Watkins Glen GP thread

[IMSAFAN1]

i flew from Kelowna BC to toronto and then drove from Toronto down to the glen to see this race. When i lived in the Toronto area I used to be there alot either working with Downing or just watching. The IRL race was very good...but big complaint...since when did they start charging for camping on the hill in the boot? every other race it's free there. It's the best track that they race on. The scenery is just great and the fans are awsome. I've been going there since grand-prix days and I was there for the first IRL race. I'll keep flying out there as long as they race there. Open wheel belongs at THE GLEN. I'm not a NASCAR fan but I want to see those cars go down the hill in the boot. I've seen vintage NASCARs go down that hill and what a sight it is.

[NYHF]

i flew from Kelowna BC to toronto and then drove from Toronto down to the glen to see this race. When i lived in the Toronto area I used to be there alot either working with Downing or just watching. The IRL race was very good...but big complaint...since when did they start charging for camping on the hill in the boot? every other race it's free there. It's the best track that they race on. The scenery is just great and the fans are awsome. I've been going there since grand-prix days and I was there for the first IRL race. I'll keep flying out there as long as they race there. Open wheel belongs at THE GLEN. I'm not a NASCAR fan but I want to see those cars go down the hill in the boot. I've seen vintage NASCARs go down that hill and what a sight it is.

The Glen has charged for camping for over 25 years now, I don't understand what you are talking about.

NASCAR does not use the "Boot" section of the race track, they run the short course and always have.

[Indy500'79]

It looked like AGR scripted two finishes. They showed Marco's car with a great run on Franchitti and an easy pass, then he backed off way before the turn came. Dario is in the championship hunt and Marco had nothing to gain - same with Kanaan.

You have to give Hornish credit given that none of the AGR cars could track him down at the end - great race Sam. Sam's dad shouldn't have been in there during the fight, but I agree with Hornish - it looked to me like sour grapes for TK.

[JPMfan]

Good clean race, but what a stupid mistake of Gaylio.
And did I hear that right in the interview after the crash, that he tried to blame Dixon for his crash?
I hope they will put someone better in that car for next year.

Good string of runs on Rice's side with a mediocre team, kudos to him.

But what the h***, the IRL now even tries to emulate Champcar's 'pit antics', do we have an identity crisis here or what?

[Komahawk]

Vitor was not screwed over by his team, they interviewed his car owner, or crew chief, I dont know who he was. He said "It would not of happened if he would have came in when we told him to."

LOL, so I guess Meira makes his own fuel-calculations in the cockpit, hehe. Anyway, another possible win down the drain. Meira is the next Raul Boesel.

[gm99]

Good clean race, but what a stupid mistake of Gaylio.
And did I hear that right in the interview after the crash, that he tried to blame Dixon for his crash?

No, you didn't - Helio (which is the correct way of spelling him, btw) had only himself to blame. All he said was that after the IRL contacted him and advised him "to hold his line", he tried to push harder at other parts of the circuit to keep his advantage.

I hope they will put someone better in that car for next year.

Yes, maybe they can find someone with two Indy 500 victories and ten other IRL race wins on all types of circuits

[JPMfan]

Yes, maybe they can find someone with two Indy 500 victories and ten other IRL race wins on all types of circuits

To be fair, he only won 1 Indy 500 and I know he won a lot of other races, but with all his recent mistakes (spinning coming from the pits, blend line violations and now this) I think he's past his prime.

Give a young gun the top drive with Penske.

And when you compare Franchitti with Helio, both coming into American open-wheel about the same time, I think Dario has done a damn better job than Helio, while Helio was in a better team most of the time.
So that says enough about Helio's qualities I think, good but not a top-notch driver.

[gm99]

Well, he did win two Indys (2001 and 2002 - the later under a bit of controversy, but win it he did).

And I think that a comparison between Dario and Helio would end up pretty even: Franchitti had one year (Hogan in 1997), Helio two (Bettenhausen in 1998 and Hogan in 1999) in mediocre CART teams, before both joined front-running teams. Certainly (Andretti) Green Racing has been a team capable of winning races and contending for the championship in every year that Dario spent with them (1998 to today) in both CART and the IRL; the same goes for Penske since 2000 when Helio joined. Neither of them has won a championship in American open-wheel racing, although both came agonizingly close (Franchitti in 1999, Helio in 2002 and 2003).

In overall race wins, Helio has 12 in the IRL and 6 in CART; Dario has 7 in the IRL and 10 in CART - again comperable, but slightly favoring Helio as he's had one season less of competition (and two less in competitive cars) than Dario to achieve those results.

As for Helio being past his prime, many would have thought the same about Franchitti after the dreadful season he had last year, yet here he is winning the Indy 500 and leading the championship.

I have to agree that he has made a stupid mistake at the Glen, and uncharacteristically many this season, but the likes of Wheldon, Kanaan & Hornish, Jr. have all had their share of self-inflicted DNFs this season, and no-one thinks they're past their prime.

[IMSAFAN1]

NYHF....what i was saying is that they charged for reserved camping on the boot for the IRL race. Every other time i've camped there it was always unreserved. Yes I know that NASCAR doesn't use the boot but i was saying is that It would be fun to see them go to that part of the track.

[Mark in Oshawa]

IMSA fan, that is just ISC trying to make more dough. Unreserved camping you cant charge a premium for......

AS for the guy who thinks Helio is over the hill, we all thought maybe Dario was getting soft last year, and look how wrong we are now. Helio is still one of the best drivers in the IRL and if Roger Penske wants to win races next year, he better keep Helio, because it is 50-50 he doesn't lose Hornish to NASCAR.

By the way, Sam, if you are gonna fight, do it like a man, take the helmet off. TK doesn't know any better to, but you should, being from Ohio and close to Canada enough to know real men drop the helmets......