Who's a Fraidy Cat Then?

Liz · 26 May 2000, 23:43 (Ref:6226)

Poor Little Al. He thought he was going to stomp off from CART and get one last hurrah in front of the home town crowd who love him even though he can't win races anymore ... and here comes a couple of girl racers and a Ferriner to take all the media away.

Poor Little Al. What's a guy got to do to get the spotlight?

Erm ... win a race?

Liz · 27 May 2000, 00:20 (Ref:6224)

Poached from AutoSport On Line:

"IRL star slams CART champion's aggressive style

Al Unser Jr. issued a strong warning to defending CART champion Juan Montoya that he better "watch it"; Unser was concerned about the Colombian's aggressive racing style, and the threat it could pose.

"Sure, I have concerns," Unser said. "I wasn't talking through my you-know-what when I was saying those words. Juan is very, very aggressive and the words I have for him is he better respect Indianapolis because Indianapolis will bite you hard and you don't walk away from those.

"Will I race him any different? The answer is no. I won't race him any different than I race anybody else out there. A word of advice to him is they carry people out of here on stretchers. If you don't respect it, it will bite you."

The threat it will pose to what - to Little Al's chances to win that race? Who's a little bit nervous and feeling maybe he can't compete with Number Juan?

Jay · 27 May 2000, 03:39 (Ref:6225)

Oh yes, he does have a rather aggressive, if not dangerous style. Although most people would use a different word to describe the style. It is a style used by most F1 drivers , some Cart drivers, and apparently only one Indy 500 driver. The style is called "FAST".

enzo · 27 May 2000, 12:56 (Ref:6227)

I'm afraid that I've got to agree with Al , but with a resounding "BUT.....".

IMS can indeed be a strange place & can bite the unawares driver. With the unpredictable wind swirls & shadows from the stands, a driver needs to be aware of what those things mean as concerns grip.

Unfortunately, Al has no concept of the level of pure talent & reaction times that the new generation of drivers like Montoya has. Drivers that grew up racing karts have honed those reactions to a level unheard of by those who raced sprinters like Al.

Too bad for Al. I used to be a big fan, but I'm afraid that he's currently a "has been", and has a big bunch of sour grapes that he is still wringing out.

Franklin · 27 May 2000, 16:36 (Ref:6228)

Speaking of Fraidy Cats, is 1,000 horsepower too scarey for current open wheel drivers? These days even Top Fuel drag BIKES have over 1,000 horsepower (actually about 1,300 horsepower).

Franklin · 27 May 2000, 16:51 (Ref:6229)

Let's put Juan Montoya in a World of Outlaws car, then we'll see whether that go-kart training makes a difference.

"May 25, 2000 -- Pennzoil World of Outlaws driver Sammy Swindell blistered
Bristol Motor Speedway's track record with an unofficial lap of 13.60
seconds, 141.088 mph, in dirt track testing for the Channellock Challenge at
Bristol. Swindell's lap was a second-and-a-half quicker than Steve Park's
track record (15.184 seconds, 126.370 mph) set in Food City 500 qualifying
this past spring."

Liz · 27 May 2000, 22:14 (Ref:6230)

No, put Little Al in one, and aim him out to sea. I am tired of hearing his whining voice and I really, really hope Montoya beats him tomorrow - and I hope that Sarah Fisher does too.

Liz · 27 May 2000, 23:28 (Ref:6235)

God, if he does crash on the first corner we will waste the next 30 minutes of the race having him interviewed (whining) about it.

For those Little Al fans in Canada, if any, there is a very good profile of him running on Headline Sports (Channel 53 in Toronto) covering both the high points of his career and a little about the problems he's having with his family.

Gerard · 28 May 2000, 00:20 (Ref:6231)

Hasn't this something to do with the fact Little Al thinks Montoya might take him out because of the different blocking rules in the IRL and Cart.
I believe in the IRL blocking moves are prohibited while in Cart you are allowed one move.
Maybe Al Unser is afraid Montoya as a Cart driver will forget he's driving under the IRL flag now.
Anyway, I hope Sarah wins or Lyn.
Just to show them!

jms · 28 May 2000, 01:04 (Ref:6232)

The odd thing about his concern is how Lil' Al thinks he will be blocked while being lapped

. Thats the only way he is going to see that red car.

[This message has been edited by jms (edited 28 May 2000).]

Liz · 28 May 2000, 02:12 (Ref:6233)

Good point. Fortunately for Little Al, he's going to be out of the race before that time comes, so all his problems are in his mind.

Jay · 28 May 2000, 03:27 (Ref:6234)

Prediction: Little Al crashes on the first corner!

Hey I was right about all the crashes at Nazareth!

Liz · 28 May 2000, 23:05 (Ref:6236)

UPDATE: Al? Al? Paging The Mobile Chicane Formerly Known As Al Unser Jr. ... anybody know where ...

Or is that Al "Damon Hill" Unser Jr.? What was that business about "there was nobody to race so I quit"?

If you see Little Al, point out to him gently that you don't have to block people if you are 24 seconds ahead of the entire field.

Jay · 29 May 2000, 02:19 (Ref:6237)

Well I was wrong about Al hitting the wall. But I knew he would not get to the end one way or another. I never thought he would just give up though.