What Happens Next?

[jjjanos]

[quote="quetch"]So jjjanos, you basically say that Net-Ranger, the Mexican Champ Car fan who posted this at CCF, and who is also a poster at these forums is a liar, and made up the article and the quotes from Alam&#225]

I don't know who posted it at the ChampCarFascists. I don't even know if it was posted at ChampCarFascists. All I know is that someone here said it was posted at ChampCarFascists. I'm more than willing to extend the benefit of inductive/deductive reasoning to people. I'm just not willing to extend it to those who won't extend the same benefit.

[CCFanatic]

What happens next. We can all go to the bar and have drinks. I heard Raikkonen's a frequenter at this new club in London.

[Quetch]

Okay Starter, whatever. Feel free to delete that post if you find it offensive, and please delete my profile as well. I had a nice three years posting at Motorsport Forums, but this place has become just as bad as CCF, just with the opposite biases. Like fascists and communists, to quote jjanos. Unfortunately, currently there are no English language fan forums to discuss Champ Car racing, if we use that term in its original meaning. Fortunately, there is a small group of Champ Car fans in my native Hungary with nice meetings, going to races and discussing this fantastic sport in a sensible manner, pulling for its success but without drinking the koolaid of the owners and the management. Bottom line, what happens next is the race at Sufers Paradise and I will have a good time watching and and discussing it with other Champ Car fans. I wish the same to all the other people, but I think they will just continue bitching and moaning about things they can't change, and if they don't agree with each other, demand a link, of course.

[tbyars]

Sanguin, if Mexico counts on ticket sales to make money, how do they intend to make money this year? It is 7 weeks from the race. There are no ticket outlets, no tickets available ANYWHERE.

Does that mean you are saying there will be no Mexico race this year?

[beachbum]

tbyars, don't argue with an "expert". They are always right.

Here is MY OPINION. There are no links, so Mr. Expert don't even bother to ask. I have my opinion, and you have yours. And I am tired on hearing your pointless drivel.

After 350+ posts we have established that no one knows what’s next. We are all speculating. Why? Because CC management doesn’t seem to know what is next.

I hate conspiracy theories since most fly in the fact of known fact, but there is something odd concerning the Mexico race. First, there is almost zero information on the race, ticket, promotion, etc. Yet, good drivers are being dumped for Mexican drivers who "might" be bringing money, so that only makes any sense if the race will happen. My take is that the race was in serious trouble and probably wouldn't happen in a rational world. But after the other cancellations, the amigos now feel it has to happen, just to save face and keep Gerry happy. Saving face is a big deal for people with big egos, and they have plenty of that. If that is the case, making money isn't a concern. They are just doing anything possible to avoid cancellation. If that includes some last minute driver changes, so be it. The Mexican drivers are there to try to get any meager Mexican support and prevent being thrown out of the country.

My conspiracy theory is that CC management is behind Dalziel getting replaced. PCM is on the lease program and CC could easily make life difficult if they didn’t cooperate.

So what happens next (after Surfers) will be a race in Mexico. With no promotion it will be a flop, and a just big club race for the CC owners club. So even if it has no spectators, they can claim they didn't cancel and they didn’t throw the promoter – Forsythe – under the bus.

[ChaimWitz]

beachbum... I agree 100% with what you have written. It is a disappointing situation to watch this once vibrant race slip to this point. I am still hearing that it is uncertain that the race will actually take place. Now Robin Miller nailed us again when commenting about the cynical last minute driver swaps:

"Two More Black Eyes For ChampCar"

http://www.speedtv.com/commentary/40435/

Don't get me wrong, I think David Martinez is a potential future star and Mario has had some great days in a Champ Car but this situation is so transparent. I really think this all revolves around the promoter contract and who gets left holding the bag if/when a race gets cancelled. Viva Las Vegas too.

There is nothing coming from ChampCar on any of this and I have to wonder why.

[sanguin]

Why is CC held to a different standard than other series that substitute drivers? Nascar has many ,many "black eyes" ,since they dump their regular drivers for road course specialists at their tracks. Other series bring in nationals also to create local interest. All of a sudden this is a bad thing because CC is doing it? Please!

Robin must be really bored and missing the beachs of Surfers' to try to create drama with this crap. His agenda is clearly showing and its hard to take him serious anymore.

[Chris R]

The problem here is one of the teams is that of a series owner who could likely step up and just add a thrid car for two races - it would be a great show of good faith to the other teams, drivers and fans.

The other team is letting go of their good driver - ok, so the second driver is the onwer's son - but it still does not look good....

For a series thathas been struggling with car count it makes little sense to replace two perfectly good drivers when SOMEONE should be able to just ADD them to the roster for two measley races...

What this situation seems to demonstrate is that NOBODY is willing to put themselves out to make this series succeeds. That is fine - that is thier choice and thier money - but why should I go out of my way to support these guys (OWRS)when it seems like they are hard pressed to support themselves...

Something is very wrong here.....

[Ruben Barrios]

Looking at it with a cold head, my impression is that the owners are counting their losses and just trying to recoup as much as possible with as little investment as possible...

Maybe the 5 year plan was to fill the grid with new teams (using the magic Panoz as bait) and then sell the series for a profit... Plan went wrong and GF said "enough with this crap, I'll wait 'till you bozos put this series under and start again from scratch..."

[garyshell]

Nascar has many ,many "black eyes" ,since they dump their regular drivers for road course specialists at their tracks.

Please explain that little gem of logic. How it replacing an oval track driver with no roadcourse skils with someone who does, in ANY FREAKIN' WAY equate to removing a driver and replacing him with one from the country where the race will be held.

I'm not at all happy to see Servia get the boot, Ryan I don't have strong feelings about either way. But for the life of me I can't see how this has ANYTHING to do with NASCAR teams substituing road course drivers.

Gary