A True Original

[Dov]

From Speedtv.com... http://www.speedtv.com/articles/auto/champcar/12235/

Not so Paul Tracy. Mention his name at virtually any racetrack in the world and you'll get some sort of reaction, maybe good, maybe bad but not likely indifferent. Throughout the world of racing his name is synonymous with a singularly frustrating and endearing blend of brilliant talent and brain fade, unflinching honesty and immaturity, self-deprecating humor and thin-skin, competitiveness and lack of discipline. He is, in short, a true original.

Win, lose or DNF, rest assured Tracy will be his same old self. It’s a self whose record of wins and championships may not match up with racing’s very best; but whose irrepressible personality has colored, enlivened and - at times infuriated and mystified – the entire sport of auto racing for nearly two decades now. Love him or hate him, endure him or just scratch your head trying figure him out, it’s impossible to ignore Paul Tracy. And in that sense, anyway, he matches up very well indeed with the sport’s most legendary figures.

[Tim Northcutt]

Pullleeeeze.....

Legendary figure?

Give me a break.....

Sure...he can drive....but he is no legend....

Whiner??? YES...

Legendary Figure.....c'mon....

[JohnSSC]

Legendary = Gordo Johncock

Legendary = AJ Foyt

Legendary = Mario Andretti

Legendary = Michael Andretti (all-time win/laps lead leader in the former CART Series and has led double the laps of second place-holder P Tracy.

Legendary = Rick Mears

PT Interesting? Entertaining? Yes!

Legendary? Not quite.

[Uesque]

Originally posted by JohnSSC
Legendary = Gordo Johncock

Legendary = AJ Foyt

Legendary = Mario Andretti

Legendary = Michael Andretti (all-time win/laps lead leader in the former CART Series and has led double the laps of second place-holder P Tracy.

Legendary = Rick Mears

But can any of the above mentioned drivers include applesause rhymes in their driver interviews?!?! I think not.

[Uesque]

Originally posted by Uesque
But can any of the above mentioned drivers include applesause rhymes in their driver interviews?!?! I think not.

But I guess since I can't even spell applesauce, I should keep my mouth shut.

[f1manoz]

And the typical responses from the usual people

Paul Tracy has been a stalwart of ChampCar/CART/OWRS for the best part of a decade now and his dedication to the cause is plain to see. Not always the most popular guy on track with teams, drivers or fans, there is no doubt that this guy is always 100% committed to winning and will never give up.

I like him for the fact that he's always out-spoken and never afraid to share an opinion. No matter what some people say, Paul Tracy IS a race winner, Paul Tracy IS a champion and Paul Tracy DOES stand alongside some of the so-called legendary figures mentioned above.

[jjspierx]

Agreed. I won't argue whether he's better or worse than any other legendary driver, but IMO he's still worthy to be spoken of in the same category.

[drivergrOupie]

Originally posted by f1manoz
And the typical responses from the usual people

Paul Tracy has been a stalwart of ChampCar/CART/OWRS for the best part of a decade now and his dedication to the cause is plain to see. Not always the most popular guy on track with teams, drivers or fans, there is no doubt that this guy is always 100% committed to winning and will never give up.

I like him for the fact that he's always out-spoken and never afraid to share an opinion. No matter what some people say, Paul Tracy IS a race winner, Paul Tracy IS a champion and Paul Tracy DOES stand alongside some of the so-called legendary figures mentioned above.

You are soooo right. their just jealous paul keeps beating memo whatshisname.

[JohnSSC]

It is so nice to be described as "typical" and "usual" rather than something harsh, thanks!

Sometimes I forget that this is a discussion forum where an opposing opinion is viewed as such rather than some sort of attack. I never said PT is a bad driver/person. Nor did I say his accomplishments were not significant, just that to me he is not a legend.

f1manoz & jjspierx, you are certainly entitled to consider PT as a legend - that is a perfectly valid opinion based on your standards of evaluation.

I suppose the Forum would be much more fun if a statement is posted and we all just said: "Yes! I agree!"

[Dov]

From the article......

If and when the definitive history of motor racing is written, there will be no place for Paul Tracy among the sport’s true giants. At age 35, he has just one Champ Car title to his name. He never won the Indianapolis 500 – officially anyway. He’s never raced, let alone won, in Formula 1, sports or stock cars. In the final analysis, his record pales in comparison with the likes of Fangio, Clark, Prost, Senna and Schumacher; Foyt, Mears, the Unsers and the Andrettis: Ickx, Bell, Haywood or Kristensen

Love him or hate him, endure him or just scratch your head trying figure him out, it’s impossible to ignore Paul Tracy. And in that sense, anyway, he matches up very well indeed with the sport’s most legendary figures.

From these two quotes it's clear that PT's driving ability doesn't stack up when compared to SOME of the legendary drivers, but he is a very original character and that's what makes him a legend in our sport.

[fobi0]

Originally posted by Dov
From the article......From these two quotes it's clear that PT's driving ability doesn't stack up when compared to SOME of the legendary drivers, but he is a very original character and that's what makes him a legend in our sport.

Does that make Eddie Irvine a F1 legend too?

