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Thread: Rahal to D&R

  1. #11
    Senior Member Jag_Warrior's Avatar
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    So the fat lady is pretty much singing for Hunter-Reay?

    Pardon my French, but that is VERY f'ed up. It looks bad on the series, the team and the title sponsor (since he's their guy).

    I'm not throwing darts, because I don't know. But is Andretti Autosport really capable of finding a sponsor? I'm just asking. I just know they've had a lot of "gift" sponsorships over the years: NYSE was a holdover from the Archipelago merger (the owner was a big fan of the Andretti family), Go Daddy and Motorola are there because of The Danica, the Honda and Formula Dream money was from when they were a "factory" team and then they agreed to nurse Mutoh along, 7-11 I don't know about, but Izod was because of Hunter-Reay. From what I've heard (and I wouldn't blame him if it was true), Mikey is making sure that Marco has some decals on his car, but the family account has covered much of his running costs recently. So the question remains, apart from a sponsor approaching Andretti (or a ride buyer contacting them), is this an outfit that's shown any real ability to put a sponsor in the bag on their own?
    "Every generation's memory is exactly as long as its own experience." --John Kenneth Galbraith

  2. #12
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    Quote Originally Posted by Starter
    Actually, I'm beginning to doubt that the younger Rahal is deserving of all the credit he gets on internet boards. Is he really as good as some think? And deserving of a top ride? He's got a win, but so does Danica. In many situations he's been less than competitive. True that he hasn't been in a top car but you'd think that any driver deserving of attention could pull a few good ones out of the hat. Any one else have any thoughts on this?
    When Graham first showed up in the other series, I was very unimpressed. He seemed out of his depth and made a lot of unforced errors. He has gotten much better and has had moments of success, but IMHO the jury is still out. When he was running for SFR, he didn't seem to be able to adapt or give really good feedback. I think it was Long Beach were he was adamant on the radio that lowering the car would not help his problems. So they lowered the back of the car and he was noticeably quicker.

    This probably isn't a popular opinion, but I think a lot of the support is because he is American. When you look at the Americans who could / should be in Indycar, he is one of the few with a resume. Most of the others have either disappointed (Marco), haven't had opportunities (Hildebrand , etc), are firmly established in other series (Patrick Long), or are simply too old (Alex Barron) for a team to take a chance. Graham may just be the "best of the rest"
    I read it on the internet, so it must be true

  3. #13
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    Quote Originally Posted by beachbum
    When Graham first showed up in the other series, I was very unimpressed. He seemed out of his depth and made a lot of unforced errors. He has gotten much better and has had moments of success, but IMHO the jury is still out. When he was running for SFR, he didn't seem to be able to adapt or give really good feedback. I think it was Long Beach were he was adamant on the radio that lowering the car would not help his problems. So they lowered the back of the car and he was noticeably quicker.

    This probably isn't a popular opinion, but I think a lot of the support is because he is American. When you look at the Americans who could / should be in Indycar, he is one of the few with a resume. Most of the others have either disappointed (Marco), haven't had opportunities (Hildebrand , etc), are firmly established in other series (Patrick Long), or are simply too old (Alex Barron) for a team to take a chance. Graham may just be the "best of the rest"
    Don't forget that at Long Beach he was slow with SFR because they had a cracked tub...of which he correctly diagnosed. Graham is fast and quite good, he's proven that through the feeder series. He was a fast rookie with NHL in the only year of the DP01, won under extraordinarly circumstances after the merge, and was the only guy consistently challenging the red cars last year in NHL's 2nd season with the equipment (in terms of speed but not necessarily results). If I'm not mistaken, I think he made every single fast 6 last year. Yes, the results need to start following on a consistent basis but this year hasn't been a year to analyze that.
    It isn't the car Danica...it is the space between the steering wheel and the seat.

  4. #14
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    Quote Originally Posted by TURN3
    Don't forget that at Long Beach he was slow with SFR because they had a cracked tub...of which he correctly diagnosed. Graham is fast and quite good, he's proven that through the feeder series.
    Actually, the team determined the tub was "soft", no cracked. If you read his tweets and comments, Graham really didn't know what was causing the car to not react to changes. Of course, until after Long Beach, the team didn't know what was wrong either.

    What sticks in my mind is the Las Vegas Champ Car race when another driver surprised him and he turned into the wall. He has come a LONG way since then. I think he is a good driver, but IMHO he hasn't shown the toughness to be a regular contender and not make mistakes. Graham is still young and has lots of potential, but there are many drivers with similar credentials.
    I read it on the internet, so it must be true

  5. #15
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    Quote Originally Posted by Jag_Warrior
    So the fat lady is pretty much singing for Hunter-Reay?

    Pardon my French, but that is VERY f'ed up. It looks bad on the series, the team and the title sponsor (since he's their guy).

