 

[TheRob]

Qualifying is over. Tagliani Takes pole. Carpentier will start second, and Tracey starts eighth. Lot's of birds, and beer. Speaking of beer........

 

[Keeper]

These Global announcers are pissing me off already. CBC has been far better in past years with Bobby Unser. What the hell do we need to know about upcoming new items? We're here to watch a fcuking race. And what's with the stupid converstation with Daniel Igalli? Just start the race.

I'd better see an improvement mighty quick.

 

[TheRob]

You're right Keeper. The Global announcers are terrible. Maybe they should try to get people who actually know something about racing next year. As bad as these guys are though, they do not compare to the bird they had doing the race over the public address system at the race. Fcuking awful.

As for the race, not bad. We had great seats. Two rows up, directly across from TKG's pits. Too many yellows though. To bad about the Players guys. I'm starting to think Kenny Brack is a bit of an idiot. Nice to see Moreno win. The smoke show he put on at the end was great.(right in front of us) Next up, the German 500. Can't wait. Oh, about the Germany - England game, I feel your pain.

TR.

 

[Keeper]

I'll pick Gil de Ferran

Close.

 

[TheRob]

Name change.

The European Grand Prix that is being run in Lausitz Germany tommorrow at 5:30 am, has had it's name changed. It is now called the American Memorial Grand Prix. Classy move by CART.

 

[TheRob]

(Oct 15) tsn.ca - CART has fined Paul Tracy $50,000 for his actions and critical comments he made during Sunday's race in Monterey, California.

That's the largest fine levied against a driver in CART history. Alex Zanardi was also fined $50,000 in 1998 for on-track infractions.

Aside from the fine, Tracy was stripped of three championship points and placed on probation for the final two events of the season.

CART chief steward Chris Kneifel, who bore the brunt of Tracy's verbal assault, says the Canadian was guilty of four separate incidents: Unjustifiable risk, unsafe act, unsportsmanlike conduct and criticism of officials.

"Paul's lack of consideration for the safety of fellow competitors and their crew members on Sunday is a matter of great concern and is not expected of a driver of his caliber at this level of competition," Kneifel said. "In view of his behavior, his language and criticism of the officials does nothing but demean himself and his profession, and we will not tolerate it."

The loss of the three points drops Tracy from 11th to 12th in the championship with 73 points, leaving him one behind Roberto Moreno of Patrick Racing.

The sanctions are the second this season against Tracy, who was also penalized two points and placed on probation for unjustifiable risk during the Molson Indy Toronto.

Tracy lashed out at Penske driver Helio Castroneves and Kneifel following an incident in the pits on lap 50 of the race. Tracy claimed Castroneves moved into him as he was trying to get into his pit box, eventually spinning him into the wall following the contact. Tracy was forced to drop out of the race with suspension problems.

According to the CART press release on Monday, officials determined that Tracy "deliberately steered to the left and into the 'slow lane', which ultimately resulted in contact between the two drivers".

CART says Castroneves momentarily lost control of his car and moved partly into the "fast lane" of the pit lane where Tracy was driving. The race stewards determined Castroneves did not impede the progress of Tracy and therefore committed no violation.

Tracy was also cited for a second infraction on lap 53, when he pitted again during a caution period. During this pit entry, he drove through several pit boxes to the Marlboro Team Penske pit area, whereupon he executed a tire-smoking "burnout" before exiting the pit lane. In the opinion of the stewards, this represented both an unsafe act and unsportsmanlike conduct.

Tracy was also found guilty of deliberately of making contact with Walker Racing driver Tora Takagi during the yellow flag period between laps 53 and 55.

Tracy eventually retired from the race on lap 61 after going off course into a sand trap during a caution period. In an interview following his DNF, Tracy called Kneifel's lack of action against Castroneves "a joke".

"I had a bent suspension from when Castroneves turned me around in the pits," said Tracy. "And what's more upsetting about that is the way Chris Kneifel runs the series. This series would be better off with a circus clown as the chief steward because the job he does is a joke"

Team KOOL-Green owner Barry Green also accused fellow owner Roger Penske of pit lane shenanigans.

"I happen to think it's the Penske game," said Green. "De Ferran pulled out in front of Dario (Franchitti) in pit lane here last year. Castroneves pulled out in front of Michael Andretti earlier this year at Indy. And now Castroneves was clearly beaten out of the pits and he turns Paul around in pit lane. I'm just surprised Roger Penske allows these things to happen. It's about time that CART took a stand and stood up to their game."

Anybody see any of this? Tracey was a mad man! Gotta love the guy. Eight caution flags on a big open circuit like Laguna Seca is brutal. There were only two or three actual yellow flag situations I thought. The Orial Servia incedent was pretty bad(any video keeper?) Only two races left. It comes down to De Ferran, and Brack. I hope De Ferran wins it. I met Kenny Brack last year. The guy is a goof.

