Another Hit -- Report Cotman's Out

[indycool]

Mark C.'s site has a two-paragraph statement that Tony Cotman is out as the man in charge and has resigned. That can't be a good thing.

[mountainstar]

He is out and stays onboard until a replacement is found.

[luke]

Originally Posted by indycool

That can't be a good thing.

Oh really?

[indycool]

Cotman was a respected guy in the paddock because of his background with these types of cars and the people. He was just promoted there. Something strange had to happen.

[mountainstar]

Originally Posted by indycool

Cotman was a respected guy in the paddock because of his background with these types of cars and the people. He was just promoted there. Something strange had to happen.

Not really. He just didn't want the job.

[JohnSSC]

Funny that.

Was he not just designated a representative on the FIA's Safety Committee or some such? So, we are to believe that "He just didn't want the job."?

Why would he accept the FIA slot, put all of the time he did in improving CC's race operations, speak publicly (and well) about the goals and how he wants to achieve them if just wasn't all that interested.

Top level people just don't up and leave because they "just don't want the job." It could be for family reasons for all I know but there has to be more to it than this.

[stradlin21]

yep, agree with your post John

things don't seem to be adding up

[indycool]

Robin Miller's take. WARNING: It's pretty rough.

http://www.speedtv.com/commentary/42589/

[madman16]

I don't know too much into the background of this situation and i know the series is struggling, but surely all of the management instability over the last 5 years or so can't be helping.

IMO the panoz (seems to be a reasonably good car) is about the only thing they got right lately

[johntt]

Originally Posted by indycool

Robin Miller's take. WARNING: It's pretty rough.

http://www.speedtv.com/commentary/42589/

Is the IRL some super series with big benefits, strong leadership and a bright future? Only when compared to Champ Car.

The last line of that article pretty much sums up the sorry situation that American open wheel racing is in. When Champ Car finally dies i expect that its teams and tracks will go over to IRL, then we may have something like the old Indycar series we used to have, at least in terms of tracks.

[Alex K]

Well Champ Car needs to die, hopefully it is its last season, and IRL really needs races in Canada and Mexico and that Road America and Long Beach .

[madman16]

I used to care who was going to win the war between these two factions but now i really couldn't give a you know what. I'm not a fan of Tony George for what he's done in the past but the two really need to get together. Now the IRL has road coarses again, if they both merged back together they would have the variety of disciplines which was once the strength of CART.

If it ever happened i would prefer the panoz as i beleive it's a better looking car.

To sum up, i don't really care as long as they keep coming to the Gold Coast

[luke]

Originally Posted by Alex K

Well Champ Car needs to die, hopefully it is its last season, and IRL really needs races in Canada and Mexico and that Road America and Long Beach .

Go take your hatred somewhere else. just stay at home at tf

[Olive]

That's not hatred.

They're never going to agree a merger, so it will take the death of one series to avoid them both going down the pan.

[JohnSSC]

It is not about hatred. It is about reality. Heck, I thought Cotman was doing a great job and was really adding something to CC. If even 1/3 of what Miller is saying is true, then things are really deteriorating in the CC camp.

The folks that run CIRCL - and I do mean from each series - need to make some hard decisions. And they need to make them very quickly.

[JohnSSC]

Miller's analogy re: the Titanic reminds me of a joke we used to tell about a company I worked at - as it would apply to CC, feel free to share:

Q: "What's the difference between ChampCar and the Titanic?"

A: "The Titanic had a band."

[blueflagger]

Uh oh, I just heard Tony Cotman has resigned. This does not bode well for ChampCar.

[blueflagger]

Oops, the info is already out there and I didn't see it. Could you please remove/or merge this with the other thread?

[Dutton]

It is either merge, one die, or both die.

The first seems nigh on 100% certain to not happen, the second highly probable in the shorter-term, with the latter's probability in the longer-term affected by the first two. It seems there is virtually unanimous fan support for a merger. Given this, we can most probably rule it out ever happening. This leaves us with the options of either both stepping off the cliff or just one of them. I would imagine that virtually all of us would prefer one over none.

