What Drivers should hang up their helmet in 2010? (merged x2)

[motofan]

slade barely got on the fujitsu grid with his old boy driving the transporter, only reason he is there is because a few people have a bit of belief in him

[drift king]

Slades backer owns the race car he is driving

[opinion8head]

Originally Posted by DJJ

I am sick of you peckadick

I am not the biggist fan of Murph.

But lets be realistic, he brings in dollars, been with a team that has never set the world on fire.

With out him or the pay drivers you would have stuff all cars on the grid, hey lets watch 15 cars trot around. Bathurst would look great.

PS: Slade has money to buy a drive Owen does not.

Steve Owens...
has the talent AND gets results,
The only time he got a shot at "the main game" he peddaled a budget ride.[not a hog, a pig!]
Steve and the crew took the pig to its best result to date... , and paid for it!

As for peckers assertion ..."Steves... competition"?
I'm assuming he meant Scooter, "had hardly set the world on fire, both effectively being rookies,"
thats not funny...its hysterical. , he paid too!

Scooter has more trophys... In more championships... In different classes, than any other competitor in V8SC...A Professional and a Winner.
A highly experienced "Rookie"...Eh ?

Young Tim...he's there...some new blood, Everyones gotta start somewhere. I say good luck to him and his crew...Same for Dean.

And Murph...I'm a Blue Oval Fan, Murphs good competition, someone to swap paint with. Sure he "gets vocal"...Dont we all...? Thats Racing !!

On race day "the more the merrier" I say...
60 cars at Bathurst...Ah...the Memories...

[GTRMagic]

Meantime back on planet Earth... the understanding of a thread like this needs to include what some of the drivers bring to the various teams they pilot for.

Many drivers in the above bring sponsors to a team, either as a result of a family business contributing to the payment of bills, or owning teams and REC's, or where the sponsor is introduced to the team, who select the bloke doing the introducing as the driver in return for the sponsorship.

Its a question of semantics in terms of a pay drive situation of course.

There are a number of drivers in the current category who have never won a race in V8Supercar. There are some who have, who may never win one again.

The category is not geared around finding the best 30 pilots in the country and letting them race and crash and bash the hell out of each other across the land and beyond.

There are few patron team owners. This is not F1. There is no huge magical machine behind a lot of these teams. Five blokes in a shed with a car and a truck is the extent of the "team" as we see in the series.

These 5 blokes wouldnt have a gig if the sponsors didnt exist. If the sponsors are intrinsically linked to the driver, if you lose the driver, you lose the sponsor, you lose the drivers and so on...

To my mind, there are a number of drivers in the current category who have underperformed to their equipment. I am not sure that is disputed. What the issue is however, is that these guys have been around a while, and have accumulated supporters in sponsors, who are very happy to label a "19xx/20xx Bathurst winner" as the public face of their products.. and the results page isnt as important as that.

Imagine losing Tasman (arguably set up for Mr Murphy), Kelly Racing, PMM, Perkins, RNR, Inta and a whole load of others because of these kinds of criteria.

The 30 car garage some people think is too small may end up the way it was in the old days.. of 11 cars travelling to some rounds because the transport cost is prohibitive to do more.

Be careful what you wish for... it might just happen, and then where would we be?

[Micklegend]

Seem like tall poppy stuff to me.....blokes will move on when their time is due, unfortunately some take longer than others. Some do it gracefully (skaife), some fight on too long (morris). it gives new young guys an opportunity.

In the next 3-5 years the names reynolds, patrizi etc. will be the ones in the top 10 and we will see the same threads writtn about the tanders and kellys of this world.

[chavez]

Originally Posted by GTRMagic

The 30 car garage some people think is too small may end up the way it was in the old days.. of 11 cars travelling to some rounds because the transport cost is prohibitive to do more.

Be careful what you wish for... it might just happen, and then where would we be?

Why are small grids so bad? The '91 and '92 ATCC had some of the smallest grids in the history of the series but produced some great racing.

The current grid of 30 may look great on paper the the number of potential winners is no different to when we had grids half of that size.

