Thanks Al Junior

[F3L]

Wow, thanks Al Junior. What a revelation your comments are on all the drivers in the series. Interesting, revealing, thought provoking, food for thought......what a load of typical woffle,read more like a PR press release. Nothing new, nothing fresh, nothing interesting.

[Taprobane]

link?

[F3L]

Originally Posted by Taprobane

link?

Al Unser Jr. weighs in on IndyCar Series drivers: Two-time Indianapolis 500 winner Al Unser Jr., a consultant and driver coach for the Indy Racing League, shared his insights about IndyCar Series drivers for 2009. Marco Andretti
“Marco is with a great team. With teammates like Danica (Patrick) and Tony Kanaan, they have the depth to bring Marco a second win. I feel like he really wants to bring another Indy 500 win to the Andretti family that has eluded them for so many years. He’s got the car, he’s got the team, and he’s got the talent. It would be a great thing to see an Andretti win the Indy 500, and Marco has the capability to get that done.”
Stanton Barrett
“Team 3G is a good team. Owen Snyder is the crew chief on that car. He was my crew chief when I won my first Indy 500 and my first national championship. Stanton has a good team, and he seems to catch up on stuff on the car really quick. He comes from a stock car background, so he’s spent most of his life in NASCAR. He uses his head when he drives, he thinks about it. He’s going to run well. He’s a contender for Rookie of the Year. He’ll give Raphael Matos a run for his money.”
Ryan Briscoe
“Ryan is definitely one of the favorites to win Indy and the championship. He’s been with Team Penske now for several years, including his time in ALMS. Roger (Penske) brought him into the IndyCar Series for a reason. Great talent, experience, he’s proven he can win races in the IndyCar Series, so he is definitely one of the favorites to win the championship.”
Jaime Camara
“He was a rookie last year with a strong road course background. He works hard at it. He’s very passionate about it, as most Brazilians are, bringing a lot of love, hard work, dedication.”
Ed Carpenter
“Ed is with a good team with Vision Racing. He’s come from the oval background. Ed’s been working real hard, trying real hard, and he’s got plenty of experience now. He’s definitely capable of winning races with a little luck coming his way. I feel that he can score a first win for Vision Racing on an oval.”
Mike Conway
“Mike Conway is one of the rookies, so I haven’t seen enough of him. For being the first time on an oval in his life (at Homestead-Miami Speedway), he picked up on it real quick. He’s got lots of talent. Dreyer & Reinbold Racing is a good, hardworking team. From what I’ve seen, the talent is there. It’s all about the learning curve. If it progresses the way it did at the spring training test at Homestead-Miami Speedway, he’s very capable of bringing the team a victory.”
Scott Dixon
“Past Indy 500 champion, two-time IndyCar Series champion. He’s definitely a favorite to win the championship. Scott has been quick since the first test of the season. The team hasn’t lost anything over the winter. If anyone is the man to beat, it’s the defending champion. He doesn’t have the No. 1 on his car, but all his competitors see him as the guy, and they’re all aiming for Scott Dixon.”
Robert Doornbos
“Robert is with a great team, teammate to Graham (Rahal) in the Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing stable. He’s a road racer. First time ever on an oval (at the Homestead-Miami Speedway test) and he picked up on it extremely fast. As far as the rookies, the favorites have to be Rafa (Matos) and Robert Doornbos. Those two are going to go at it neck and neck all season long. They both have great teams, and they both have great talent.”
Milka Duno
“Milka is the most improved driver without question. She’s trying very hard, she’s very passionate, and she loves driving these cars. She’s going to do alright. Milka asks a lot of questions. From where she started to where she is today is a huge gain. It’s really a pleasure to see the gains that she has made from year to year.”
Dario Franchitti
“Dario is a past Indy 500 winner and a past IndyCar Series champion. He’s with a great team and has lots of experience. He’s going to win some races and is one of the favorites to win the championship.”
Tony Kanaan
“Man of steel. This guy is physically the strongest man out there, and he will drive the car as such. He tends to go places that few men dare to go. He has a great team with AGR. If there’s a number one at AGR, it’s Tony Kanaan. He’s one of the favorites to win Indianapolis and the championship. He’s really focusing on Indy. He’s won the IndyCar Series championship. The one that is eluding him right now is the Indy 500. If anyone is owed – if effort and all of that comes back, and it does in racing – TK is one of the favorites to win the Indy 500 this year. That’s the one he’s really concentrating on.”
Raphael Matos
“Rafa is a great rookie. Coming from Firestone Indy Lights, the tracks are not new to him. He’s with a good team, he’s got good equipment and a good crew. Definitely the favorite to win Rookie of the Year honors because of his experience in Firestone Indy Lights and his talent equals everything that he’s got. He may even win a race or two.”
