Strange Race Indeed

[J.4knee]

So you can have a F1 race and only six drivers. Interesting event at Indy.

[colterphoto1]

I'm completely embarassed for our city and the race organizers. It was a safety issue that was brought up this morning, but the stuck-up F1 administration wouldn't make a good call. Too bad, the Hulman family who runs the Indianapolis Motor Speedway with NO TAX OR PUBLIC DOLLARS (other sports- take notice) probably lost millions of dollars, to say nothing of the city and our prestige as the racing capital of the WORLD.

Thanks F1.

Michael

[psg]

This will likely kill F1 in the US... Too bad. We've been enjoying it for years in Canada...

[colterphoto1]

Yup Peter, that's what they're saying on the news tonight. Barry E (the great poof) blames the teams for poor car setups. Says it wasn't Michelin's fault. At lease he called the IMS an 'innocent bystander' in the events of today.

He and F1 are going to get their butts sued off on this one. Tony George will eat him for lunch!

Michael

[dragonfyr]

I've caught small references to this all day but haven't heard just what exactly happened? Can you catch me up? Thanks

[colterphoto1]

Here's what I just heard from local TV news anchors.

There was some discussion with Michelin officials yesterday during qualifications about some tire problems. Bernie E. F1 dictator, claimed that it was not a tire problem but that teams were running over barricades, having wrong suspension setups, running too low of tire pressures.

Race starts this am, warm up lap okay, then 14 of 20 cars (Michelin tires) pull into pits and drivers leave the race cars.

Local commentators can't believe it, one guy on news sports wrapup said it was lap 40 before he could even look up, he was so embarrassed for our city. Even though a full length race was run with 6 cars, F1 chairman Bernie E was seen leaving in his helicopter with 14 laps to go. Didn't even stick around to congratulate his champion. Class act- NOT.

Local commentator just reported that we in Indianpolis have class and ethics. He hopes the city and IMS officials say goodbye and good riddance to F1 forever. They can go to Las Vegas or just leave the country for all we care. Race fans around the world got the shaft on this one. Do you think these ego-maniacs would pull this stunt in Europe! Not in this lifetime- there would be riots. Our fans would obviously like their money back.

And Bernie had the gall to say that IMS and the city of Indianapolis didn't promote the event locally enough! Good thing it wasn't telecast on local tv tonight, it would have been the lowest rating a show ever got in this town.

Over it- we are way past over it. Don't even think of bringing your garlic-smelling snotty nosed drivers and teams to this side of the Atlantic ever again. Goodbye forever F1!

Michael

[colterphoto1]

From Google SPorts News

http://www.journalnow.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=WSJ%2FMGArticle%2FWSJ_BasicArticle&c=MGArticle&cid=1031783385717&path=!sports!autoracing&s=1037645509202

Sad day for racing.

Michael

[colterphoto1]

This story from the previously posted web site:

Formula One shoots itself in the foot

Michelin teams pull out, leaving only six cars in lineup for U.S. GrandPrix

By Mike Mulhern

JOURNAL REPORTER

INDIANAPOLIS

One of the biggest crises in recent Formula One history - and one of its darkest, most bitter, perhaps saddest episodes - played out here yesterday.

It was a confusing, controversial and completely chaotic day based on major tire problems, a day that marks a serious setback to the image of Formula One in the United States.

Ferrari's Michael Schumacher beat teammate Rubens Barrichello to win the United States Grand Prix by 11/2 seconds. But it was a costly victory for the sport, and the boos and obscene chants from the crowd of 140,000 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway showed that something was terribly amiss in this branch of racing.

Whether it was because of the intransigence of FIA officials or Michelin teams or Ferrari in the tire debate, only Schumacher and the tour's five other Bridgestone drivers started the race. The 14 Michelin drivers took one parade lap, and then pulled into the garage and quit, at the urging of Michelin engineers who had conceded that their tires were not safe enough to race here, unless a speed-slowing chicane were added - a move vetoed by Ferrari.

The stunned crowd reacted angrily, and Schumacher was grim-faced afterwards.

"It was a strange Grand Prix, a bit odd, not the right way to win my first one this year...." said Schumacher, who said fans were throwing debris on the track: "It was mainly bottles - beer as well as I could smell."