[Winston05]

Lets explore the 2009 lineup and see:


TeamVodafone
Jamie Whincup Car 1 - FG Falcon

Crap! Kick him out already! lol!

Nah, seriously now, there is no doubt that Whincup is an awesome driver. But is his success purely down to him? I have my doubts...


Craig Lowndes Car 888 - FG Falcon

Here, I believe, is the reason behind Whincup's phenominal success. We all know that Brock's death affected Craig. Is it unrealistic to suggest that he wouldn't be pushing the limit as he used to, and instead focusing on delivering the ultimate racing package? Is he worth being on the grid? Is he worth his money? Absolutely!


Toll Holden Racing Team
Garth Tander Car 2 - Commodore VE

Tander has had my respect for years. There's no question that he can drive and develop a car.

Will Davison Car 22 - Commodore VE

Will seems to be the best "2nd" driver that HRT has had since Bright. If he stays with HRT I believe they can look forward to a bright future together in the next few years.


Sprint Gas Racing
Jason Bargwanna Car 3 - Commodore VE

This guy deserves a drive and got shafted during the WPS collapse, though I do wonder why he stuck with Larkham's operation for so long when he could have taken a better drive as a "2nd" driver at a better team? Considering his form early in his V8 career and the circumstances I believe he deserves a drive until the end of 2010.

Greg Murphy Car 51 - Commodore VE

Murph is a strange one. Can he drive? It seems to depend on the track, or more on his confidence in the car. If he's at a favourite track he tends to lift his performance (Pukekohe, Bathurst), as his form at these tracks suggest that they "matter" to him. As for the others, it seems to depend on how good the car is "out of the box". Frankly I think that Murph is a sook and should either give 110% at every round, or go and drive in the NZ V8s to keep his eye in the game and then do the endurance races as a "specialist endurance" driver. To answer the question of if he deserves to be replaced, I'd say "not yet". He's not brilliant, though he is clearly still good, and I don't see enough up-and-comers that could do a better job.

Stone Brothers Racing
Alex Davison Car 4 - FG Falcon
Shane van Gisbergen Car 9 - FG Falcon

Can SBR lock up this combo for the next ten years? I believe that SBR have very wisely chosen their drivers here. The Giz has the potential to be a champion when given the right car, and many rate Alex above his brother. Ross and Jimmy, sign both these guys to long term contracts, sign your sponsors, and enjoy some very stable, successful years of motor racing!


Ford Performance Racing
Mark Winterbottom Car 5 - FG Falcon
Steven Richards Car 6 - FG Falcon

Winterbottom: Reminds me of a pre-championship Whincup. One way or another he needs that extra bit of confidence required to persist regardless of circumstances. But certainly he deserves his drive.

Richo: Was always overrated, riding on his daddy's reputation. Some will protest that he's good at car setups and soforth, yet from memory he tends to slip backwards throughout a year. This is something I would not expect to see from a "setup expert". Therefore Richo is the first driver that I think should "get the flick" immediately!

Jack Daniel's Racing
Todd Kelly Car 7 - Commodore VE
Rick Kelly Car 15 - Commodore VE

Todd: Has done fairly well in general. Will he ever be a champion? I don't know. Does he deserve his place? Well, the money of his parents hasn't hurt, but I think he's fast enough and good enough a racer to deserve to be in the series.

Rick: Has always been more aggressive than his brother, though he seems more inclined to make mistakes. Still I believe there is small chance that Rick could one day become a champion. Hopefully after his balls finally drop.

Brad Jones Racing
Jason Richards Car 8 - Commodore VE

Deserves his drive, though I wonder how a driver with generally decent form in average cars hasn't made it into a more competitive seat? BJR using Walkinshaw cars appears to be his best bet yet, though BJR have gone backwards since they've started to "do things their own way".

Cameron McConville Car 14 - Commodore VE

Cam has always impressed me. Maybe he's never going to be a championship contender, most likely due to him not securing a decent drive until late in his career, but who knows? He deserves his drive, but the next few years will require him to do somethinng more than "average" to retain his seat.

