AGR issues

[jackmart]

Wow, so I was rather shocked to hear that Marco refused to let Tony pass along with Danica. This raises the question though if he has so much speed, why does he need them to let him pass?

Then the 3 were bunched, right as the announcers were talking. They were wondering if Danica had radio since they hadn't heard much since she didn't let TK pass. Then MA runs right into his own teammate. WOW, they really need to work as a team, I bet TK is so mad, and DK must be so mad at MA as well. Then MA is all over the course. I would love to hear their team meeting.

What do you guys think?

[MDS]

I have to admit I'm enjoying watching them fall apart and get schooled. Marco is close to falling out of the top 10 in points, which should have been a lock for.

Did anyone else get a nice evil laugh out of Danica blocking her own teammate and then taking them both out?

[jackmart]

I don't see her blocking them, in roads courses I feel blocking an happen but it's just really hard to get around them. I did not see them trying to make a move and her and her cutting in front of them so they couldn't make their move.

[MDS]

Marty held her up at comming of the corner. She didn't have the speed to hold off Andretti and Kannan so she took an exceptionally low line into that corner to block Marco who wasn't having any of it and took them both out.

Add to that her race strategist believed she was ignoring her radio?

[jackmart]

I would love to see that footage because it all happened so fast. There is specualation if her radio was working or not. I noticed when she went into the pits the last time she was using hand signals so I think her radio really was out.

[drewdawg727]

There arent many passing opportunities on that track...it isn't as easy as you think for Tony to get around his teammates.

[jackmart]

There arent many passing opportunities on that track...it isn't as easy as you think for Tony to get around his teammates.

That is bc his car wasn't head and shoulders above theirs. Other people got by Danica and Marco with no problems. For a short time there was talk about Danica not moving over for the race leaders but because they were the leaders they were able to make a clean sweep and pass her. If TK was that much better he could have passed DK just like all the other people that did pass her, which was numerous.

[Mad_Hatter]

Difference is they're teammates.

They shouldn't have to setup a pass for 2 or 3 laps when their teammate is on a completely different fuel strategy, thus will probably place drastically different when the race is done and all strategy has played out.

[jackmart]

Well they were behind them for 3 or 4 laps so they car wasn't good enough to set up a pass. How should they do that because no ones car was that much better. Should one move out of the way, and slow down so the other can pass?

Quotes are out and they are tame, much more tame than I thought.

Tony Kanaan, #11 Team 7-Eleven Dallara/Honda/Firestone:

"I’m disappointed with our finish. The Team 7-Eleven/Frank’s Energy Drink car was one of the three quickest cars on track. However, considering that we started last, we were able to gain positions and still get some important points. This is a very physical track but the fan support was great and I look forward to coming back next year."

Danica Patrick, #7 Motorola Dallara/Honda/Firestone:

"This was an interesting race. I lost radio communication with my crew around lap 34, which was very frustrating, so I just followed the cars in front of me. Thankfully I needed to pit when I followed the group in after the yellow. I am frustrated that I finished 18th because the Motorola car was capable of a top- 10 finish. It would have been a great way to finish the weekend here in Edmonton."

Marco Andretti, #26 Blockbuster Dallara/Honda/Firestone:

"This was a disappointing day for the Blockbuster team. It was a difficult race and not the finish we were looking for. There was tremendous fan support and this was a great event weekend so hopefully we’ll have a better result next year."




All the quotes came from *****

I guess they all know better than to talk bad about each other to the press right after the race. All ended on a positive note. Couldn't find a quote from Mutoh.

[jackmart]