Barrichello was likewise downcast at the turn of events for the sport: "We don't look very good in the U.S., and now it will be even worse."

Is this perhaps the race that kills Formula One in the United States? "No, not the end, no," Schumacher said. "We have had good ones. We just had a difficult one. We will have good ones to come."

A hollow victory? "I've won 84 races, I can afford to have a strange one," Schumacher said. "We had a car to win anyway. I'm sorry the other guys didn't show up."

Schumacher, in the moments before the start of the 73-lap event, said he didn't know just what the Michelin drivers might do: "It was very strange to see everybody pulling in the pits.

"It's very sad, particularly for the supporters, not to be able to fight for the win under normal circumstances. But, to be frank, it was not in our hands. We left at home tires with better performance but less durability, because we knew the stress the tires would be under.

"I don't know what was their problem, but it wasn't our problem, and I hope everyone understands that.

"Yes, there were people booing, but there were many that were happy. I think everybody will learn from what happened today. The penalty was very big for everybody, including the fans."

NASCAR's Bill France Jr. would never have let it come to this. And if it did, France would find a solution to save the show, as he has done before, in precisely situations like this.

But Formula One officials seemed helpless when Michelin conceded that its tires couldn't handle the stress in the high-speed corner of the course.

So the most sophisticated, most exotic, most expensive racing series in the entire world was brought to its knees by the Michelin-Bridgestone tire war.

"This is the biggest wake-up call anyone has ever seen," Minardi team owner Paul Stoddart said. "I hope Formula One as a whole, not just the FIA, takes a real big lesson away from this and sorts its act out, because this jockeying for political position and points isn't helping the sport at all," said Stoddart, whose two cars are on Bridgestones, and who runs one of the sport's smallest operations.

"We've been trying to build up Formula One in America ... and now this happens. We owe it to the sport to be more responsible.

"Formula One is a sport, and it's supposed to be a sport before it's a business. And part of sport is the sense of fair play. This is a pretty serious situation, and it would be nice to see a sensible solution, for it to go forward in the way it's supposed to, with 20 cars on the grid.

"Yes, rules are rules, but I won't sit here and debate whether Michelin should have brought those tires. The fact is it happened. But a solution could and should have been found and applied before it got to this state.

"The problem is far deeper than Michelin's tires. The problem is the regulations in Formula One. If we had a simpler set of regulations, this problem would not have arisen.

"If we had one single tire supplier, this would not have happened. Because every team would have had the same problem, and every team would have had to have the same solution, and there would have been no issue about any advantage. The (new) tires would have been flown in, we probably would have had a 15-minute practice session this morning, and we would have run the race.

"I sincerely hope valuable lessons are learned today, before we destroy the sport we love with politics."

So maybe Formula One's Bernie Ecclestone and FIA officials need to call 1-800-NASCAR. The arrogance and obstinance of Formula One executives was clear in their handling of this debacle.

The show, remember, it's supposed to be all about the show, the race, the thing people buy tickets for, the thing people watch on TV.

But the FIA, Formula One's version of NASCAR, found itself with egg on its face yesterday morning, with the very integrity and professional reputation of F1 at stake, and in front of a crucial American audience, as race day dawned with the clear prospect that 14 of the 20 drivers in the field would have to park their cars and not participate in the race.

In a damning admission, Michelin officials said that, after two days of investigation, "we can confirm that with the tires on which we have qualified we are not able to sufficiently guarantee the total safety of the drivers. As a result we reached the conclusion we will not compete with these tires."

To which FIA's race director Charlie Whiting replied: "Your teams have a choice of running more slowly ... running a tire not used in qualifying, which would attract a penalty, or repeatedly changing a tire, subject to valid safety reasons. It is for them to decide. We have nothing to add."

That, succinctly, is the essence of the problem Formula One faces, particularly in America - an uncommon arrogance in putting petty bickering ahead of the show and the fans.

The judgment of FIA officials has been heavily questioned at times this season, and with FIA's surprising post-race disqualification of Juan-Pablo Montoya only last weekend at Montreal, for running a pit-road stop sign, yesterday's USGP began with no one knowing just what penalties - or even disqualifications - might be handed out after the race for changing tires. So Michelin teams simply parked.

