Mid-Ohio this weekend

[Boorish Grobian]

Any of our North American CA'ers headed to Mid-Ohio this weekend for the ALMS-Indycar meeting?  Myself and the Mrs. will be in residence early Saturday morning.  Should be a good show.
Fax

[chop456]

Should be a good show.

Except for Sunday, you mean? 

Won't be there this year.  Hard to swallow their association with the inheritor league, but I had other plans anyway.  You going to Road America?

[Boorish Grobian]

Hi Chop,
Would like to go to Elkhart, but looks doubtful.  Got alot of stuff on my plate for the next month or so.  Definitely going to try and make it to the Petit though.  The Mid-Ohio weekend looks like good fun despites The Boobs circus being part of the show, full supporting card along with the ALMS. When the Indycars are on the track, its a good time to go checkout the vendors, or grab some grub.
Fax

[Andy Zarse]

Fax, I've been meaning to ask you for ages, can you give us your take on the Indy/CART merger?

I vaguely knew something was going on, but it's not big news this side of the pond. I assume this is all down to a collapse in revenues following the lunatic decision to split up the league, so a brief update and your valued (and hopefully ascerbic!) comment upon Mr George's business acumen would be much appreciated. 

Cheers, and I hope you're well too!

Andy

[Boorish Grobian]

Hi Andy,
Collapse in revenues is a understatement.  Basically they reunited in the interest of survival.  Both have suffered from abysmal TV ratings and gate attendance in recent years, and have struggled to put together twenty car grids and attract sponsorship.  The whole thing is really depressing, what we have left after the merger is essentially a watered down, poor man's version of what Indycar racing used to be.  Spec cars and journyman rent-a-schmuck drivers are what Tony George's grand vision has left us with.  There is a glimer of hope with new (yet to be announced) engine regs for 2011, but for the time being we're stuck with the crap spec Dallara chassis- Honda engine combination until then.  If Indycar has any sense it will open things up to multi chassis and engine constructors, as in the good old days, but with the current economic climate, I fear spec cars will be what they'll opt for.
As for The Boob (aka Tony George), he's a complete f**k*ng idiot, there's no way to sugarcoat it.  He took a thriving discipline of the sport and reduced it to the pile-o-pooh we have today, all in the name of his half-baked illiterate ego.
fax

[Andy Zarse]

Thanks Fax. Sounds like some disasterous business decisions were taken. What a shame, they had F1 on the ropes ten-odd years ago.

[Boorish Grobian]

Fifteen years ago Indycar racing was strong enough to lure the reigning world champion away from F1.  Today it can't even keep its existing champ from jumping ship to NASCAR.  CART in the mid-ninties wasn't perfect, but it was a hell of alot better than what Indycar is now.   I have a friend who used to work for the now defunct Cheever Racing, and some of his stories of how the IRL is run are absolutely mind-boggling.  And he'll tell you what most of the people in Indycar racing really think of Danica Patrick, how she ended up in Indycars to start with (considering she hadn't won a race since she was in karts), and the current pimping of her.  It starts with a pissed to the eyeballs Danica, and certain former champion driver, turned to team owner, climbing into a hotel elevator, arm in arm together.
Of the current crop of drivers, Dixon and Kanan have some real talent.  The rest? As I said, journeyman to mediocre rent-a-stiffs. If Greg Moore hadn't been killed at the end of 1999, Helio Castroneves would be back home in Brazil selling sunglasses and tanning lotion on the beaches at Rio. 
Fax

[Andy Zarse]

That sounds great Fax, I mean, who amaongst us (the men I mean) wouldn't want to test drive Dannika Patrick given the chance? She's a fit as a burglar's dog.

To be fair, sex and racing has gone hand in fist for ever and a day. I could tell you about a famous Scottish BTCC/saloon car driver and his disappearing act in a brothel when the team were testing in Spain a few years ago; he vanished for well over 24 hours. But I'd probably be sued...

[nickliv]

You could tell it, just without revealing his name.

[Andy Zarse]

You could tell it, just without revealing his name.

I did!

I've no idea what he actually got up to in there, as I wasn't with him at the time. Worst luck...

[nickliv]

Time for a guess a thon.

Cleland?

[BigH]

Wotcher fax,
You still pedalling?
H

[amazing 1]

Hey BigH.
Can I have one of those beers in your avatar?
Damn they look good right now.

Randy

[BigH]

No problems Randy, help yourself!
H

[amazing 1]

Aaaahhhh !
That sure hit the spot.
Better go get another one trays though,I'm feeling the need for a good old fashioned Welsh binge this weekend.
Anyone care to join me?

Randy The Welsh.