An Interview with Pook

[macdaddy]

During coverage of Friday qualifying at Miami, Derek Daly interviewed Chris Pook. Read into this what you may.

Firstly, Daly asks Pook for his opinion of Miami...

"We're back where we belong. These cars do so well in an urban setting, and when you get a city like Miami such as this, and we get the opportunity to run at it and present this city and our cars at the same time to the rest of the world, well, that's what the 'new CART' is all about."

"We're in-market, not forty miles out of town."

Daly mentions something about the "full calendar" and if there's room to add anything...

"We're gonna be market-driven. I've said that from the very start. You know, whatever the market wants and we're gonna be there. And we're gonna be 'major-market'-driven, and Miami is an example of a major market in the continental United States. But it is also the corporate and cultural gateway to Latin America, Central America, and the Carribean, so that's of importance to us."

Then Daly asks if there's anything more than "rumour" concerning Pook's recent business conversations with Bernie Ecclestone...

"First of all, every conversation one has with Bernie is always about business. And the second thing is he and I are good friends and while we were over in Europe obviously I took the liberty to go over and have a cup of coffee with him."

Sounds to me like street venues are the future. Particularly, street venues "south of the border". And the way that he sidestepped the question about the FIA would make Bill Clinton proud.

[The Snout]

"We're in-market, not forty miles out of town."

Loved this salvo at Homestead.

[GoFaster]

Pook says,We're back where we belong? I've seen quarter mile DIRT tracks with more traction than Miami.In my opinion Miami is more suited to run Karts.

[macdaddy]

One of the drivers interviewed said that the parking-lot corners were worse than driving with slicks in the rain.

The track should be better Saturday. Overnight they were to tear up six inches of asphalt through those corners and replace it with concrete.

The owner of the parking lot apparently said "I don't care what you do. Just so long as it's asphalt when you're done." So it sounds like it's gonna be rather expensive. Tearing up the lot, pouring concrete, tearing that up, and then repaving.

The layout of the track will be different next year...

[Liz]

It's always tricky to set up a new track, but I have also heard that this track has some resemblance to Monaco. Depends a lot on the crowds they draw, but I'd guess this wil be another major revammp like Denver. Still, he's right that street races and road races are us -- and considering how many people I have heard say "...but I hate Indianapolis" I think they have to choose the cities carefully too.

Running a street race in Winnipeg, for example, might be a bad idea.