Over/Under Performers?

[Snrub]

So which drivers do you think has been over performing and under performing and why?

I'll start it off by mentioning RHR. He's been slow, but he's also been very unlucky. Rocketsports is probably the worst team in Champ Car this year. Other than Glock at Long Beach they've had no good results. RHR was fast for a few laps at Milwaukee and then he crashed. Recall that Tag was bumped from Rocketsports in part because the series had promised RHR a ride. Would anyone have predicted that such a situation was unfair to RHR?!?

[Kicking-back]

RHR as a driver and Rocketsports as a team are underperforming.

RuSport seem to be the genuine article though.

[Amar7605]

Ever since he came to Champ Cars, I was never fully convinced that RHR could do the job. He's had moments of brilliance, but he's definitely not consistent.

And this is hard for me to say because I am an American and I try to root for the American drivers. But I don't think he's doing the job.

On the other hand, AJ Allmindinger has really impressed me. He is gonna have a long career in Champ Cars (hopefully he doesn't go anywhere!)

[Liz]

Sperafico did a nice job, quietly, in the Cleveland race. And I agree that both Rocketsports drivers have had their difficulties this year but I think it may be the car rather than a lack of ability in either driver.

[jjspierx]

RHR is definitely the underperformer of the year. He is truly a great driver, and I really don't know what his issue is this year. Maybe its more of an issue with Rocketsports than with himself. Either way, I hope he turns his season around to ensure that he gets a ride next year.

As for overperformer's. I can't think of any. I think most everybody is performing at about where I expected them too this year with the exception of RHR. I knew AJ and Wilson would be up there just a small step behind PT and Bourdais.

[Snrub]

What about Dominguez? He had better performances last year on the lesser Herdez team. I realize he's on a new team, but it's been a while now, I don't know why he can't get his act together. He's been lapped in multple races by his teammate.

[jjspierx]

Eh, no offense, but Dominguez has never impressed me, and he's performing about where I expected him too. He is very agressive, and sometimes it pays off and allows him to achieve sporadic good results, but more often than not it causes him to spin out, crash, and or hit other drivers. He doesn't use his head and makes bonehead moves on a consistent basis that often times take out other drivers. Last year at Portland he spun out accelerating out of the last turn and took 3 other drivers out because he didn't follow the most basic rule of racing courtesy which is getting on the brakes when you are spinning so your car travels in a straight line instead of allowing your already spun car to roll backwards taking out other drivers who all would have gotten by him fine. Also last year I don't remember where, but he had a mechanical problem and brough the car to stop in the middle of the track when he still had plenty of momentum to pull off the track into a safe zone and not cause a full course yellow at the ending stages of the race. He just about took Bremer in Cleveland(I think it was Bremer) by being way overgressive and taking himself out in the process.

Wow, I'm really on a soapbox today...

[BootsOntheSide]

Forsythe signed a Mexican who happened to be above-average as a driver, so as to safeguard the Mexican audience, rather than signing a natural championship contender. He's doing a lot better than Lavin in the same car anyways.

Rocketsports have certainly under-performed, but the fact is that RHR is being beaten by a rookie team-mate, adn that is far short of what I thought he was capable of. RuSport have certainly over-performed, especially Wilson, who really deserves to be ahead of AJ in the standings on pure pace. Bremer has doen well to generally out-perform Wirdheim, I'm surprised nobody's mentioned him.

[Snrub]

Hey it's more fun here when people are on their soap boxes.

Dominguez won over my respect over the last couple of years, so I do disagree. I believe Dominguez only had 2 DNFs last year, so I don't think that his record matches the assertion that he crashes constantly. He finished 5th in the championship and was really the only driver who was close to the NH and Forsythe cars. You have to have a pretty poor opinion of this series if you believe that last year's 5th place finisher was merely an average driver.

Also, if one thinks that RHR is "truely a great driver," how does one explain Dominguez's consistant speed advantage over him when they were teammates? I think it's fair to compare this year to last and say that Dominguez is doing worse in a better car, if only because his standing in the championship confirms that.

[drewdawg727]

Well...i have a list....

Starting with the overperformers...i definitely have to say that i was impressed with Ricardo Sperafico this weekend. He was running laps of 59.5 or so consistently when a lot of the rookies and drivers in the back of the field were running 1:00. Even Marshall was running on the pace. Sperafico was up in 5th place at one point...i expected him to hang off the back of the field like he usually does.

Bremer and Ranger definitely have stunned me as well...as well as Vasser who has seemed to have found some speed.

Definitely RHR has been underperforming, seeing as he can't seem to find much speed at all, as well as Dominguez. I also think that Glock has fallen off of what he is capable of doing as well.