Vitor Meira
“If anyone should win a race or should have already won a race, it’s Vitor. He’s got the talent, he’s been with the teams, but he’s not pulled it into Victory Lane yet. I think he’s going to bring a bright star to A.J. Foyt Racing. He’s definitely capable of raising the level. He’s going to be knocking on the door real hard for a win, especially on the road courses. Vitor is a good road course racer. Look for Vitor to hopefully bring A.J. Foyt a victory, especially on the road courses.”
Mario Moraes
“Mario Moraes is one of the rookies who joined the series as part of unification last year. He’s with a very good team in KV Racing Technology. They’re a team that is still learning about the IndyCar Series and so is Mario. Look for Mario to gain as the season goes on in 2009. They’re going to get better and better as the season goes on.”
Hideki Mutoh
“Hideki is a great driver from Japan. He’s going to be in contention for a victory. He has Tony Kanaan, Danica (Patrick) and Marco (Andretti) to pull information from, and they work very well together. He’s got the talent to do it. If the AGR cars can bring their level back to where it was a few years ago, he can do very well. He’s definitely a guy to watch.”
Danica Patrick
“The first female to win an Indy car race at this level is an achievement that will go down in history. I was very fortunate to be in Japan to watch Danica make history. She can win races again. Look for her to win, especially on the high-banked ovals where she really seems to shine. She’s won several poles at those facilities, so they kind of favor her style of driving. She’s a contender to win more races.”
Will Power
“Will Power is definitely up and coming and has a great opportunity with Team Penske. Expect great things from Will in the future. He’s very talented, and now he’s got the team who sets the standard for years and years and years behind him. He had a good seat last year, but the resources with Team Penske are phenomenal.”
Graham Rahal
“Graham moved into the number one seat at Newman/Haas/Lanigan. That’s a team with two number one cars. They’re both prepared very well. Everything that Penske, Ganassi and Andretti Green have, Newman/Haas/Lanigan has. Graham can do it. From what I’ve seen from Newman/Haas/Lanigan, they’ve closed the gap over the winter. As one of last year’s new teams, I feel that Newman/Haas/Lanigan has made the most improvement over the winter. Graham is in a real good spot to follow his father’s footsteps on a national championship and an Indy 500 win.”
E.J. Viso
“E.J. is one of my favorites. He was a rookie last season and was fast right away. He’s physically as strong as Tony Kanaan. He’s got the eye of the tiger. He definitely wants to win. He’s got the team to do some great things. They made some great strides last year. Expect as the season goes on, he’s going to get quicker and quicker and quicker. As the team learns more about the IndyCar Series car and so on, he’s going to be knocking on the door real hard to win a race.”
Dan Wheldon
“Dan Wheldon is a proven winner. He has won Indy and the championship. He’s with a proven team. We could possibly see a repeat of the Cinderella story of Sam Hornish and ‘the team that could.’ He’s going from Target Chip Ganassi to Panther, there is a difference there especially for the last couple of seasons and the success that Ganassi Racing has had, especially with the Indy 500s and the championships that they’ve won, but Panther Racing is still very, very capable of winning, and Dan is too.”
Justin Wilson
“He’s a race winner. He won Detroit fair and square. He comes from a road course background. The more time they have with the car, the faster they’re going to get. If a guy can make up for a car that’s not quite there, it’s on the road courses and it’s Justin Wilson. He’s a brilliant road course racer.”

[Taprobane]

So not a single bad comment about a driver or team.

Utterly pointless as you said F3L.

[climb]

Being a great driver doesn't necessarily mean being a good commentator, and vice versa

[Knowlesy]

So what he's saying is basically everyone is great.



I literally feel ill reading that.

[Dutton]

It is a mosaic tribute to banality.

Take any given part in isolation, and what he is saying is either entirely true or making the best of a difficult lot without specifically lying: utterly uninspiring and focusing solely on any possible positives, but not exactly untrue. However, every single thing he says about every subject is in this vein (akcnowledging positives is all very well, but no subject is perfect): so the sum total of all the parts creates something which would seem to be nothing more than a sycophantic PR session.

If the intent was that we are meant to find it interesting, useful, or worthwhile, well, suffice to say the target is untouched whilst a lamb in the neighbouring field has suddenly sprung into an acute squeeling solo.

[awrb]

I just love the way every team is 'good'. AGR, Vision and D&R all called good, well there's some difference between the three.