Don't mean to keep bumping my post but I found this on cnn.com

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2008/writers/bruce_martin/07/26/danica.andretti.meeting/?eref=sircrc
EDMONTON, Alberta, Canada -- In a season where Danica Patrick finally won an IndyCar race, trouble for the starlet continued in Saturday's Rexall Edmonton Indy when she was driven off the track by the team owner's son, Marco Andretti.
The incident led to a major closed-door meeting that lasted for an hour after the race. Inside the meeting were Andretti Green Racing team owners Michael Andretti, Kim Green and Kevin Savoree and the four drivers including Tony Kanaan, Hideki Mutoh, Marco Andretti and Patrick.
This season, Andretti Green Racing has become "Team Turmoil."
Rather than storm down and put the finger of blame on Marco Andretti, as she has been prone to do with rival drivers Ryan Briscoe is this year's Indianapolis 500 and Milka Duno last weekend at Mid-Ohio, Patrick let her teammate off the hook.
"Marco is my teammate, and I know he wouldn't do things on purpose, so it's all good," Patrick said.
Marco Andretti left the meeting without comment. The team issued an innocuous quote from the driver following the race that did not bring up the incident.
"It was a difficult race and not the finish we were looking for," the statement said. "There was tremendous fan support and this was a great event weekend, so hopefully we'll have a better result next year."
However, his father, Michael Andretti thought enough was enough after the team's female star was taken out of the race by "The Golden Child" -- who happens to be his son.
"We just didn't perform as a team, and we want to make sure everybody is working together," Michael Andretti said. "I'm most upset about our results. We weren't good all weekend and we have to work together more. We have to get it back on track again.
"It's a refresher meeting. I told them we have to do a better job."
Kanaan was the highest finishing driver for AGR and he finished ninth. After Marco clipped Patrick on lap 78 when the right front of Andretti's car hit the left rear of Patrick's car entering the 10th turn in a battle for ninth place, it send both cars into the pits for repairs.
Patrick's IndyCar suffered a flat left rear and Andretti's car suffered front wing damage. Patrick's car had to be restarted by the Delphi IndyCar safety team but it dealt a critical blow to both drivers' chances in the race.
Andretti would finish 17th and Patrick 18th, and both were summoned into the back of one of the AGR transporters for a closed-door meeting;
When asked if it were a "give-and-take" meeting, Andretti snickered, hopped on his scooter and drove off.
Meantime, as several hundred fans waiting patiently for an hour to get Patrick's autograph, the perky driver came out of the transporter, spoke to SI.com and signed autographs for about 20 minutes.
"There are so many people on this team, it takes a meeting for everybody on this team to get on the same page, so it was necessary to have this meeting," Patrick said. "It's much better when we talk. There was listening and then there was conversation and that's the way it should be when a team works together. Everybody should be able to say something.
"I had no radio for over half the race, so I had no idea what was going on. Marty Roth was lapped traffic and we tried to get around him as quick as I could. I caught him at the wrong place and got checked up. Next thing I know, I'm in the grass. That was it."

All four AGR cars had struggles throughout the weekend but with controversy a constant companion to Patrick recently, an on-track incident with the team owner's son was the last thing she needed this season, especially one week after the legendary towel tossing incident with Duno.
"We haven't had good cars all weekend, and that is obvious from the outside looking in," Patrick said. "None of us qualified very well. Tony Kanaan was the best overall, and we were all struggling.
"At this point I wouldn't say we're the only team that needs a week off after six-straight races."
An angry-looking Kanaan marched out of the meeting and left the track. When asked by SI.com about the particulars of the meeting, he snapped, "I'm not going to talk about it. That's our personal stuff and it's nobody else's business.
"You can ask but I'm not going to talk."
When pressed on the issue, however, Kanaan finally offered his thoughts on the team's overall performance.
"I think we didn't have good cars," Kanaan said. "We tried to regroup and didn't do a good job as a team. When the best finish for the team is ninth-place, that's not a good result for anyone."
Patrick has been a lightning rod for controversy since her historic win at Japan on April 20, when she became the first female driver ever to win a race in a major closed-course racing series.
She was in serious contention for this year's Indy 500 before she was taken out of the race on pit lane when Briscoe pulled out of her pits and ran into the side of her car. Patrick was furious, climbed out of her car and made a determined march down pit lane at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway before she was ordered off pit road by Charles Burns, the IndyCar Series director of security.
"I don't really regret those things," Patrick said. "I don't regret my instincts or emotions. It's my character and my honest personality. Sometimes it comes in smiles and sometimes it comes in frowns.
"You look back at situations that you can do better but otherwise it is life. My life happens in front of a camera all the time but I don't regret any of those decisions."
She became a focal point of criticism from Texas Motor Speedway president and general manager Eddie Gossage when she defended the scheduling of Milwaukee as the first race after the Indy 500 rather than Texas.
She drew some heated criticism from Dixon and fellow driver Ed CarpenterScott Sharp of the series" referring to a driver known for his blocking tactics before he left the series at the end of this year. after the Iowa race on June 22 after both accused her of blocking. Dixon called her a "menace" and Carpenter called her the "new
She lost control of her race car leaving the pits at Watkins Glen International on July 6 and nearly hit several of Dixon's crew members when the nose of her car hit the bulls-eye of the Target logo.
"Christ, I know Scott called her a menace at Iowa but she didn't have to take it out by trying to take out all of his boys," quipped Ron Dixon, Scott Dixon's father who was in the pit area at the time.
None of the crew members were injured but several made some angry gestures at her as she drove off and one kicked the damaged front wing which had to be replaced from the contact with the wall.
"I may have got the bulls-eye, but I definitely wasn't aiming at it," Patrick said after that incident. "I just kept the tires lit. I was running some different gears and as soon as the wheels stopped spinning the revs dropped pretty low. I was ahead of Hideki Mutoh pulling out and I didn't want to lose the position so I kept it going. I hit the paint area and the car swapped ends. It was a dumb mistake.
"I was telling them with my hands that I was really sorry. It was stupid. Next time, I will know better."
She was on the receiving end of blocking by Helio Castroneves at Nashville on July 19 which led up to the piece de resistance when she charged into Duno's pit area at Mid-Ohio and got a towel thrown in her face twice from the female Brazilian driver who screamed, "You can push the boys around but you can't push me."
That incident was videotaped by a friend of Duno's and was one of the most replayed clips of the past week.
Luckily for Patrick and the AGR team, there were no video cameras in the closed-door meeting, but the fact it needed to be held in the first place only underlines how this has become "Team Turmoil" of the IndyCar Series.

