Class Act

[Gluaistean]

It's really gratifying to see Justin Wilson wining Watkins Glen. Even more so his interviews are always so contrite and gentlemanly. Not one of those sour interviews we often get. Justin is a true ambassador for the IRL. I would love for them to have him speak more often. He seems like he is a little shy but that adds to his charm.

What a race he drove. Not one error except for a minor glitch at one pit stop. He was flawless and fast.

By the way, what the heck was Andretti doing blocking the leaders? Didn't Moraes get a drive through for a "dumb" passing maneuver? Why wasn't Andretti given the same. He held up Conway for how long.

Anyway, great job Justin and Dale notwithstanding the team.

[wedge]

Yep, he's definitely shy, very modest. Had the pleasure to meet him a few times and definitely what you see on TV is what you get in real life. Way too nice for F1.

[Jag_Warrior]

I met Justin very briefly once. Especially for an ex-F1 driver (I was all ga-ga that he'd driven for Jaguar F1, of course), he was very nice. Yeah, happy to hear that he won yesterday.

[Marbles]

I liked Wilson from day 1 in F1. An underdog anyone can root for! However, what cemented my admiration for him was the way he handled himself after the final CC race of 2006. After being thumped out of the way on the final lap by Bourdais as they entered a chicane for the race win Wilson was both gracious and understanding of the situatiuon. A true sportsman.

I can only imagine the river of tears that would have flowed and the unending whining Bourdais would have put this planet through had he been on the other end of that exchange. It makes me shudder to think of it.

[grungex]

^^^
Agree %100! I was screaming with outrage, and JW just shrugged it off politely.

[call_me_andrew]

I don't think I've ever seen an IndyCar driver penalized for failure to yeild. I think you have to actually make contact with someone to get a penalty.

I can't figure out why Justin was ever let go from F1. He almost always outfinished his teammate.

[NickFalzone]

Looks like they all enjoyed themselves at Seneca Lodge, where Justin hung his wreath:

http://www.openwheelworld.net/us/news/7462/Exclusive__Coyne_makes_and_honors_history_at_the_G len/

[Easy Drifter]

Right on. I remember a few hijinks at Senca Lodge that can't be repeated but why was it raining outside the front door without a cloud in the sky? (Many years ago.)
Actually when was the last time anyone can remember a wreath to the winner? I cannot recall it for years, or it wasn't shown on TV.
That used to be a standard award!

[garyshell]

Looks like they all enjoyed themselves at Seneca Lodge, where Justin hung his wreath:

http://www.openwheelworld.net/us/news/7462/Exclusive__Coyne_makes_and_honors_history_at_the_G len/


NickFalzone, nice web site. I had never seen it before, it even has an RSS feed. How long have they been around? Their forums don't seem to have much activity. I did see some names there that I recognize.

Gary

[garyshell]

Right on. I remember a few hijinks at Senca Lodge that can't be repeated but why was it raining outside the front door without a cloud in the sky? (Many years ago.)
Actually when was the last time anyone can remember a wreath to the winner? I cannot recall it for years, or it wasn't shown on TV.
That used to be a standard award!


The Glen Motor Inn used to be a good place to hang out after a race. The bar in the basement has a view of one of the lakes and lots of racing memorabilia. (Not as much as Seneca Lodge.)

I was there about 18 years ago after a Can-Am reunion. Brian Redmond walked in and sat down beside me at the bar. I had a BLAST talking and drinking with him for hours. I had on a Shell jacket and by the end of the night it was apparent Brian thought I was there with one of the teams. We both had a laugh when I explained I wore that jacket because of my name, and I was just a fan.

Gary

[Easy Drifter]

The Glen Motor Inn was where the drivers and owners stayed in F1 days. Seneca Lodge was more for the plebes and parties. There weren't a lot of places to stay at the Glen.
For major races when spectating I used to stay in Corning. Later when I was crewing we had a motorhome.

[MethanolBuzzed15]

Its good to see Justin finally get Dale Coyne his first win. That's an easy combination to root for.