Team Autobarn
Paul Dumbrell Car 10 - Commodore VE

**** him off already! Seriously, with the amount of money various entities are prepared to throw at a V8 championship series license, why would you bother wasting your money on this dumb ****? This guy has had more advanced training than your average USAF Top Gun, yet he still can't yield more than average results? **** me! **** him off already! :-P

Dodo Racing Team
Jack Perkins Car 11 - Commodore VE

Jack's most significant achievement: Taking out Skaife's car at his first Bathurst (only Holden's best shot at winning the race, dodgy clutch or not). Another complete ****knuckle who never deserved the drive.


Triple F Racing
Dean Fiore Car 12 - Commodore VE

Meh. If I don't know then let time decide.


Hi-Tec Oils Racing
Dale Wood Car 16 - Commodore VE

As above, though I have heard a few good things about Dale.

Jim Beam Racing
Steven Johnson Car 17 - FG Falcon
James Courtney Car 18 - FG Falcon

How appropriate, a team of dickfisters! Johnson never did enough to deserve his drive. Sure he won the odd race or two, but who wouldn't considering the team he drove for at the time?

Courtney? He's not as untalented (retarded) as Johnson, but ultimately he has an ego the size of the MCG with a talent that barely fills his car! Maybe James is more of a "pilot" than a "driver", because the latter is ultimately required in the V8s, and clearly James doesn't have the goods to be a champion here. Why not head to greener pastures if the ground here is grassless?

Bundaberg Red Racing
David Reynolds Car 24 - Commodore VE

NFI?

Fujitsu Racing
Jason Bright Car 25 - Falcon BF

Brighty is a weird one. Why isn't he in Indycar? Why isn't he still a lead driver with a top team? Why did he have to set up his own team at such a reliatively young age? It's all very confusing! There does seem to be a pattern, that being Jason doesn't like being a learner! A shame really, as I think he's now peaked and is on the decline. He still deserves to be around, though he needs some good results soon to justify his future.

Garry Rogers Motorsport
Lee Holdsworth Car 33 - Commodore VE
Michael Caruso Car 34 - Commodore VE

Holdsworth: Oran Park proves his worth, at least for the next few years.

Caruso? Meh. Who knows?

Supercheap Auto Racing
Russell Ingall Car 39 - Commodore VE
Tim Slade Car 67 - Commodore VE

Ingall? He's doing well.

Slade? Umm... ?

Rod Nash Racing
Tony D'Alberto Car 55 - Commodore VE

D'Alberto is an interesting one. Ex HYL, I kind of wonder why it's taken him so long to get here? But yet I don't know?

Team IntaRacing
Marcus Marshall Car 77 - Falcon BF

I used to think Marcus was decent, but nowadays I think he's a bit of a kinda rich prat! **** him off, give his money to an unknown!

Wilson Security Racing
Fabian Coulthard Car 111 - FG Falcon
Michael Patrizi Car 333 - Falcon BF

Coulthard: No suprises really. He has done well and deserves his drive.
Patrizi: Maybe too early to judge?

[yap]

Originally Posted by Winston05

Rick: Has always been more aggressive than his brother, though he seems more inclined to make mistakes. Still I believe there is small chance that Rick could one day become a champion. Hopefully after his balls finally drop.

Maybe my memory is failing me, but didn't Rick have the No 1 on the side of his car a year or two ago

[Razor]

Originally Posted by Winston05

Rick Kelly Car 15 - Commodore VE.
Rick has always been more aggressive than his brother, though he seems more inclined to make mistakes. Still I believe there is small chance that Rick could one day become a champion. Hopefully after his balls finally drop.

Originally Posted by yap

Maybe my memory is failing me, but didn't Rick have the No 1 on the side of his car a year or two ago

Doesn't the year 2006 ring any bells?

[scuderus]

Originally Posted by Winston05

Lets explore the 2009 lineup and see:


TeamVodafone
Jamie Whincup Car 1 - FG Falcon

Crap! Kick him out already! lol!

Nah, seriously now, there is no doubt that Whincup is an awesome driver. But is his success purely down to him? I have my doubts...


