Whats the deal w/O2 Racing Tech being suspended from FIL?

[Otto-Matic]

Suspension of Indy Lights team O2 Racing Technology, owner Mark Olson upheld - ESPN (http://espn.go.com/racing/indycar/story/_/id/6773652/suspension-indy-lights-team-o2-racing-technology-owner-mark-olson-upheld)
i read the story on Espn, that the tea has been suspended for the rest of the 2011 season and 2012 for trying to organize a boycott for the FIL race, but no reason why they were trying to oranize such a boycott and no explanation from league officials. Nothing on SpeeTV or Racer.com, kind of strange. can someone shed some light?

[DanicaFan]

He withdrew his entries at the Milwaukee Mile this year and was trying to get other teams to withdraw from the race. Im not sure what his reasons were for doing it though.
According to the official report, this is what he was in violation of..

• Rule 1.1: Actions threatening the integrity of INDYCAR, Firestone Indy Lights and/or orderly conduct of an event.
• Rule 2.11 (C): Conduct creating adverse notoriety with respect to INDYCAR, Firestone Indy Lights or an event.
• Rule 9.3 (A): Attempting to or engaging in unsportsmanlike conduct or conduct detrimental to racing, INDYCAR and/or Firestone Indy Lights.
• Section 14 of the Event Entry Form: Engaging in tactics which would disrupt or delay the events

[00steven]

Got what he deserved.

[Dr. Krogshöj]

Why did he want to organize a boycott?

[Otto-Matic]

thats whats frustrating, the story offeres no explanation for what got under his skin and made him take these actions. thats what i'm fasinated by...what happened to make him this angry?

[Lousada]

This explains a little:
O2 Racing Withdraws from Milwaukee Mile Race Event « Marketing Jewels (http://jbhmarketing.wordpress.com/2011/06/19/o2-racing-withdraws-from-milwaukee-mile-race-event/)
O2 is angry that there were already 26! tech failures up to Milwaukee. None of them were on O2 Racingcars. Then after Milwaukee qualifying two Sam Schmidt cars were penalised after tech failures. But later the penalty was withdrawn. Sort of what happened at Toronto... They also named and shamed some who failed post-race inspection, namely Garcia at Long Beach and Sam Schmidt Motorsports at the Freedom 100.

[Lousada]

Why did he want to organize a boycott?

He didn't want to organize a boycott, the Indycar officials admit that themselves:
The INDYCAR Race Director Tony Cotman today upheld the penalty and suspension of O2 Racing Technology and team owner, Mark Olson. In the penalty (authored and assessed by Roger Bailey, Executive Director of Firestone Indy Lights), INDYCAR claimed, “… you encouraged team owners to boycott the [Milwaukee] event …”. This allegation against Olson was simply false, leading to an appeal by O2 Racing Technology and Olson of the penalty and a hearing held by INDYCAR on July 14, 2011.

At the hearing, INDYCAR admitted that it had conducted an investigation that failed to find a single person who claimed to have been encouraged to boycott the Milwaukee event by Olson. However, INDYCAR maintained that the burden rested on Olson to prove a negative, i.e., that Olson did not encourage a boycott. Despite Olson’s testimony to his innocence and personal team owner letters supporting Olson’s position, INDYCAR denied the appeal and ruled that there was insufficient evidence to reverse the penalty and suspension.

[Dr. Krogshöj]

He didn't want to organize a boycott, the Indycar officials admit that themselves:
The INDYCAR Race Director Tony Cotman today upheld the penalty and suspension of O2 Racing Technology and team owner, Mark Olson. In the penalty (authored and assessed by Roger Bailey, Executive Director of Firestone Indy Lights), INDYCAR claimed, “… you encouraged team owners to boycott the [Milwaukee] event …”. This allegation against Olson was simply false, leading to an appeal by O2 Racing Technology and Olson of the penalty and a hearing held by INDYCAR on July 14, 2011.

