http://msn.espn.go.com/rpm/cart/2001/1104/1273470.html

No "Series Engine Manufacturer Champion" Honda. . .
No Penske. . .
No "2-Time Defending Champion" de Ferran. . .
No Helio "Spyder Man" Castroneves. . .
Possibly no Toyota. . .

What the acronym for CART will mean by 2003. . .

C.A.R.T. - Crappy Auto Racing & Turmoil

 

i hear ya iceman,

it used to be the only "ticket in town" for open-wheel racing in north america - now it won't even be a ticket.

what are they thinking - i guess they're not.

it's a sad day...

 

wow

Where is Penske, De Ferran, Castroneves going?

Anyone knows?

This sux. Cart was always my F1 substitude. They started having more Road Courses in US. It is just getting interesting. I think it will be more interesting, if they don't use pace car in the race too often. I hate those caution laps. So waste of time. Especially, if the final lap is a caution lap.

 

penske's going to IRL - i'm sure other teams will follow suit.

 

I was always a huge fan of CART. Lately, they couldn't have done a better job at commiting corporate suicide if they tried. Starting with the fiasco at Texas Motor Speedway (it was a good decision not to run, but they should have known about the excessive g-forces before race day), to the inability to announce an engine formula for the 2003 season, the cancellation of the Michigan 500 (remember the U.S. 500?), to the demise of Indy Lights, to the pop-off valve issues with Honda and Ford, and the alienation of one of the founders of CART (Penske). Never in a million years would I have thought 5 years ago that Tony George and the IRL would become the premier open wheel series in the US. It just goes to show, if you screw up bad enough, it makes others look good.

 

The writing has been on the wall for some time. I am very sad to see the end of American open-wheel road course racing! And like txst said, I'm in shock that IRL becomes the American open-wheel series. As I understand it IRL is only an oval racing series without any road courses, so that means I will not be watching.

 

It gets worse. CART just announced its 2002 schedule: No Houston, Detroit, Michigan, Nazareth, Texas (of course), or Rio.

 

I have never really been a fan of street courses - they are extremely tight and passing is very difficult, although it does take an extreme amount of skill to drive in one of those races. Some of those tracks are very nice, such as Long Beach and Surfers Paradise. What might be the best solution would be for the IRL to add the CART road courses to it's schedule - Laguna Seca, Road America, Mid-Ohio, and maybe Portland. That would require more driving skill than the all oval series. I am really going to miss the sounds of the turbo engines running at full song - that is music to my ears...

 

Who moved the cheese? Where the hell did open-wheeled road racing go?

Hating ovals, 90% of Fontana's race was sandbagging, and with a couple exceptions - Indy for one and local short tracks, I really think the death of high level road racing sucks but you could see it coming for some time. Ya I know we still have F1 -- with no American drivers or cars.

It may take a while but something bigger and better may take its place. With the all the great road courses in North America, all the racing fans that hate Tony and that setup, something else will be born. Even though Penske and his two drivers are going to IRL, Roger is a road racer and always will be. Right now he's thinking about holding together a top team but who knows what goes on his mind. . . . .

 

I will give Roger a call and ask. His kids and I graduated in the same high school one year ahead of me. Although, I don't know them until I graduated and realize Roger was on the father's counsel for quite awhile. and, I don't play hockey.

anyway, I really like CART when they were on Road Course. Oval just isn't that much fun. I was joking to one of my friend who always watch race on tape. (He doesn't like to watch ad during race). If I show him for 10 laps and secretly skip all the way to the last 10 laps. He wouldn't notice a difference. You know what, I don't think he can tell when I skipped the tape. It is just so boring.

although, I have to confess. I fall asleep on the grand stand during Indy GP this year AT THE TRACK with 18000RPM engine zooming by me all the time.

I certainly going to miss CART. It was a good and exciting series.