Craig Lowndes Car 888 - FG Falcon

Here, I believe, is the reason behind Whincup's phenominal success. We all know that Brock's death affected Craig. Is it unrealistic to suggest that he wouldn't be pushing the limit as he used to, and instead focusing on delivering the ultimate racing package? Is he worth being on the grid? Is he worth his money? Absolutely!


Toll Holden Racing Team
Garth Tander Car 2 - Commodore VE

Tander has had my respect for years. There's no question that he can drive and develop a car.

Will Davison Car 22 - Commodore VE

Will seems to be the best "2nd" driver that HRT has had since Bright. If he stays with HRT I believe they can look forward to a bright future together in the next few years.


Sprint Gas Racing
Jason Bargwanna Car 3 - Commodore VE

This guy deserves a drive and got shafted during the WPS collapse, though I do wonder why he stuck with Larkham's operation for so long when he could have taken a better drive as a "2nd" driver at a better team? Considering his form early in his V8 career and the circumstances I believe he deserves a drive until the end of 2010.

Greg Murphy Car 51 - Commodore VE

Murph is a strange one. Can he drive? It seems to depend on the track, or more on his confidence in the car. If he's at a favourite track he tends to lift his performance (Pukekohe, Bathurst), as his form at these tracks suggest that they "matter" to him. As for the others, it seems to depend on how good the car is "out of the box". Frankly I think that Murph is a sook and should either give 110% at every round, or go and drive in the NZ V8s to keep his eye in the game and then do the endurance races as a "specialist endurance" driver. To answer the question of if he deserves to be replaced, I'd say "not yet". He's not brilliant, though he is clearly still good, and I don't see enough up-and-comers that could do a better job.

Stone Brothers Racing
Alex Davison Car 4 - FG Falcon
Shane van Gisbergen Car 9 - FG Falcon

Can SBR lock up this combo for the next ten years? I believe that SBR have very wisely chosen their drivers here. The Giz has the potential to be a champion when given the right car, and many rate Alex above his brother. Ross and Jimmy, sign both these guys to long term contracts, sign your sponsors, and enjoy some very stable, successful years of motor racing!


Ford Performance Racing
Mark Winterbottom Car 5 - FG Falcon
Steven Richards Car 6 - FG Falcon

Winterbottom: Reminds me of a pre-championship Whincup. One way or another he needs that extra bit of confidence required to persist regardless of circumstances. But certainly he deserves his drive.

Richo: Was always overrated, riding on his daddy's reputation. Some will protest that he's good at car setups and soforth, yet from memory he tends to slip backwards throughout a year. This is something I would not expect to see from a "setup expert". Therefore Richo is the first driver that I think should "get the flick" immediately!

Jack Daniel's Racing
Todd Kelly Car 7 - Commodore VE
Rick Kelly Car 15 - Commodore VE

Todd: Has done fairly well in general. Will he ever be a champion? I don't know. Does he deserve his place? Well, the money of his parents hasn't hurt, but I think he's fast enough and good enough a racer to deserve to be in the series.

Rick: Has always been more aggressive than his brother, though he seems more inclined to make mistakes. Still I believe there is small chance that Rick could one day become a champion. Hopefully after his balls finally drop.

Brad Jones Racing
Jason Richards Car 8 - Commodore VE

Deserves his drive, though I wonder how a driver with generally decent form in average cars hasn't made it into a more competitive seat? BJR using Walkinshaw cars appears to be his best bet yet, though BJR have gone backwards since they've started to "do things their own way".

Cameron McConville Car 14 - Commodore VE

Cam has always impressed me. Maybe he's never going to be a championship contender, most likely due to him not securing a decent drive until late in his career, but who knows? He deserves his drive, but the next few years will require him to do somethinng more than "average" to retain his seat.

