INDYCAR: Miller's Mailbag, 1.27

IndyCar

INDYCAR: Miller’s Mailbag, 1.27

We've got a fever, and the only thing that'll satisfy it is More Mailbag. Here's the latest batch of Q&A items from the best Indycar scribe on the planet.

Robin Miller | Posted January 27, 2010 Indianapolis, IN

Hello open wheel types and thanks for all your questions. I intend to answer your questions every week during the season, so just . Don’t feel left out if I didn’t directly respond. I appreciate your interest and passion.

~Robin Miller

Q: Do you think Tony George will ever apologize for all the damage he caused with the CART/IRL split? I was really happy when the two series finally got back together, but I still believe the wrong side won. I will always support Indycar racing, but I really hope Tony has left the building for good...

Mike Lea, Manchester, England

To no one's surprise, TGeorge was a popular Mailbag topic this week. (LAT)

RM: To be honest, I don't know if Tony considers his actions heroic or H bomb so if he truly doesn't believe he was the problem, then an apology would never cross his mind. He may also see putting the two series together as his mea culpa. But it would appear that unless he can keep Vision Racing operating, he's already left the buildings.

Q: Tony is gone, and you and your posse of whiners are entitled to gloat and celebrate. IMS is in imminent danger of being sold to NASCAR, and no one above Terry Angstadt cares whether they race or sell real estate and baking powder. Are you happy?

Frank Dalton

RM: There's nothing to celebrate because all the damage is done and TG being removed from power is about 15 years too late. Since I lost my radio show, TV gig and newspaper job all directly because I opposed TG so much in the mid-90s, I guess I should feel more joy that he's departed but I really don't. You know me, I a big proponent of hate but I don't hate TG, I just hate what he did. As for nobody caring except Angstadt, that's not true and, as I've said a million times, IMS isn't for sale as long as Mari Hulman George is on this earth. And her three daughters and Tony all have children working at IRL/IMS and it's their identity so I don't see them selling it.

Q: Thanks as always for the insight regarding TG. I used to think he was an upstanding individual. When the split happened I heard Leo Mehl say Tony was starting the IRL because Penske, Ganassi, Rahal etc, were demanding 50% of gate receipts a take from concessions or they weren't going to bring the show to Indy. I thought if the split was what it took for him to defend the Speedway, so be it. Now 14 years later, its as simple as this, he's a spoiled brat and has taken his ball and gone home. Good, stay there, don't ever come back! Everything you've touched you've ruined. No business sense, only a sense of entitlement. That's surely a recipe for disaster. Frankly if I were his sisters I'd be hacked off too, his irresponsible ways and actions must have his grandfather rolling in his grave.

Chip Stetson

RM: There was always this myth that the CART owners were going to demand a shorter May and more money or they were going to boycott Indy but that's crap generated from the IRL spin doctors. Did the owners bitch and moan about spending 30 percent of their budget pounding around IMS in May? Absolutely. Did they feel like the purse needed to be increased? Yep. Did they threaten IMS? Negative. The real problem with Tony's regime is that he'd never worked with people or a budget and he needed a Joe Cloutier at his side to educate him and tell him the truth. Some people tried to tell Mari that TG needed to be sent to one of their TV stations as a general manager so he could get some experience under fire. Instead, they simply gave him the keys to the kingdom, a checkbook and unlimited power. A bad combination.

Q: Do you think with Tony George stepped down, will this possibly bring Gerry Forsythe back to open-wheel racing? And, do you see Tony George stepping down also bringing some die hard Champ Car fans who refused to watch the Indycar Series as long as Tony George was heading it up, back to being fans of Open-wheel racing?

Matt, Ontario, Canada

RM: I've asked Kevin Kalkhoven a couple times if he thought Gerry might come rescue the IRL now that TG is out of the picture but he didn't think so. As for the fans, I know from the Crapwagon and other websites there was a strong anti-IRL sentiment so it's possible a couple thousand could fit your theory.

Q: Last week you mentioned in one of your responses that Newman-Haas-Lanigan is in turmoil and their plans for 2010 are uncertain. A day after reading that I read that Carl Haas is taking over the distribution of Elan Motorsports. Are these two situations related? Is Carl putting something in place if the team can't make it to the 2010 season? Or is he trying to position himself to give Elan a better chance of making the 2012 Indycar? Fore years his distributorship of Lola gave him a distinct advantage over the competition.

Joe Lo, New York City

RM: The rumor of Haas taking over Elan has been out there for a year but this deal is totally separate from NHL's IndyCar program and Panoz/Elan isn't making an Indy cars for any year to my knowledge. They are just handling the parts sales for the ALMs' new spec prototype and all of the Elan chassis designers are long gone. You are correct, Carl got all the trick Lola stuff first but he also got high marks as a distributor.

Q: In 1961 Jack Brabham came to Indy with a funny little "furrin" car! During the month of May what kind of derogatory remarks did you hear that are being repeated today about the Delta Wing? I suspect finishing 9th with a smaller displacement, underpowered car changed one or two minds in Gasoline Alley.