 

[5bigtoes]

Saw it

I think Tracey's a plumber but he has a good reason for his gripe. Helo Castroneves was totally at fault, bumping Tracey coming out of the pit.

I didn't hear the tirate but I believe Tracey's been done for the some shite Castroneves pulled yesterday.

 

[TheRob]

Zinardi goes home

Great news from the racing world.

(Oct 30) BERLIN (AP) - Alex Zanardi was released from the hospital Tuesday six weeks after his legs were amputated and spoke of possibly racing again.

"I feel I brought home the best and the most of myself," the two-time CART champion said. "I didn't lose much. I got to know the importance of the love of family and friends. "Sometimes in life we forget what we have." Zanardi, one of CART's most popular drivers, said his first priority is to walk using artificial legs.

But he hopes that someday he may be able to get behind the wheel of a race car again.

"Motor racing has been a great passion of my life, not only my job, and maybe one day if I am able I will (race again)," he said. "But the reality is I don't know what I will be able to do right now."

Zanardi was injured while leading the American Memorial 500, the first CART race held in Europe, with 12 laps left. As he pulled out of the pits, his Honda Reynard got away from him and he spun backward into the path of Alex Tagliani, who hit his car at 200 m.p.h. and sheared it in half.

Zanardi was airlifted to a hospital in Berlin that specializes in treating accident victims. Zanardi lost 70 per cent of his blood and both legs were amputated halfway up his thighs.

"He was lucky to even reach the hospital," said Dr. Walter Schaffartzik, one of the physicians who worked on Zanardi as soon as he arrived at the Unfallkrankenhaus Berlin. "It was a very critical situation."

Schaffartzik said it most likely would be a year or two before Zanardi can walk again. But if therapy goes well, he added, Zanardi will be able to move about without crutches and will at least be able to drive a regular car.

Zanardi, who turned 35 in the hospital, said he has spoken with Tagliani and told him emphatically the accident was "absolutely not his fault."

He now returns to his home in Monaco. He plans to move back to his native Bologna, Italy, with his wife, Daniela, and three-year-old son Niccolo.

Zanardi's right leg is completely healed, but he will have to wait until the left leg is ready before beginning to learn how to use prosthetic limbs.

"I hope I can start before Christmas," Zanardi said, then pausing and smiling. "It would be nice, as we say in Italian, to celebrate Christmas with my legs under the table."

 

[TheRob]

Shocking news from CART

I heard some rumours about this a little while ago, but I didn't think it would actually happen. People think that this is the begining of the end of CART, but I don't think Penske was all that important to the series. I realize he helped start it, but the series was getting along fine when he only had one car, and was a back marker a couple of years ago. The series will be OK. Any thoughts Keeper? 5Bigtoes? Regs?

(Nov 4) ROCKINGHAM, North Carolina (Ticker) -- What has long been expected likely will become official very soon when Roger Penske, the winningest team owner in Indy car history, will leave CART to join the rival Indy Racing League next season.

Penske Racing driver Gil de Ferran won his second straight CART championship last weekend at Surfer's Paradise in Queensland, Australia, and will join reigning Indianapolis 500 champion Helio Castroneves in the IRL next year.

Penske and de Ferran will be in Las Vegas on Tuesday night to collect $1 million for successfully defending their CART championship. Penske is expected to hold a news conference next week in Indianapolis to announce he's joining the IRL and leaving CART, a series he helped launch in 1979.

"Roger told me he was out of CART, period," CART team owner Morris Nunn told ESPN.com's Robin Miller on Sunday at California Speedway in Fontana. Nunn had a two-car CART entry in 2001 and will be running one car in CART and one in the IRL next year.

For de Ferran, the switch to an all-oval series means the talented Brazilian will not be driving Penske's entries on street and road courses next season.

"I don't know what is going to happen, but, naturally, I would miss road racing because that's what I grew up with," de Ferran told Miller. "But my allegiance is to Team Penske. My greatest ally is this team, and I don't take that lightly."

De Ferran and Castroneves both have one year remaining on their current contracts.

It's the latest -- and perhaps biggest -- blow to CART this season as Penske Racing set the standard for the series since its inception. However, with leadership problems leading to some of CART's troubles this year, Penske has become upset with the direction the series is heading.

Penske vocally objected to CART's decision to leave Michigan Speedway -- a track he owned for more than two decades -- at the end of the season.

Penske believes the IRL schedule competes in markets that will benefit his team's sponsor, Marlboro. The sponsor was unable to reap full sponsorship benefits at this year's Indianapolis 500 because of the tobacco settlement that limits cigarette sponsorship to one series.

In 2002, that series will be the IRL, so the Marlboro livery will return to the Indianapolis 500, where Penske is the winningest team owner with 11 victories. That includes Castroneves' triumph last May.