[FIAT1]

Problem is Marco and lack of talent. Tony should go to onother team where he can race.

[Cart750hp]

The pressure is on Marco. People expect him to be an "Andretti" but time will tell.

Tony Kanaan have too much experience working with a bunch of whinies. He needs to be in some other teams.

Danica? The name alone is wrong.

Mutoh? I'd rather see Doornbos or Almendinger or Tagliani or Montagny in that seat.

[seppefan]

TK needs to move as soon as possible. What happened to 7/11 this weekend ?

As Penske and Chips teams seem full for 09 how about NHL running three cars using TK's oval experience to their benefit and putting him in a close knit team which grown ups not Danica and MA who seems to be a sulky kid punching above his weight.

The IRL seires needs better than the supposed third best team making themselves look a joke and bringing a tarnish to a great drivers last few seasons.

[beachbum]

How many publicized team meetings has AGR had this year between the drivers? They certainly don't seem to be playing together very well. AGR won't last with its current personnel with that lack of chemistry.

I really suspect TK will be driving for someone else next year, and I wouldn't even be surprised if Honda moved Mutoh to a team that has its act together better.

Let's see, AGR with just Marco and DP. Thats a scary thought. Of course, they have Matos and Montagny in the background

[CARTDM15]

[quote="Cart750hp"]
Yeah but Honda doesn't and thats all that matters.Lets face facts that AGR have two ride buyers (Mutoh & Patrick) and a imature Marco.The team is not that talented.

[NickFalzone]

AGR has 2 drivers long on ego and short on talent, another driver that simply lacks experience to be at this level of racing, and finally a driver with experience and talent that is getting diluted by the weakness of the rest of his team.

[Jag_Warrior]

AGR has 2 drivers long on ego and short on talent, another driver that simply lacks experience to be at this level of racing, and finally a driver with experience and talent that is getting diluted by the weakness of the rest of his team.

I couldn't agree more. :up:

[NickFalzone]

I wouldn't mind it so much but for the fact that it's gone from a 3-team competition to a 2-team. Penske and Ganassi are highest tier right now. With AGR and KV a bit behind. NHL and RLR a bit behind them. Michael should be one that understands $$ and equipment does not = success, it's the folks you have behind the wheel. Can you imagine an AGR with a TK, Tracy, and Wheldon? Thats a real super-team that's also within AGR's price-range. But he's going to go for the easy money I guess, and let the on-track results fall by the wayside.

[bblocker68]

So glad open wheel got back together so I can enjoy this collapse.

Um, Dark Helmet (Danica). Get out of the way of the leaders when they're coming around to put a lap on you, okay??

[Phoenixent]

So glad open wheel got back together so I can enjoy this collapse.

Um, Dark Helmet (Danica). Get out of the way of the leaders when they're coming around to put a lap on you, okay??

:laugh: Dark Helmet Rules All. :laugh:
http://shutter05.pictures.aol.com/data/pictures/22/001/7E/77/6C/39/WJzP1R0bd8m+GWc3Xw7zs3-GO66adtKb0190.jpg

[Jag_Warrior]

:laugh: Dark Helmet Rules All. :laugh:
http://shutter05.pictures.aol.com/data/pictures/22/001/7E/77/6C/39/WJzP1R0bd8m+GWc3Xw7zs3-GO66adtKb0190.jpg


^^^Creative Post of the Month Award^^^

Bravo!!!

[bblocker68]

And hey, how much misinformation can you pick out in that SI article? They dropped the ball or came to their own conclusions on a few things there.

[weeflyonthewall]

Problem is Marco and lack of talent. Tony should go to onother team where he can race.

Never underestimate the value of a season in Atlantic's. Michael should have listened to Bobby Rahal, not ignored him.

[Old3Fan]

The major problem at AGR is #1 Marko is unqualified and the most arrogant (with the exception of DP) I have seen in a long time. Michael should fire the kid as he ain't going to make it and then grandpa Mario can take him to F1 where he should have been all along running at the front of the pack...........Yeah!!!!! Danica is/was a midpacker who now with the addition of the Ex-Cart guys is a back packer and like Sarah Fisher before her she believes all that crap about how wonderful she is that Scott Goodyear and that crew of announcers and TV control booth managers are continually putting out ad nauseum.