At the hearing, INDYCAR admitted that it had conducted an investigation that failed to find a single person who claimed to have been encouraged to boycott the Milwaukee event by Olson. However, INDYCAR maintained that the burden rested on Olson to prove a negative, i.e., that Olson did not encourage a boycott. Despite Olson’s testimony to his innocence and personal team owner letters supporting Olson’s position, INDYCAR denied the appeal and ruled that there was insufficient evidence to reverse the penalty and suspension.


That sounds exactly like the BS you'd expect from IndyCar officials.

[bennybigb]

I honestly cannot understand why anyone would want to be involved with this series.

Fans of the league, racers of the league, employees of the league......why?

These guys pull crap like this all the time. I had hoped that removing TG would make things better, but it's the same old crap on 16th and Georgetown.

I'm just waiting for the HG's to sell out so we can start rebuilding what was once a great sport.

[DBell]

That sounds exactly like the BS you'd expect from IndyCar officials.

+1

[Mark in Oshawa]

Well before anyone tosses Randy and Indycar under the bus, here is a few salient things that come to mind:

1) None of the other teams have come forward and said anything to support Olson. They didn't all decide to appeal to Indycar's sense of decency.

2) Olson isn't saying anything publically. People with nothing to hide are using the press like a megaphone. He isn't....

3) in a Series with about 14 cars on track (what I saw on track in Toronto) isn't going to do this unless there is something.....something Happened. No one is saying publically...but something happened....

[Lousada]

Well before anyone tosses Randy and Indycar under the bus, here is a few salient things that come to mind:

1) None of the other teams have come forward and said anything to support Olson. They didn't all decide to appeal to Indycar's sense of decency.
Yes they did, read the press message that I posted again. But they can hardly say that he was right about his integrity accusations, since that would mean they'd incriminate themselves. And since Indycar made it clear that everyone who does not tow the party line gets a 2 year ban....
Most (all?) of the teams are rent-a-rides anyway so what do they care? It's the customers/drivers that should be bothered, but they apparently are not. O2 actually had some sponsors of their own, which is why they were so serious about this.


2) Olson isn't saying anything publically. People with nothing to hide are using the press like a megaphone. He isn't....
Yes he did, I posted part of his press message. You can get quotes from him if you look for them. The thing is, Indycar might be unpopular, but FIL is nothing more than a little blip. You don't read about, say, USAC controversies in the mainstreampress do you?


3) in a Series with about 14 cars on track (what I saw on track in Toronto) isn't going to do this unless there is something.....something Happened. No one is saying publically...but something happened....
The something that happened is that Indycar admitted that there were cars not complying with the regulations, but that they allow it. So what do you think happened? They admitted Olsen didn't organise a boycott, they admitted the tech failures, maybe Olsen slept with Randy's wife?

[Chamoo]

Indycar could not find any team owners who admitted to it, most likely because no one wanted to incriminate their fellow team owners. However, like the press release mentioned, it was on O2 who had to prove a negative, by having team owners come forward and say that O2 did not encourage them to boycott. He could not do that, most likely because the other team owners would had been lying.

[Mark in Oshawa]

Lousada, a series with 14 cars or so on the grid doesn't toss a team for sh!ts and giggles...something happened.

[Griffon]

Damn right something happened. Schmidt's bunch has been cheating their asses off all season and some of the other teams have been cheating to a lesser extent. The Indy car powers that be have been covering it up. O2 called out these officials and questioned their lack of integrity. The "powers that be" in any organization don't like it where their integrity is questioned. Especially, when they don't have any integrity. So, those persons have responded with their full power. The fact that the Indy car officials are requiring O2 to prove a negative proves that O2 is not in the wrong. In a real court of law in the United States that is not allowed because it is impossible to prove a negative.

I'm sure that the O2 team will be much happier in ALMS or any other series in which they choose to compete. And I'm equally sure the Indy officials will be much happier with two fewer cars on the grid. The remaining owners will be good little soldiers and do exactly what they are told or risk losing their rent-a-ride businesses.

[Mark in Oshawa]

So Griffon if Schmidt's team is cheating, first off, where is your proof? Secondly why would o2 be going around the pit lane INCLUDING Schmidt to ask for a boy cott? Why didn't 02 come and say they were cheating. My friend, it is one thing to say you cant prove a negative, but you just slandered a race team because they are doing well......