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Old 16 Jun 2000, 17:49 (Ref:17616)   #1
papisfan
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Announced his resignation this morning. Rahal will take over until a suitable replacement is found.
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Old 16 Jun 2000, 21:18 (Ref:17645)   #2
Gerard
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CART Press release

CART Press Release 16 JUN 2000.

DETROIT -- Championship Auto Racing Teams Inc. announced Friday that Andrew H. Craig, Chairman, Chief Executive Officer and President, has resigned his offices with the Company to pursue other business alternatives.
At the request of the Company's Board of Directors, Mr. Craig, who joined the Company in 1994, has agreed to remain as a consultant for the Company for a period of 12 months.

The Company also announced that three-time CART driving champion and Team Rahal owner Bobby Rahal will serve as the interim President and CEO pending selection of a new Chief Executive Officer.
The Company also announced that James F. Hardymon has been elected by the Board of Directors to the position of Chairman of the Board.
Mr. Hardymon was formerly the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Textron Inc.

Mr. Hardymon stated: "The Board of Directors wishes to thank Mr. Craig for his outstanding efforts in moving the Company forward during the last six years, including his significant role in the Company's initial public offering in 1998."

Mr. Craig stated: "I have enjoyed my six years at Championship Auto Racing Teams.
During this time, the Company has grown from a privately held company with revenues of approximately $25 million to a publicly held company almost three times the size. However, a motorsports sanctioning body is only as good as its race teams, and it is a great tribute to them that the Company has prospered over the years.
I now want to move in another direction, but I remain committed to assist the Board in a consulting capacity during the transition."
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Old 16 Jun 2000, 21:48 (Ref:17651)   #3
fatbloke
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Wow! Does this mean radical changes ? Will they still be coming to Europe ? Perhaps now they'll establish a decent relationship with the press and fans ? Maybe they'll make an effort to get decent TV coverage in Europe ? Maybe they'll even make another attempt to reunify with IRL ?
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Old 17 Jun 2000, 00:29 (Ref:17661)   #4
papisfan
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I would bet there will be another attempt at unification. Rahal has been a supporter of this for many years.
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Old 17 Jun 2000, 23:24 (Ref:17738)   #5
Gerard
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As the message stated, Bobby Rahal will only serve as the interim President and CEO, pending selection of a new Chief Executive Officer.

Does anyone of you know who that new CEO might be?
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Old 18 Jun 2000, 00:34 (Ref:17741)   #6
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Barry Horne, anyone?
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Old 19 Jun 2000, 13:28 (Ref:17972)   #7
Liz
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Liz should be qualifying in the top 10 on the gridLiz should be qualifying in the top 10 on the grid
Mario Andretti? I have heard many people suggest his name as he has always been a very good ambasssador for CART - and he hates Tony George.

Personally I think either Mario or Rahal would make an excellent CEO as they are former pilotes who understand racing, and although both are Americans they are not xenophobes and will not be focused 100% on sucking up to Tony George and getting more Americans into CART drives "just because" they are Americans. They are both well known to the racing public, and everyone respects them and their ideas and opinions. They are both upbeat men and will be a billion times better for the sport than Andrew Craig ever was - AC was a failed Bernie in my opinion and only wanted to get rich.
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Old 19 Jun 2000, 13:44 (Ref:17978)   #8
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KC should be qualifying in the top 5 on the gridKC should be qualifying in the top 5 on the grid
Rahal said during CART2Day that the unification of CART and the IRL was definitely high on the list in order to at least unify the Indy 500. He also said that both races in Europe should go on. I think this is one of the major points that Craig and the board disagreed with. I think that is why AC resigned.
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Old 19 Jun 2000, 13:46 (Ref:17979)   #9
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I know he wouldn't want to do it, but they need to find their equivalent of a Don Panoz - he has worked miracles with sportscar racing. They need someone who can please all sides and make it an exciting and rewarding experience for all - the fans, the drivers, the manufacturers, the TV stations, etc. People said it couldn't be done with sportscars, but he certainly put his money where his mouth was and got the job done.