Team Autobarn
Paul Dumbrell Car 10 - Commodore VE

**** him off already! Seriously, with the amount of money various entities are prepared to throw at a V8 championship series license, why would you bother wasting your money on this dumb ****? This guy has had more advanced training than your average USAF Top Gun, yet he still can't yield more than average results? **** me! **** him off already! :-P

Dodo Racing Team
Jack Perkins Car 11 - Commodore VE

Jack's most significant achievement: Taking out Skaife's car at his first Bathurst (only Holden's best shot at winning the race, dodgy clutch or not). Another complete ****knuckle who never deserved the drive.


Triple F Racing
Dean Fiore Car 12 - Commodore VE

Meh. If I don't know then let time decide.


Hi-Tec Oils Racing
Dale Wood Car 16 - Commodore VE

As above, though I have heard a few good things about Dale.

Jim Beam Racing
Steven Johnson Car 17 - FG Falcon
James Courtney Car 18 - FG Falcon

How appropriate, a team of dickfisters! Johnson never did enough to deserve his drive. Sure he won the odd race or two, but who wouldn't considering the team he drove for at the time?

Courtney? He's not as untalented (retarded) as Johnson, but ultimately he has an ego the size of the MCG with a talent that barely fills his car! Maybe James is more of a "pilot" than a "driver", because the latter is ultimately required in the V8s, and clearly James doesn't have the goods to be a champion here. Why not head to greener pastures if the ground here is grassless?

Bundaberg Red Racing
David Reynolds Car 24 - Commodore VE

NFI?

Fujitsu Racing
Jason Bright Car 25 - Falcon BF

Brighty is a weird one. Why isn't he in Indycar? Why isn't he still a lead driver with a top team? Why did he have to set up his own team at such a reliatively young age? It's all very confusing! There does seem to be a pattern, that being Jason doesn't like being a learner! A shame really, as I think he's now peaked and is on the decline. He still deserves to be around, though he needs some good results soon to justify his future.

Garry Rogers Motorsport
Lee Holdsworth Car 33 - Commodore VE
Michael Caruso Car 34 - Commodore VE

Holdsworth: Oran Park proves his worth, at least for the next few years.

Caruso? Meh. Who knows?

Supercheap Auto Racing
Russell Ingall Car 39 - Commodore VE
Tim Slade Car 67 - Commodore VE

Ingall? He's doing well.

Slade? Umm... ?

Rod Nash Racing
Tony D'Alberto Car 55 - Commodore VE

D'Alberto is an interesting one. Ex HYL, I kind of wonder why it's taken him so long to get here? But yet I don't know?

Team IntaRacing
Marcus Marshall Car 77 - Falcon BF

I used to think Marcus was decent, but nowadays I think he's a bit of a kinda rich prat! **** him off, give his money to an unknown!

Wilson Security Racing
Fabian Coulthard Car 111 - FG Falcon
Michael Patrizi Car 333 - Falcon BF

Coulthard: No suprises really. He has done well and deserves his drive.
Patrizi: Maybe too early to judge?

What a load of sh1t

You back Bargwanna, Murphy, Bright, and to a lesser extent Patrizi and then hose Steven Johnson!!!!
Maybe you should have a look at the current championship points.

[pplater]

Worth a laugh at least.

I for one interpreted the Rickelly jibe as a mark against his character rather than his runs on the board. Maybe our mate is suggesting he could one day be a champion bloke like Lowndes, Jase or Fabe?

[TSR]

So what drivers do u think should hang up the lid in 2010?? . I can think of two off the top and there could be more.

[STEALTHY]

Originally Posted by TSR

So what drivers do u think should hang up the lid in 2010?? . I can think of two off the top and there could be more.

Peckstar wants all but the person who wins the championship to hang up the helmet.

[motofan]

you cant start a topic and not give us your own opinion haha

ill get the ball rolling

1) Mark mcnally- shouldnt have put on the helmet to begin with
2) G murphy- sorry guys i just think his only spot left in the sport is a commentator and endurance driver
3) ingall yea maybe maybe not
4)and s richards just shouldnt be donning the FPR helmet

[V8 Fireworks]

Generally intersting opinion.

Originally Posted by Winston05

Still I believe there is small chance that Rick could one day become a champion.

I think he's got one of those.

Caruso? Meh. Who knows?