It would appear clear it is CC which is going to shuffle off first. I have always had more interest in CART/CC, but have never had anything against IRL (it is motorsport, I cannot help but watch it and enjoy it). However, the IRL would appear to be performing a reasonable bit better (although still poorly). Whilst it pains my heart to see CC go, it would appear the only remaining logical option for the overall good of OW in NAm. Of course, this assumes that those who follow CC would do so the IRL following the death of CC. If all that happens is CC-watchers disappear, with no shift to the IRL, then it would be an utterly pointless exercise. Perhaps those who watch CC that would watch IRL after CC's demise are already watching both?

I guess, ultimately, given it is generally accepted that running two series will, as things stand, if one does not drop soon enough, lead to the inevitable downfall of both, indeed OW-at-large in NAm, if one accepts a merger will not happen, then one is left with the choice of which survival one would prefer. Of course, this is not really a choice. An individual can have a preference, which is to say IRL or CC "winning", but what occurs will occur irrespective of what one may prefer.

Ideally, I would rather neither had to die, and, ultimately, if I had to choose, my heart would prefer CC over IRL, but my choice, given present realities, would have to be CC death. It would be for the overall good.

The overall good. Something we should all bear in mind.

[Knowlesy]

My thoughts exactly.

Whilst one series is on the very verge of death and another is relatively stable (whilst still NOT being particularly strong) it is best for the weaker to slide away. This would give the strongest possible chance for the stronger to succeed on its own (a slim chance), hopefully hoovering up the best parts of the dead series on its way.

As it stands now, it would be beneficial if Champcar went away. It is clear it is not going to recover now and is, quite frankly, getting a bit embarrassing. I hate reading about people laughing at this once great (greatest by far actually) racing series as it staggers from one unmitigated disaster to another with less than the bare minimum of good news and developments.

It is a pity and I only wish I could turn back the clock to better days.

[luke]

Knowles and Dutton I agree fully. CC used to be my favourite series. I remember being excited a week before each race, watching every session live on race director, getting up late in the night to watch the races, clicking on the official site every day as it was my home page. getting the autocourse yearbooks each year, collecting the diecast and cool CART/CC memrobilia..CC was my favourite series. How hard things have fallen over the past 12 months is not nice. Yes things are bad. But I don't think things were ever this bad in 2004. And things were rough in that year. BUT CART was back, well in a new form anyway and we all expected to give it time, but it was still CC and we loved it. But now there doesn't seem to be any optimism. I will still follow CC and watch the races, I JUST WANT GOOD NEWS.

[Knowlesy]

It seems amazing that we complained in 2004 and 2006 (2005 was a positive year I felt). What I'd give to be in the same position of either of those seasons!

We've gone from being slowly drip fed a mixture of bad news and good news to, all of a sudden, watching the thing collapse like the proverbial house of cards.

[luke]

Yeah. Looking back as we all remember 2004 and 2006 had very low points and yeah 2005 was a positive year. 2005 there seemed to be quite a lot of gains, yet what seems to be the momentum that was gained was lost a little in 2006 and now totally gone in 2007.
The racing was good in 2007 quite a few times, but just the DP 01, no ovals, Bourdais domination again and low grids and more canceled races there isn't hope for the future. I want to see Champ Car pick up but things don't look good. But that is how it is. The new TV schedule will not help at all. But we'll see what happens, hopefully things are ok. but without KK, there would be no CC. I hope he sees light at the end of the rollercoaster dark tunnel. Hope there is a Toyota Long Beach Champ Car Grand Prix.

[D.R.T.]

Originally Posted by luke

But we'll see what happens, hopefully things are ok. but without KK, there would be no CC. I hope he sees light at the end of the rollercoaster dark tunnel. Hope there is a Toyota Long Beach Champ Car Grand Prix.

Thats it. Hope for things to get better, whats the alternative. Those cars rolling out at LB cant come soon enough.

[sr230772]

1 wanna see 18cars (like to see more not gonna happen)no cancelled races