Even Minardi's Stoddart, one of the sport's most outspoken owners, conceded the FIA might well make post-race penalties that could render the actual race - as seen by 140,000 fans here and a world-wide audience of some 160 million - meaningless.

The FIA - unlike NASCAR - allows no officials to speak on the record with the media. So the battle between the FIA and Michelin was played out publically in a release of letters between the two.

Stoddart said that the weekend's tire fiasco showed clearly that the FIA was wrong in its one-set of tires per race rule this season. Each team, Stoddart said, should be allowed one tire change during the race without penalty, as a safety precaution.

"Formula One doesn't need problems, it needs solutions," Stoddart said. "The one-tire-company rule, after this weekend, is a no-brainer. Nine of the 10 teams demanded it last year; only one team (Ferrari) - and the FIA - were against it. A single-tire rule could arguably come into effect the next race (the French Grand Prix July 3). But it probably won't.

"A lot of people are critical of Michelin. I will not be. Michelin is a very capable company. It's not a time to kick Michelin when they're having a bad weekend.

"We are in the most litigious country we go to, and with the letter we just got that the (Michelin) tires are only good for 10 laps, I don't envy the Michelin teams.

"For the sake of the sport, we should allow a change to be made, for the race to go forward, whatever that change might be."

Results-

WHO CARES (Michael)

[colterphoto1]

From IMS President Tony George

Far from understanding the politics involved in Sunday's United States Grand Prix, which resulted in a six-car 'race' involving the three Bridgestone teams, Indianapolis Motor Speedway CEO Tony George has directed disgruntled fans to the three parties he feels are to blame for the farrago that passed as round nine of the world championship.

In a short sharp statement issued from his office at the Brickyard, George - the founder of the Indy Racing League which graced the circuit with its showpiece 500 three weeks ago - said that he 'shared in the disappointment with the loyal fans of IMS and Formula One that we did not see the exciting race we all anticipated due to circumstances beyond our control', but insisted that 'the FIA, Formula One, the constructors and manufacturers that represent the cars on the starting grid made decisions on an individual basis to limit participation in today's USGP'.

As a result of both his own disappointment and the obvious anger and frustration in the grandstands, George suggested that any fans who wished to make their feelings known, contact Michelin, the FIA and Bernie Ecclestone's Formula One Management - helpfully providing full addresses into the bargain...

[J.4knee]

Yeah I felt bad for the city of Indianapolis when I read about this. I am no big race fan but this was ridiculous. F-1 does not need this kind of publicity in this country.

[dragonfyr]

Wow!

That should make one hell of a Michelin commercial!

[colterphoto1]

Good point Dragonfyr.

If I had stock in Michelin tires, US, I'd probably sell now. My guess is that sales (at least in the midwest) will plummet after this. Dealerships in Indianpolis might as well pack it up right now.

F1 viewership Stateside will also fall to levels not seen in decades. American citizens will rally behind their teams and sponsors in NASCAR and Indycar and that F1 will, for the most part, be nonexistent on US cable channels.

This will cost F1, Michelin BILLIONS before all is said and done. Tony George doesn't have to sue anyone. The damage is already done.

Michael

[colterphoto1]

open letter to FIA:

FIA,

Please inform Mr. Whiting and Mr. Ecclestone not to bring their race to my city of Indianapolis anymore. As the racing capitol of the WORLD, we don't want their hideous elitist attitudes corrupting our fine tradition of open-wheeled racing. Here in America when teams get together to stage a racing competion for the entertainment of the paying public, the teams ACTUALLY SHOW UP and do their jobs.

The family of Tony George spent millions of dollars preparing the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, the finest facility in racing, for your so-called race. You have profaned this hallowed ground with your presence.

GO BACK TO EUROPE F1- we don't want you here anymore!

Michael Colter

Racing Fan

Indianapolis, Indiana, USA

Guys you can also direct comments to www.michelin.com

[dragonfyr]

While I think any fan of racing is entitled to be disappointed, it is especially unfortunate that this event has occurred in Indianapolis, which has done so much for the sport of racing.

If definately adds 'insult to injury'.

...Now to watch "because so much is riding on Michelin...", as the drivers pull off the road, park their cars and throw a temper tantrum!!

