Now that's the CART I remember!!!

[Lee Janotta]

Absolutely fantastic race!!!!!!!!!

[Jay]

WOW..that was a real oval race. I have to say, I wonder how they could give Dominguez a penalty and not let Bourdais go. I thought Bourdais made a move that was much more of a block than anything Dominguez did. I really think Bourdais should have 5 seconds added to his time.

Still, a great race! A real race! It wasn't a slot car race where everyone drives around until the last lap like an all oval series does, but 154 laps of hard racing.

[Snrub]

It was a good race, BUT it was too IRL. On board with Junky, he was completely flat out. He bled about 1-200RPM on the corners (actually I think only in 2 of 3). There needs to be more of an element of the driver involved.

Zanardi said that he liked that racing was created by downforce instead of drag. It is BS on a superspeedway that the draft is not great enough for Dominguez to get by Bourdais. A little less downforce creates more driver involvment. Drag allows for drivers to pass legit. IMO Zanardi is a bit bitter from that MI hanford device race with Moore and Vasser. In those races, a lesser driver could hang on for a while, but eventually the better driver/car would pull away. The end of that race was sort of decided by luck. In later Hanford device races, drivers were smarter and wouldn't nessisarly fly by if it wasn't going to help them.

CART also stole the win from Dominguez. I suppose that's only fair, they gave him one last year.

I loved that Bourdais' girlfriend had a Kermit the frog shirt on. That's helarious.

[corkholio]

Couldn't ask for a better race yet CART still found a way to mess it up yet again. Bourdais definitely deserved a penalty if Dominguez got one for doing much less than that. The funny thing was that Bourdais and Newman-Haas weren't even complaining about Dominguez, and Dominguez probably wouldn't have if he didn't get penalized for doing the same thing earlier in the race. But at least it was great to see the drivers rather try to decide it on the track instead.

[Jay]

Originally posted by Snrub
CART also stole the win from Dominguez. I suppose that's only fair, they gave him one last year.

Good point! I didn't think of it that way!

I didn't think it was too IRL...every lap mattered, not just the last one. They were racing flat out all the time and there was actually an element of racing. Really Dominguez should never have gotten that penalty.

That was a great race! open wheel fans needed that.im lookin foward to OW races on Ovals no with INDY and Milwalkie coming up Go SEBASTIEN !

[corkholio]

Outside, Outside, Outside, Outside, Outside, Outside, Outside, Outside, Outside, Outside, Outside, Outside, Outside, Outside, Outside, Outside, Outside...

[Snrub]

I critisize the IRL for running too much downforce so it's only fair that CART gets the same treatment. Every lap 'counted' but, how many times did we see the same thing lap after lap with first Dominguez in front, later Bourdais in front. Seriously, if you don't see a problem with running completely flat then you have no right to use the term 'cr@pwagon.' Fortunately I believe I'm entitled to use the term liberally.

You're right Cork, if NH is cool with it CART should have been too.

[Jay]

Maybe we need 1 or 2 of those a year to keep the ones with short attention spans entertained... At least it wasn't a crash fest ...

cork, have you had anything positive to say about anyone or anything on this board yet? It's getting a little old.

[jklein6419]

that wasnt an irl type of race. thats the way most cart races used to be. its great to see they went back to the old wing configuration for these kinds of oval. reminded me of st. louis in 97. they have the oval racing back to the way it used to be. now they need to the same with the road and street courses. why cant they go back to the way the rules were from a year when the racing was great. once they do that and get more ovals, cart will be strong again. thats what everybody wants to see, the way cart used to be.

[corkholio]

Originally posted by Jay
cork, have you had anything positive to say about anyone or anything on this board yet? It's getting a little old.

Here is a suggestion: actually try reading my first post in this thread.

[Jay]

Your signature too...

[Dov]

Maybe Bourdais is the Boss. A good race...amazing finish.

[Lee Janotta]

It'd take at least half a dozen more American drivers, and quite a few IRL venues, jklein. And sponsors on more than a couple cars!

Hence my interest in reunification.

Races like this put CART in a much strong position, though!

[Jay]

You have to feel bad for Lamarie too in this one...he was probably headed for a points finish...

[corkholio]

And what exactly does that have to do with what in my view was a great race between the drivers decided/spoiled by bad judgement on the part of the sanctioning body? What, do I have to applaud Chris Kniefel for his incredible display of stupidity for your seal of approval?

[Omega99]

Originally posted by corkholio
Outside, Outside, Outside, Outside, Outside, Outside, Outside, Outside, Outside, Outside, Outside, Outside, Outside, Outside, Outside, Outside, Outside...

Still there, still there, outside...

Very, VERY entertaining! I thought Dominguez was going to "earn" his first win by going around the outside. But Bourdais, two in a row! Can he still be considered a rookie now?

[Snrub]

Maybe my I'm remembering incorrectly, but I always thought they still ran less downforce than that. I seem to recall that the drivers lifted a more. Running lots of wing on a smaller oval works better then on a big oval.

From article on CART.com, Zanardi refering to the first MI hanford device race:
"This is insane. This is not racing. This is just a show. You can't just draft each other with a car that is so light. Sooner or later you're going to have a big moment."

"Because, quite frankly, the decision that CART has made to bring the same wing configuration to this circuit that they raced in Brands Hatch has made a driver's life more difficult in the race, but certainly easier mine because it's pretty easy flat out all the way around now."

I feel like his second statement sort of contridicts some of the other statements he's made this weekend. I don't think we want things to be easier or completely flat out. I wonder if it has had anything to do with the dramatically improved performance by Lavin & Larmarie? I don't mean to cheapen Alex's performance, but does no one else find it surprising that he could be so fast driving in a completely different manner then he's use to?

[Jay]

Some people are just always pesimistic and have to look for something to complain about. It's impossible to please such people, so Cart fans, drivers or anyone else in the series are probably best off to just ignore those people.

[corkholio]

Or in this case, when a GREAT race between the drivers was decided by a (lack of) judgement call from the sanctioning body, perhaps criticism of that said sanctioning body is warrented. Just perhaps.

[25yearsatrdam]

CART screwed up today. The one thing you ask for in any sport is consistancy. THEY WERE NOT!

OK if Dominguez was blocking, THEN SO WAS BOURDAIS!!! This is clearly a display of favoritism. Newman-Haas, all due respect, needs to get the same treatment as ANYONE else on the track.

What was it PT said about Chris Kneiffel a few years ago? something about a circus clown??? Somebody get Wally (Dallenbach) back on the phone! Wasnt Kneiffel basically demoted for similar lapses in judgement?

Now I'm not particularly a Mario Dominguez fan or against Sebastian Bourdais, but MD classed that field.

Everyone needs to email CART and get them to add 5 seconds to Bourdais' final time and give the win to the rightful owner

[jklein6419]

you know, im sitting here and getting angry about the fact that cart cant produce an exiting race like this on a road course. the racing always use to be that exiting on every track prior to 02. i dont think the road course racing will ever be like it was ever again. does anybody think the racing will get back to the way it used to be?

[corkholio]

Not if aerodynamics continue to be more important than mechanical grip.

[jklein6419]

what do you mean by that. i think the problem is the third element on the lolas front wings. and how much dirty air the undertray of the car is producing

[Fish_Flake]

Come on, now. NOBODY is going to call a penalty for blocking in the last five laps of a race.