It looks like there is a cigarette paper between Holdsworth and Caruso IMHO. Caruso and Coulthard seem the sort of fast/young/not-too-high-profile choices that 888 would after for a JDub replacement if required IMHO.

though I wonder how a driver with generally decent form in average cars hasn't made it into a more competitive seat?

Yep it seems like J Richards won't get a drive at a big bucks team, despiting often getting plently from the Tasman package.

Same about the likes of Owen not getting into a reasonable drive in the series, but I suppose there will usually be some pay drivers or heavily backed young guns taking these seats...

[Pro Racer]

measuring on teammate performance as that is the best yardstick so i take that into account abit.

goooone:
* Richo - is first cab off the rank, Frosty is wiping the floor with him.

* Patrizi - is **** house compaired to Fab and even compairing Fab's efforts in that car last year.

* Perkins - great young bloke but dosn't do much behind the wheel.

a couple notable mentions with abit of doubt over saying goooone or still got it:
* Brighty - will give him last year as it was a ****box car but Crash #2 (JC) took the old BF to 6th in points last year and looked fast regularly Brighty hasn't so much. went alright this weekend will give him more time before i say gooone.

* Toddler - has had some rotten luck but Ricko has still taken him to the cleaners this year and he had a years knowledge of the machinery over Ricko. will still give more time as luck has been ****house here.

* McNally - first round but didn't look flash.

* Murph - the only reason he is in this section and not the above is he beat Jase Richards in points the last 2 years and now look how good Jase is going in another car. he is beating Bargs on points. the car is a bucket of bolts. would like to see him back in WP gear or a competitive car then i would say goooone or not.

[TSR]

Considering I started this thread and someone else has the tackin the glory. my picks are

1. S.RICHARDS
2.G.MURPHY
3.T.SLADE
4.P.DUMBRELL
5. 4th KELLY CAR
6.M.PATRIZI

[motofan]

sorry pro

but brighty has been thrown in a car that is on level playing field with the rest and he finally shows some speed!

and patrizi has been doing well considered he is in the oldest car in the field so it is unfair to compare his results to fabians last year

[Driver TBA]

Originally Posted by TSR

Considering I started this thread and someone else has the tackin the glory. my picks are

1. S.RICHARDS
2.G.MURPHY
3.T.SLADE
4.P.DUMBRELL
5. 4th KELLY CAR
6.M.PATRIZI

Add Perkins to that list and guess which drivers qualified in the last 7 spots on todays grid?

[SJA]

OUT:
Bargwanna - he's done!
Murphy - he's also done, despite marketibility - too jaded!
A Davison - doesn't have the stones (no pun intented)
S Richards - done!
J Perkins - too reckless and immature, as he matures he may be more stable, but will lose speed.
Wood / McNally - for obvious reasons!
McConville - done!
Bright - done!
Patrizi - never was!

In:
Owen - just because his daddy's wallet isn't fat and he apparently has a bit of an attitude, does not negate his tallent!
Macrow - a non-SORF with a bucket load of skill and pace
Wilson - I believe has always had skill in these machines, but just never the car until Bathurst 09 - someone bring him back!
Simonsen - has done enough to prove he belongs in this championship full-time
Youldon - as above!
Marshall - calling SBR, FPR!!!!
Reindler - has got all the right stuff I think to be great
Trimble - as above

WHY THEY SHOULD STAY:
Dumbrell - when it all comes together, he's on! and great to watch - but yes, his days should be numbered if he do something decent soon
Reynolds - put him in the catagory of Holdsworth, Caruso and Coulthard - I think he's got all the right ingredients
Fiore - as above, just give him some time and some good mentoring
Slade - as above again
D'Alberto - despite his age, he has actually been around along time. It's almost time for Nash to switch arrangements again (about every 2-years isn't it?). I think this man in a (non-customer) Walkinshaw or PMM car would suprise a few people!