Those ads will never be the same!

[JJkizak]

I never liked F1 after they got the RPM's up so high they sounded like a "chain saw convention" at a "mini bike" track with "model airplanes" and "lawn mowers" as sideshows.

JJK

[3dzapper]

Typical arrogance on the part of Michelin which will definately cost them retail sales. I can see the ad now "Michelin tyres, safe at any speed, unless you hit bumps or hard corners."

About ten years ago NASCAR had a similiar situation with Goodyear tires at the Daytona 500. The Goodyears were coming apart unexpectedly resulting in the death of Niel Bonner. Goodyear courageously released their teams and the entire field of 43 cars raced on Hoosier Racing Tires.

Michelin's action in the USGP was appalling!

Rick

[scott0527]

----------------

On 6/20/2005 8:32:39 AM 3dzapper wrote:

Typical arrogance on the part of Michelin which will definately cost them retail sales. I can see the ad now "Michelin tyres, safe at any speed, unless you hit bumps or hard corners."

About ten years ago NASCAR had a similiar situation with Goodyear tires at the Daytona 500. The Goodyears were coming apart unexpectedly resulting in the death of Niel Bonner. Goodyear courageously released their teams and the entire field of 43 cars raced on Hoosier Racing Tires.

Michelin's action in the USGP was appalling!

Rick

----------------

I don't think I'd blame Michelin as much as the F1 officials. If I read the acticle correctly, per the rules, they HAD to race on the tires they qualified with. Even if Michelin had said "fine racers, go ahead and use Bridgestone tires" they would not have been allowed by F1 rules. Michelin's only option was to tell their racers to race slower or to stop every ten laps for a tire change. I guess that might have been better for race fans, but then you'd have 14 cars that were so far behind in the race, who would have cared about them anyway.

Personally, I think so few people are interested in F1 racing, Michelin tire sales won't be bothered one bit.

[Petrol]

I watched the race with great and stuned dissappointment.

I don't blame Indy

I don't blame F1 or eccelstone

I don't blame michilin

I blame ALL of the TEAMS that were running michilin (execpt for Ferrari) who are all a bunch of cry babies that took their empty ball sacks and went home . . . pitiful

[IndyKlipschFan]

They will be back next year it is the last year of Bernies deal. I am a Ferrari Fan, happy for them, and Michael. It was strange, but the politics and excess of F1 always has been a major problem. What did you want Bernie to do? Sunday was the race, the manufacturer (with a mistake on the wrong set of tire compounds) was holding him and the city of Indianapolis, Indiana with the Grand Prix hostage. The race goes on, life goes on. If were forcing F1 to decide one tire manufacturer for all cars, then some one will win, some one will lose, and ultimately the bidding war will just line Bernies and the F1 organization he owns pockets anyhow.

I did laugh at one stat though..... 140K people... a "small audience on hand" to watch the race? (they seem larger in other cities on TV but this is a fact.) There is no bigger crowd on ANY F1 circuit. Now the TV audience?? Who knows.... Lost revenue due to one tire manufacturer holding the race hostage? Who knows, but damaged... yes.

A local commentator put it in perspective.

"This would be the equivalent of a NFL kicker determining that "his shoes" are wrong on that night for NFL Monday Night Football... and wanting to make the goal wider and closer for "that day" for his team... or were going home during the playoffs." Oh Please!!! NOT!

As a side note: The Michillins on my car are perhaps the best tires I have ever had. I bought another set for the van and am even more impressed with those. They make incredible tires. Why not use this as an opportunity to educate people that yes, tires do make a difference, and certain set ups are designed for certain situations too. Get it wrong, and you risk your safety too.

Next year, in 2006 is the final year in the contract, sometimes with controversy we get more attention. My guess is it will be bigger here and You know Michellin will not have egg on their face again! The race, like life, goes on. This had nothing to do with Indy and all about how the politics in F1 racing, unfortunately, are sometimes bigger than the sport.

[IndyKlipschFan]

INDIANAPOLIS (June 19) - Michael Schumacher climbed from his car to a chorus of boos, the die-hard Formula One fans unable to accept his first victory of the season after more than two-thirds of the field quit in protest over tire safety.