[Dov]

Maybe if Eddie won a championship and over twenty five races it would. Btw, F1 is so boring now without Eddie Irvine and JV. All they have is 18-20 robots racing over there!

[Jordi]

For the record, I consider Jacques being more important than Paul, and I don't consider Jacques to be a legend. He's a great, and he is one of the four to have won both F1 and CART. And if I don't consider him a legend, then Paul isn't a legend, in my humble opinion.

[codename_47]

Maybe they confused the world "legendary" with "loyalty!"

(You know, as a sectance, it almost works!)

But when he's on it, he's unbeatable, at the start of last year I was very worried he was going to dominate the championship in a manner never seen before (in Champcar, anyway). Fortunatly for us, the fans, that didn't happen, but still, he won the title and also the (morally) Indy 500 too, not an unimpressive amount of trophies in his cabinet!

But I think what rates with many fans, such as myself, is how he stuck by the series. It opened a lot of people's eyes to him who perhaps weren't his fans before.

It may be what he's remembered most for when he's done too, we'll see!

[enemy-ace]

Legend is a strong word to throw around. To be truly a legend I think you need to be really special. PT is a great CART driver but not a legend. Mario Andretti is legendary as he was a multiple discipline champion. Michael while great in CART was terrible in F1 and never won the Indy 500. He may have lead the most laps but he still lost them all. Not a legend.
Jacques Villeneuve has a chance to become a legend, CART champ, F1 Champ, Indy 500 champ; all he needs now is to become is a 24hrs Lemans Champ.
The only current active driver who I can think of being considered legendary is Michael Schumacher.
Being great is one thing, but being a legend is something completely different.

[Liz]

Originally posted by fobi0
Does that make Eddie Irvine a F1 legend too?

Eddie certainly thinks so!

Paul Tracy will be legendary the way Paul Bunyan is legendary, that is people will be talking about his exploits and adventures long after people have forgotten who Justin Wilson or even Bruno even are.

It is not statistics we are talking here -- it is exploits . That's what makes a legend.

Wyatt Earp is a legend; John Dillinger is a legend; Katayama is a legend ... and Paul Tracy is a legend.

Michael Andretti is only a legend in F1, where his 10 race tryout will be remembered long after many more successful drivers have passed into the record books and out of memory.

[macdaddy]

Paul Tracy is a "legend" in the minds of the fan.
Joe DiMaggio is not a legend in my mother's mind, but he is in mine.
Take a look at Paul's stats.
Take a look at Paul's longetivity.
Take a look at Paul's storylines.

Ten years from now, more fans will remember Paul Tracy's name than Cristiano daMatta, Sebastien Bourdais, or (dare I say it?) Jimmy Vasser's.

He achieved this without a championship, and (without) a sip of milk.

[mountainstar]

2002 Indy 500 Champion, CART Champion, winner of many races, a legend already if not one in the making.

[Mags]

Originally posted by jjspierx
Agreed. I won't argue whether he's better or worse than any other legendary driver, but IMO he's still worthy to be spoken of in the same category.

If you are talking Champ Cars (and the last time I looked, this was the CC forum) You can't talk about CC in the last 14 years without thinking about Paul Tracy.

He's been a stalwart in the series. And THE #1 Rah Rah "I love CART / Champ Car vocal "damn the torpedoes" supporter.

I couldn't think of a more fitting spokesperson. If he plants his foot in his mouth every once in awile, so what?

WHO can forget when he donned that mask in Vancouver during the SARS scare last year?? Classic PT.

Remember that pose in Miami 2002 after he won?? Priceless.

Thanks Paul.

[fobi0]

Agreed enemy-ace. IMO if you want to be legitimately considered (as in non-fanboys having the same opinion) as a legend of a (category of a) sport, you have to be at least one of the top ten ever.

[Mags]

Originally posted by fobi0
Agreed enemy-ace. IMO if you want to be legitimately considered (as in non-fanboys having the same opinion) as a legend of a (category of a) sport, you have to be at least one of the top ten ever.

Tracy has many wins, in his last 14 years with Champ Cars.. I think he qualifies.

[fobi0]

A F1 driver with very similar stats to Tracy was Nelson Piquet. Great driver? Yes, but outside of fanboys hardly anyone would consider him a legend.

[Mags]

We are not talking about F1. We are talking about Champ Cars. And IMO Paul Tracy qualifies. He's been a VERY outspoken PRO-Champ Car spokesperson when just about every single other driver was afraid to say "I Love Champ Cars, and I'm sticking Around!!" And to top it off, he's a great driver.

[fobi0]

Good old switch the topic when stats no longer support the argument.

Jimmy Vasser has been able to support Champ Cars even while remaining a class act. And to top it off he is also a great driver. Just like Tracy though he simply hasn't done enough to attain legend status. Legends in this forum maybe.

[jj2728]

Originally posted by mountainstar
2002 Indy 500 Champion, CART Champion, winner of many races, a legend already if not one in the making.

problem with your statement is, though many of us think this is correct, the record books will never show tracy as the 2002 indy 500 winner...he's a winner of many races, yes true, but a legend?....maybe in his own mind....i don't think he is one in the making......he'll be remembered as a good driver who "took no prisoners" as they say, but a legend?.....me thinks not.......