[TSR]

Originally Posted by SJA

OUT:
Bargwanna - he's done!
Murphy - he's also done, despite marketibility - too jaded!
A Davison - doesn't have the stones (no pun intented)
S Richards - done!
J Perkins - too reckless and immature, as he matures he may be more stable, but will lose speed.
Wood / McNally - for obvious reasons!
McConville - done!
Bright - done!
Patrizi - never was!

In:
Owen - just because his daddy's wallet isn't fat and he apparently has a bit of an attitude, does not negate his tallent!
Macrow - a non-SORF with a bucket load of skill and pace
Wilson - I believe has always had skill in these machines, but just never the car until Bathurst 09 - someone bring him back!
Simonsen - has done enough to prove he belongs in this championship full-time
Youldon - as above!
Marshall - calling SBR, FPR!!!!
Reindler - has got all the right stuff I think to be great
Trimble - as above

WHY THEY SHOULD STAY:
Dumbrell - when it all comes together, he's on! and great to watch - but yes, his days should be numbered if he do something decent soon
Reynolds - put him in the catagory of Holdsworth, Caruso and Coulthard - I think he's got all the right ingredients
Fiore - as above, just give him some time and some good mentoring
Slade - as above again
D'Alberto - despite his age, he has actually been around along time. It's almost time for Nash to switch arrangements again (about every 2-years isn't it?). I think this man in a (non-customer) Walkinshaw or PMM car would suprise a few people!

Well thought out SJA.

[sebringimsa]

Originally Posted by SJA

OUT:
A Davison - doesn't have the stones (no pun intented)
McConville - done!
Bright - done!

In:
Macrow - a non-SORF with a bucket load of skill and pace
Marshall - calling SBR, FPR!!!!
Reindler - has got all the right stuff I think to be great
Trimble - as above

WHY THEY SHOULD STAY:
Dumbrell - when it all comes together, he's on! and great to watch - but yes, his days should be numbered if he do something decent soon
Reynolds - put him in the catagory of Holdsworth, Caruso and Coulthard - I think he's got all the right ingredients
Fiore - as above, just give him some time and some good mentoring
Slade - as above again
D'Alberto - despite his age, he has actually been around along time. It's almost time for Nash to switch arrangements again (about every 2-years isn't it?). I think this man in a (non-customer) Walkinshaw or PMM car would suprise a few people!

What a load of crap!!

[Ricky Bobby]

And your reasons for stating SJA's post is 'a load of crap' are???

[Driver TBA]

Originally Posted by Ricky Bobby

And your reasons for stating SJA's post is 'a load of crap' are???

Because he thinks Bright and Davison should go,

But Dumbrell Stay!

[SJA]

Well I am entitled to my opinion on a public forum after all...

I know I wont change people's minds, those of you who have made them up, nor will you change mine.

But I seriously think Brighty is done - he's made a go of his own operation and looks as if he is coming out the other end a very tired and 'over it' operator, and I can't blame him for that. His only saving grace will be if he somehow gets his arse into a 888 prep'd car in 2010 (unlikely) - if he can't, there is really no point making up the numbers, as I think he is there to win, nothing less - and unless he's in the best equip', he ain't gonna win anything anymore - he's done. I'll happily eat my words if ever proven otherwise.

A Davison - If the Stones are patient and give him at least 3-years, by the 3rd you may see something. But C'mon guys - rare rays of hope are not enough to keep a ride. A Davison is more like a Canto, Ritter, Besnard etc. Right up there as a 1st pick come enduro time, but doesn't have the goods to be a full timer.

Dumbrell - it's good fun to have a good ol' Dumbrell bash - and me and everyone else can understand why... In a lot of ways he is emabarssing to watch, but so was one J Whincup once (2002 if I'm not mistaken). I think Dumbers would benifit from a reality check like the one Whinners got. He should be told his daddy's money isn't gonna keep him in a seat and actually get shafted for a while. This of course would never actually happen, but if it did, I think you would see a new P Dumbrell if was able to get himself back into the championship under his own steam, as Whincup did. He's got the pace, he's got the race craft, he belongs in the championship guys, he does - it's not as if he's a Forbes or Thexton or a Patrizi. He just needs to focus - he needs to drive for his life.