The problem is, where to start the search ? I'm not a fan of having people already/previously involved in the class involved, though they should definately be involved in the team. They need a petrolhead with huge commercial and organisational skills... where to start the search ?
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Old 19 Jun 2000, 14:06 (Ref:17993)   #10
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Here we go with the re-unification business again. I've heard about it elsewhere. I don't think TG is going to allow for any form of re-unification that doesn't conform to his vision and leaves him in control. IRL is nothing more than open wheel NASCAR where the beauty of CART's formula is that it has much more to offer. Why does "American" open wheel racing always have to prostrate itself at the altar of the Indy 500 as though this were its sole reason for existance? The 500 is a great race and a great event. And does make a good cornerstone. But it is not the end all be all of open wheel racing on this side of the Milky way. With all due respect to Rahaul, and I do respect him, if his mission is to simply try to bring CART together with IRL for the sake of the 500, then lets be sure to keep Bobby's tenure brief. I'd rather se them bring in someone who wants to be competitive, create a cohesive plan to restore the profile of the series, make some changes, convice Mercedes Benz that this series with worth sticking with. That, as a fan, is what I'd like to see.
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Old 19 Jun 2000, 14:21 (Ref:17998)   #11
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Liz should be qualifying in the top 10 on the gridLiz should be qualifying in the top 10 on the grid
In that case, vote for Mario. This will accomplish two things. It will make sure that unification will not take place, and it will keep Mario out of Le Mans cars as he will be too busy.

If you want motorheads with money, why not Gerry Forsythe? He's sort of a poor man's Panoz, eh?
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Old 19 Jun 2000, 20:50 (Ref:18105)   #12
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KC should be qualifying in the top 5 on the gridKC should be qualifying in the top 5 on the grid
I don't think that Rahal is looking to make some sort of compromise between CART and the IRL and form one series again, but just to break the ice and get the two sides together enough that each can compete at Indy with out there being some sort of huge fallout. If 10 CART teams show up next year for Indy I would imagine that at least 8 would make the field and possibly displace up to 16 IRL regular drivers from the series signature race. That will cause some hard feelings.
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Old 19 Jun 2000, 22:33 (Ref:18123)   #13
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regs, you've got the idea! we don't want to be irl or f1! let's build the fan base, get the publicity and tv coverage, concentrate on ourselves, get people out to the races!

if i want to watch cars turn left all day till they crash i'll watch irl/nascar. in cart, i've got high speed thrills, passionate drivers, "street smarts" etc., variety, controversy -- everything

that said, i don't know if rahal is the guy. better choice than forsythe. but i can't see a team owner having the time to devote that's necessary to build our series
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Old 20 Jun 2000, 18:10 (Ref:18299)   #14
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Top 10 Signs that CART's CEO changed
10. Andrew Craig assigned off-island parking pass on Friday morning.
9. Andrew Craig's car towed out of off-island parking lot on Friday afternoon.
8. Resident curmudgeon Gordon Kirby seen smiling in the paddock.
7. U.E. "Pat" Patrick smiles, and contrary to popular believe, his face does not split in two as a result.
6. Jerry Forsythe not present on Belle Isle, but you can hear him smiling anyhow.
5. CART hospitality staff engages in the "Detroit Tea Party", dumps cases of Earl Grey into the river. Replaces them with kegs of Miller Lite.
4. CEO makes a joke on Sunday and folks actually laugh.
3. CART CFO Randy Dzierzawski is suddenly friendly to everyone.
2. Elf fuel truck ordered to be painted Shell yellow.
1. CART Licensed Products now sells Groucho Glasses.

I think Rahal would be an excellent choice, but would he sell his team to diplace any chance of favoritism charges? For that reason, Mario would be a good choice for all the above stated reasons.
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Old 24 Jun 2000, 15:02 (Ref:19187)   #15
marcus
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marcus has a real shot at the podium!marcus has a real shot at the podium!marcus has a real shot at the podium!marcus has a real shot at the podium!
This is now the new topic for our weekly poll..head over to http://tentenths.com/poll and have your say on who the new boss should be
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Old 24 Jun 2000, 20:22 (Ref:19220)   #16
Liz
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Liz should be qualifying in the top 10 on the gridLiz should be qualifying in the top 10 on the grid
10 Clues Mario Andretti now in charge of CART:

(10) Food in main dining room markedly improved.
(9) Volume controls on all CART office telephones turned way, way down.
(8) Target Two-Seater in CEO parking space.
(7) Crash helmet on CEO hat rack.
(6) Horse's head in Tony George's bed.
(5) Max Papis suddenly appearing in more CART advertising.
(4) David Brabham and Jan Magnussen standing taller and smiling a lot more.
(3) Bobby Unser replaced by Alex Zanardi at Vancouver.
(2) Horse's head in Bernie Ecclestone's bed.