    I'm not throwing darts, because I don't know. But is Andretti Autosport really capable of finding a sponsor? I'm just asking. I just know they've had a lot of "gift" sponsorships over the years: NYSE was a holdover from the Archipelago merger (the owner was a big fan of the Andretti family), Go Daddy and Motorola are there because of The Danica, the Honda and Formula Dream money was from when they were a "factory" team and then they agreed to nurse Mutoh along, 7-11 I don't know about, but Izod was because of Hunter-Reay. From what I've heard (and I wouldn't blame him if it was true), Mikey is making sure that Marco has some decals on his car, but the family account has covered much of his running costs recently. So the question remains, apart from a sponsor approaching Andretti (or a ride buyer contacting them), is this an outfit that's shown any real ability to put a sponsor in the bag on their own?
    he will run with AA at Iowa





    i
    "The universal aptitude for ineptitude makes any human accomplishment an incredible miracle."

  6. #16
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    Quote Originally Posted by Hoop-98
    he will run with AA at Iowa





    i
    I hadn't heard that yet. Sweet!!!!
    The overall technical objective in racing is the achievement of a vehicle configuration, acceptable within the practical interpretation of the rules, which can traverse a given course in a minimum time. -Milliken

  7. #17
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    One more for RHR

    http://andrettiautosport.com/News_Ju...s_June_15_2010

    Still doesn't sound like a full season deal though.

  8. #18
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    I read one race deal from the ethanol group for the Iowa Corn 250. Sounds like smart money for the corn based ethanol producers to back a top driver in an important market for them. I'm still shocked Izod isn't stepping up. I suppose the same money could have bought a full season elsewhere.
    HINCHTOWN!!

  9. #19
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    Quote Originally Posted by beachbum
    When Graham first showed up in the other series, I was very unimpressed. He seemed out of his depth and made a lot of unforced errors. He has gotten much better and has had moments of success, but IMHO the jury is still out. When he was running for SFR, he didn't seem to be able to adapt or give really good feedback. I think it was Long Beach were he was adamant on the radio that lowering the car would not help his problems. So they lowered the back of the car and he was noticeably quicker.

    This probably isn't a popular opinion, but I think a lot of the support is because he is American. When you look at the Americans who could / should be in Indycar, he is one of the few with a resume. Most of the others have either disappointed (Marco), haven't had opportunities (Hildebrand , etc), are firmly established in other series (Patrick Long), or are simply too old (Alex Barron) for a team to take a chance. Graham may just be the "best of the rest"
    I am going to toss out anything that happened with Sarah's outfit and put it aside. No one has ever been competitive in that car, oval or road course, so to criticize him for what was going on at Long Beach isn't really worth condemnation. Will Power, Helio and Dario couldn't have probably dragged that car further up the grid with the engineering help Sarah can afford. They just don't understand enough about this car to make it competitive.

    So we have to look past SFR with Graham, and go back to his Newman Haas days. The fact is he is a project. When he gets the car he wants, he is fast. He won a race, and didn't have to play the fuel mileage game on a foot to the floor 1.5 mile oval to do it. What is more, he can turn left all day, or turn right too. He isn't a one trick pony. That said, he looked pretty green at Indy, blocking but hey, you know who does it and gets away with it, so there you have why Graham figured it was legal.

    I am not saying he is going to be the next best deal, but for D and R, he could be an inspired choice. The kid has good genes, and a good coach. That has to be something I guess...but really, things could go either way.
    "Water for my horses, beer for my men and mud for my turtle".

  10. #20
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    Quote Originally Posted by Mark in Oshawa
    I am going to toss out anything that happened with Sarah's outfit and put it aside. No one has ever been competitive in that car, oval or road course, so to criticize him for what was going on at Long Beach isn't really worth condemnation. Will Power, Helio and Dario couldn't have probably dragged that car further up the grid with the engineering help Sarah can afford. They just don't understand enough about this car to make it competitive.

    So we have to look past SFR with Graham, and go back to his Newman Haas days. The fact is he is a project. When he gets the car he wants, he is fast. He won a race, and didn't have to play the fuel mileage game on a foot to the floor 1.5 mile oval to do it. What is more, he can turn left all day, or turn right too. He isn't a one trick pony. That said, he looked pretty green at Indy, blocking but hey, you know who does it and gets away with it, so there you have why Graham figured it was legal.

    I am not saying he is going to be the next best deal, but for D and R, he could be an inspired choice. The kid has good genes, and a good coach. That has to be something I guess...but really, things could go either way.
    Mark, I have to agree with all you said. The potential is there and at 21 he has time to develop. SFR obviously thought he was a good choice and so does DRR. Is he as good as some like to project? Hard to tell-yet.
    I read it on the internet, so it must be true

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