[wedge]

I don't think I've ever seen an IndyCar driver penalized for failure to yeild. I think you have to actually make contact with someone to get a penalty.

I can't figure out why Justin was ever let go from F1. He almost always outfinished his teammate.

Struggled to beat Webber in Jaguar.

His height/mass was a drawback. He knew it and it was almost like accepting defeat.

He is way too nice for F1. F1 is nicknamed the Pirhana Club for that very reason.

If there was a bigger ego/ruthless streak or even having someone like Flavio as his manager he would probably have had a slightly longer F1 career.

[nigelred5]

All I can say is that's exactly what I expected of JW, just a lot more often. The Glen is a great course for true road racers and I hope they never leave it. Just alter the date to any date but hte 4th of july weekend that i can never attend on. I'd love a return to the fall, say early september before it starts getting too cold and rainy like the F1 days.

[drewdawg727]

I hope this would motivate Dale Coyne to continue to spend money and be one of the "big 3" someday if Justin can finish well on the rest of the road courses. If so, he should get a very experienced oval driver to help out Justin a bit on the ovals, and Justin can help said driver on the road/street courses.

[ShiftingGears]

I can't figure out why Justin was ever let go from F1. He almost always outfinished his teammate.

You might want to double check that.

[NickFalzone]

NickFalzone, nice web site. I had never seen it before, it even has an RSS feed. How long have they been around? Their forums don't seem to have much activity. I did see some names there that I recognize.

Gary

I was just searching around for good photos of The Glen and happened upon that article. I agree, the openwheelworld is a cool site, in some ways I prefer it to IndyCar.com. One thing I've noticed is that in the last couple years there's been a surge in openwheel/Indycar bloggers that are apparently also getting press credentials now. Pressdog, MyNameIsIrl, Planet IRL, etc. I think these fans are great for the sport. Even if individually they only have a moderate viewership, I find that they often get the details out there that the corporate press tends to miss.

[call_me_andrew]

Struggled to beat Webber in Jaguar.

What Justin Wilson are you talking about? The only time he finshed behind Webber was 2003 Japanese Grand Prix, and that was the only race he drove for Jaguar where he and Webber finished the race. He had 3 DNF's at Jaguar, and all of them were for mechanical problems. And when Webber crashed in the USGP that year, Wilson finished in the points.

There was only one race at Minardi that year where both cars finished and he was beaten by Jos Verstappen.

[V12]

Delighted for Justin, never got a fair crack of the whip in either 2002 (overlooked for F1 ride despite being reigning F3000 champ), or 2004 when he was bounced out of Jaguar by Red Bull money.

I could also say 2009 when history repeated itself, as Doornbos's cash and admittedly decent talent outweighted Wilson's superior talent but no cash for N/H/L.

Also for Dale Coyne, he deserves this for saving not just Wilson from the scrap heap, but also the likes of Cristiano da Matta and Bruno Junqueira in recent years. It may not happen but it would be great if DCR could use this win a springboard to maybe get some more exposure and funding that could help improve their oval form and maybe even get a second car out there.

Also a shout for Mike Conway, it looked for a real long time like we might have a 1-2 not just for England but also for small underfunded teams against the likes of Penske and Ganassi, but sixth is still a real achievement and like Wilson and DCR I hope they can use this result as a springboard for the future. Just a shame they couldn't afford to keep Darren Manning in the #23 car.

[garyshell]

Speaking of Cristiano da Matta, has anyone heard anything from him. I remember some talk of hime maybe being back in a car this year. But then the talk went silent.

Gary

[call_me_andrew]

I believe he drove a Daytona Prototype last year.

[wedge]

Also a shout for Mike Conway, it looked for a real long time like we might have a 1-2 not just for England but also for small underfunded teams against the likes of Penske and Ganassi, but sixth is still a real achievement

Agreed. He's done a heck of a job this year.

[NickFalzone]

He's had some flashes of talent in the last couple races, and did adequate at Indy. I would not call him a great success though. I'd compare him to Moraes, they've both had some good races along with a significant number of awful ones. Conway hasn't been crashing others out though at least, usually he just takes himself out.