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I miss CART

M

Minno

Joined Oct 2011
90 Posts | 0+
Minnesota
I don't know about you mofo's...but I was a HUGE fan of CART. What with Tracy's jackassery, Bourdais' brilliance, all with turbo'd Cosworth, Toyota, Honda and Benz motors...it was a shining era in American open-wheel racing. Wheldon's death last Sunday got me to reminiscing on how great open wheel used to be in this country, and what it has become...



[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gAZJPYA37tU&feature=related[/media]



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JvrnWdo6prE&feature=related
 
You're not a big Crapwagon fan either?
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[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xuUUbnS42ls[/media]
 
Whenever I happen to see an IRL incident, I'm always impressed with how the cars seem to explode in a ball of flame with little provocation. Have these people not heard of fuel cells? Look at this relatively minor impact and the resultant BBQ; the driver was lucky to escape with a slightly singed butt.



[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iOSYHnemYZk[/media]
 
I think it is oil you are seeing catch fire in these wrecks. I'm probably wrong, though.



And while I do think that IndyCar sucks balls compared to the old CART series, I do still watch because it IS the top open-wheel series in America, sadly.
 
God me too, I compare CART in the late 90's early 2000's to MotoGP in the 990 era then the IRL is the equivalent of 800's, total ..... I was moving into the Barber Dodge series over there after wanting to move up from Karting here in the Uk as I wanted to race in CART. I attended several events and was lucky to have contacts that allowed me basically inside most places. I lost interest however when CART folded, IRL is crap.
 
They should have kept the CART formula, and tossed the IRL formula. What the hell they were thinking when the two re-merged, keeping the ....-... IndyCar setup with the ugly damn Dallara's and gutless Honda lumps is beyond me. While CART had the spec Panoz/Cosworth setup, it definitely was a more exciting and exotic package. I ....... miss turbos on open wheel cars.



But at the same time I wonder how well Dan would have done had he taken the F1 route and accepted the Sauber testing role in 2006...I don't know about World Champion, but certainly GP wins would have been in his future, given the right team.
 
Who doesn't miss CART? Although I wouldn't count Bourdais' time in Champ Car as anything great (the time period itself, not Bourdais' achievements). The post bankruptcy hearing Champ Car was a pathetic shadow of American open wheel racing, just like the IRL.



I've started watching again since the two merged. They have had a rough season on many accounts, yet for some reason Randy Bernard mkaes me hopeful things are going to happen for Indy Car racing. The new car looks and sounds good. If it is fast on road and street courses I think things will be getting really fun.



As for why they didn't adopt the DP01, Paul Tracy said the car wasn't built well enough for ovals.



Oh yeah, the IRL doesn't exist anymore. ;-)
 
I miss CART for sure. I went to the race at Brands Hatch Indy circuit in 2003, we camped for the weekend and it was just an epic weekend. The speed of the cars on such a small twisty track was ridiculous, the smell of the fuel burning was brilliant and the race was exciting. I'm pretty sure Paul Tracy won. I used to watch the series on the TV back in the Montoya years, the street races were always my favorites. I haven't really followed US open wheeled racing since, but i gather its not what it used to be
 
Geo Nerd said:
You're not a big Crapwagon fan either?
<




[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xuUUbnS42ls[/media]
Click to expand...



Ignorant bigot ....., right there.



I honestly hope this new IndyCar, dubbed the DW12, really brings back the excitement to US open-wheel racing. It's been too long.
 
Jumkie said:
I miss CART as well. Was a big Fernandez fan.
Click to expand...



It's hard not to like Adrian Fernandez. Not only did he come across as a nice guy, he had such awful luck that it made you feel bad for him (he wasn't a bad driver either). The circumstances of his first win...the crash at Michigan...he had a great and somewhat tragic career at the same time.
 
Minno said:
I honestly hope this new IndyCar, dubbed the DW12, really brings back the excitement to US open-wheel racing. It's been too long.
Click to expand...



The DW12 is being tested at Sebring this weekend, Honda and Chevy. Franchitti and Hunter-reay have said good things about it: speed and agility. Then again, would they really do anything other than hype the car for next year?
 
No, Bernard would have their ..... if they badmouthed it.



But I am optimistic about this car; with teams being able to build and apply their own aero packages, and there being more than one engine option. And it's not a bad looking car, either.
 
Minno said:
No, Bernard would have their ..... if they badmouthed it.



But I am optimistic about this car; with teams being able to build and apply their own aero packages, and there being more than one engine option. And it's not a bad looking car, either.
Click to expand...



Aero kits are not coming until 2013. I like the way it looks too, especially after Dan's accident (no more complaints about the bumpers).
 
The bumpers are ugly and completely nontraditional, but after Dan's accident like you said, I have no problem whatsoever. I don't think it'll eliminate those types of crashes completely, but severely limit them. Thank God.
 
Is the majority of racing still on ovals? Used to watch it a lot but only non oval races like Watkins Glen etc.I absolutely loved it then but cant warm to cars going around and around and around..........you get the picture.
 
DRILL said:
Is the majority of racing still on ovals? Used to watch it a lot but only non oval races like Watkins Glen etc.I absolutely loved it then but cant warm to cars going around and around and around..........you get the picture.
Click to expand...



Ovals appear to be on the decline. There are slightly more road and street courses than ovals now. In the wake of Dan's accident, the balance may tip in favor of road courses even more.
 
Now I remember the reason I watched it less and less.It was the death of Jeff Krosnov,turned me around a bit,did that.
 

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