Sparking a fiasco at the United States Grand Prix on Sunday, Michelin advised the 14 cars it supplies that its tires were unsafe for the final banked turn at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

So unable to forge a compromise, all 14 Michelin teams ducked off the track after the warmup lap, leaving Schumacher and the five other drivers who use Bridgestone tires to race among themselves.

Fans headed for the exits in disgust, drivers were left bewildered, and track officials joined team members in speaking afterward as if the United States GP itself is in jeopardy.

Schumacher returned to the podium, but there was no champagne toast for the Ferrari team.

"Bit of a strange Grand Prix," the reigning world champion said. "Not the right way to win my first one this year."

When an agreement couldn't be reached over the use of fresh tires or the placement of a chicane to slow the cars going into turn 13, the Michelin teams pulled off the track and parked in a unified protest.

"I feel terrible. I have a sick feeling in my stomach," David Coulthard said after pulling out of the race. "I am embarrassed to be a part of this."

The situation created a farce of a race for F1, the world's most popular series. And it couldn't have happened at a worse venue: The series is already struggling to build an American fan base, and Indy officials were left unsure of the event's future.

"Undoubtedly, this sets us back in all of our efforts or all of the gains we've made in introducing this sport to America," said Joie Chitwood, the track president. He declined to speculate on if the race would be back at Indy next season.

But even the Ferrari team, which finally scored its first win of the season, acknowledged that the series' future in the U.S. is in trouble.

"I wish we can come back to the States, this is a very important country and our No. 1 market," said Ferrari boss Jean Todt. "But this is a very bad day for our sport and I feel bad for the supporters."

Many blamed Ferrari itself - the Italian team was the lone holdout in a series of compromises the nine other teams frantically tried to reach.

After two Michelin tires failed in Friday practice sessions - one causing a wreck that prevented Ralf Schumacher from competing - the tiremaker ruled that its rubber was unsafe for this track.

Michelin was rebuffed when it asked FIA to ease its rule forbidding teams to change tires after qualifying. FIA also refused to consider installing a chicane.

"I have a sick feeling in my stomach. I am embarrassed to be a part of this."

-Driver David Coulthard

So Michelin advised its teams not to compete after a lengthy morning meeting between nine team bosses (Ferrari did not attend), F1 boss Bernie Ecclestone and FIA. At one point, all 20 drivers were summoned to the meeting.

The nine teams even agreed to race for no points, as long as the obstacle was added to the course.

All of them said Ferrari would not agree to any of the proposals. Todt denied that Ferrari held up any deals, and said any decisions were left to FIA. However, he said Ferrari would have protested the use of a chicane.

The teams worked up until the final moments for a resolution, even lining up on the grid and taking the warmup lap. Then they pulled off, climbing out of their cars at the same time the remaining six drivers started the race.

The crowd was stunned. Some booed. Others threw water bottles on the track in disgust.

"If I was a fan out there I would do the same," said driver Jacques Villeneuve.

After just 10 of the scheduled 73 laps, many spectators began heading for the exits.

Indy officials said they had not yet discussed offering refunds, and track boss Tony George issued a statement urging fans to direct their frustration to Michelin, FIA and F1's management.

This event already draws just a fraction of what other races here do. Less than 100,000 come to this race, compared to a crowd in excess of 300,000 for the Indianapolis 500. Sunday's debacle will do nothing to improve that.

"Quite frankly, the fans got cheated," Ecclestone said.

The United States is the rare country that has not embraced F1, and teams have been working hard to tap into the lucrative market.

All seven teams that pulled out of the race signed a single statement apologizing for the debacle.

"We are totally aware that the USA is an important market for Formula One and there is an obligation for Formula One to promote itself in a positive and professional manner," it said.

Among those refusing to race were world championship points leader Fernando Alonso and Kimi Raikkonen, who trails him in the standings by 22 points.

Alonso is F1's biggest threat this season to end Schumacher's five-year reign as world champion. But when he and the other contenders pulled out of the event, it opened the door for seven-time world champion Schumacher to climb back.

Schumacher entered the event 35 points behind Alonso, but cut the deficit to 25 with the victory - well within striking distance with 10 events left this season.

06/19/05 23:00 EDT