Jack Norie, Desert Hot Springs, California

RM: From what I remember and read is that there was skepticism of this frail-looking funny car but probably more ridicule, until the Lotus invasion arrived two years later. AJ and Parnelli went kicking and screaming but finally accepted the reality. And the roadster era was fantastic but so were all those different rear-engined designs in the late '60s.

Q: Why is the Delta Wing design so tightly veiled in secrecy? Since there are only two potential replacement designs being considered (the other being Dallara), what is the imperative about keeping it such a secret? The Delta Wing concept sounds like a great idea which would make American racing unique, relevant, and exciting. By releasing drawings, at least fans could have some potential influence regarding its future. These cars should be architected, engineered and produced in the USA. The proposed new engine formula sounds great and would attract suppliers, establish a 5 year plan transitioning to a Diesel (like the Audi R-15’s). Allow any engine manufacturer an engine based on the proposed 4-Cylinder world racing engine, however require it to be produced in America. (enormous shipping & costs savings).

Mo Ahten

RM: I suppose because the owners didn't want to say much until they had a full-scale model and a proper press conference. Designer Ben Bowlby says the Delta Wing will be introduced to the public on Feb. 10 at the Chicago Auto Show at 12:15 p.m.

Q: I continue to be impressed with how Sarah Fisher is growing her Indycar operation, slow and steady growth, I think with a little luck by the time the new cars roll out in 2012/13 and the field is leveled (at least in the short term) SFR may be able to pull out a podium finish on either an oval (with her) or even a road course with Jay Howard. Sarah is not a trust fund baby nor a Danica type of media phenom, but through hard work, tremendous personal risk taking and a really good nose for PR she is on the path to a long career as a driver/owner. My question to you is why don't we see more drivers doing this? In particular with the Buddy Rice's, PT's etc... roaming about the paddock wouldn't their time be better spent pursuing this path? Tags is doing it as well (although I am concerned he may be biting off more then they can chew in their first year, Indy and road courses may have been more prudent for the first year but time will tell). I guess I am tired of all the grousing about how good drivers can't get rides..... why not follow Sarah's path and control your own destiny? What am I missing?

Chris, Colorado Springs

RM: There's no denying that Sarah's program is a nice template for the smaller teams and her PR man, Klint Briney, has done an excellent job as well as her marketing staff (if she has one). But Sarah has always been good with sponsors and media and she's made some good allies through the years. But she knows the only way she can race is to have her own team (or bring a bunch of money to somebody). Paul Tracy and Buddy Rice are proven winners, why should they have to go out and find money? They've earned the right to be hired guns but, sadly, in this economy and the ridiculous budgets required to be competitive in IndyCar, they're reduced to part-timers or spectators. That's why racing isn't really a sport because talented veterans are rewarded in baseball, basketball and football. Even NASCAR.

Q: Can you please remind all the people bashing the Delta Wing car for its reduced power and dramatic design changes of two key points.? First, yes, the Delta Wing has much less power, but remember, the key is power to weight ratio. The current Indycar is about 1,600 lbs. (depending on oval or road configuration) with 650 hp. That puts it power to weight ratio at 0.406. The Delta Wing is rumored to have 325 hp and be around 1000 lbs., putting its power to weight ratio at 0.325. This is not as much less as the difference between 650 and 325 would seem. Also, a car without a rear wing will be harder to drive thanks to less down force. And harder to drive does not need as much power, at least when not on dirt. Do I want to see this increased, absolutely, but this is just a starting point. If it can run the speeds they are talking about, then it is not so big of a deal. Compare this to a motorcycle. A 600 cc off the shelf street bike can be rather tough to get around a track fast, and can be a beautiful thing to watch. My bike has 94 hp and weighs 375 lbs putting its power to weight at 0.251. This is all stock and I can do 0-60 in under 4.0 seconds. So not slow at all and tough to race. Second, how many of the people complaining about the radical design are the same people who reminisce about the good old days at Indy. Didn't the good old days involve a lot of innovation, something that we regularly say is needed in Indycar? It is this innovation that will attract the public's attention and, importantly, manufacturers attention. Follow me on this, manufacturers get interested, bring money to develop something new, this bring more money to current teams and possibly more teams, this allows teams to hire better drivers than being forced to hire the person who brings the most money to the table (think Milka Duno versus Paul Tracy or Buddy Rice here), and there we have it, a series that has some strength to it. Isn't that what we all want. Radical moves get attention, and any attention Indycar can get right now is good. This radical move is exactly what is needed to save the sport we love. We cannot be stuck in the past, we must deal with what we have now and find a way to make it strong. I know nothing of the Delta Wing other than what you have reported. But, I know that it is the dramatic change that we need to move forward in a positive direction.

Kevin, Boise, ID

RM: No Kevin, I'll let you remind them but you raise the same points the owners have with this project. IndyCar needs to get people's attention, make new fans, get more manufacturers interested and greatly reduce the costs. If only two of these things are accomplished through the Delta Wing, it's still better than status quo or the IRL's current malaise in management.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Robin Miller

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