AND THE NUMBER ONE CLUE THAT MARIO IS NOW IN CHARGE AT CART:

(1) Stewards no longer returning Mikey's phone calls.
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Old 24 Jun 2000, 20:50 (Ref:19224)   #17
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bella is the undisputed Champion of the World!bella is the undisputed Champion of the World!bella is the undisputed Champion of the World!bella is the undisputed Champion of the World!bella is the undisputed Champion of the World!bella is the undisputed Champion of the World!bella is the undisputed Champion of the World!bella is the undisputed Champion of the World!bella is the undisputed Champion of the World!bella is the undisputed Champion of the World!bella is the undisputed Champion of the World!
hehehe..

liz -
dave s -

good luck to him. he'll need it. fighting against bernie isn't a nice thing to do. all bernie does is whistle for his wife. now she could pack a punch.

first thing he can do is sort out our %&£$"& coverege. we want cart!!
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Old 24 Jun 2000, 23:23 (Ref:19258)   #18
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Crash Test should be qualifying in the top 5 on the gridCrash Test should be qualifying in the top 5 on the grid
"regs, you've got the idea! we don't want to be irl or f1! let's build the fan base"
- Thats very fair, but one point you may be missing is that it is the worlds biggest sporting event; 400,000 odd people turn up to watch it, and many more punters tune into the race at home. If nothing more than a sponsors viewpoint, they want in. If you were trying to get sponsorship off someone, would you prefer to tell them "we run in front of 400,000 people at Imdy" or "we run in front of 50,000 people elsewhere"....
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Old 25 Jun 2000, 00:17 (Ref:19296)   #19
Liz
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Liz should be qualifying in the top 10 on the gridLiz should be qualifying in the top 10 on the grid
How about "We run in front of 400,000 people at Rockingham?"

Or Elkhart Lake? Or any other track of your choice?

Why not concentrate on the future and not on the past?
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Old 25 Jun 2000, 02:07 (Ref:19321)   #20
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Crash Test should be qualifying in the top 5 on the gridCrash Test should be qualifying in the top 5 on the grid
I guess im attracted to indy because im a bit of a historian...

Good luck to them if they are going to get 400,000 to other events, just that it would take such a long time to get there....wouldn't it just be a whole heap better just to get back to the brickyard somehow?

The biggest event in Cart at the moment is the Gold Coast event...and there is no way that you could even get another 50,000 into that place...it would implode
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Old 25 Jun 2000, 02:34 (Ref:19324)   #21
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Ummm...Regs, the Indy 500 IS the only reason American open-wheel racing has gotten to this point today. It's the biggest race in America, formerly in the world, and is something no CART event can touch. I have to agree with A.J. Foyt on this one: How do you think that Foyt, Andretti, et al, became household names. By winning at Burke Lakefront Airport or Vancouver? I don't think so.

Why not Mr. Panoz for CEO of CART? The man has certainly done marvels for American sports car racing. He is an accomlished businessman who seems to know how to keep everyone happy. And he actually seems to want to make the fans happy, something CART -with their club events- is not working on.
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Old 25 Jun 2000, 19:23 (Ref:19421)   #22
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...I'm sorry I can't mention any names here but I have a friend who's a TV media personality in the US with a face recognizable from coast to coast. He stopped me in the paddock at Detroit last week said he was on his way to the press conference announcing the 'resignation' of Andrew Craig and the appointing of Rahal. I was more than a little surprised at this but even more astonished when he said that the 'primary sponsor' of the hottest Champcar team right now said they were going IRL racing 'next week' if Craig wasn't gone by 'sundown'. A little dramatic perhaps but this is a man I've known for a few years and I've always found him in the know of the inner workings of these things, highly accurate and reputable. I don't know how relavant it is to this discussion but I thought I'd throw it in the mix...
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Old 26 Jun 2000, 12:46 (Ref:19590)   #23
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Jared, yes, Indy is the reason that American open wheel racing is where it is today. Thank you Indy 500. Now lets move on. The thing is this. I feel that with motorsports rising in the conciousness of the "casual sports fan". And to them, American racing is NASCAR. After a while they may want something different. Open wheel racing, in my opinion, can offer them this. Through CART we get a variety of events, road circuit, airports, street and oval. I see this as a strength. Especially in this market which is dominated by oval racing. I have nothing against ovals per se. I can find them entertaining. But if I flick around to NASCAR, IRL, World of Outlaws, NASTRUCK, Dirt, Burnham Boilers etc. It's all gets to be the same. And if CART disappears from the scene, that is all we're left with. True, there is the ALMS. Which I like a lot. But there is work to be done there too. CART, though, is still, absence of the 500 not withstanding, a high profile series who has something more to offer. And, I think the series can be built into a success with out the 500. But as Craig pointed out, the series may be in danger of losing this profile. And it is declining largely due to ineffective marketing and management. Not the lack of the 500.
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