CART driver Richie Hearn to attempt Indy 500

[indyracefan]

Richie Hearn, CART driver currently without a ride, will attempt to qualify and run in the 84th running of the Indianapolis 500 driving for Pagan Racing in a Dallara/Olds. He was on the sidelines at Long Beach and also has been spotted at some NASCAR races since being replaced by Norberto Fontana in John Della Penna's Reynard-Toyota.

[Crash Test]

Does anyone think he will ever make it back into Cart?

[craigmanning]

...a little contradictory isn't it? Poor Ritchie wants out of CART on safety grounds. Recently married, and as Liz points out perhaps suffering survivor's guilt from Fontana last year, he turns to NASCAR for a safer ride and winds up at Indy in an IRL car, perhaps the unsafest situation of all. Good luck to him, he's a good guy...

[Rachel]

What are the chances that the new sponsor Della Penna found will go to funding a second car for Hearn to drive in CART?

[indyracefan]

>>"Poor Ritchie wants out of CART on safety grounds. Recently married, and as Liz points out perhaps suffering survivor's guilt from Fontana last year, he turns to NASCAR for a safer ride and winds up at Indy in an IRL car, perhaps the unsafest situation of all."<<

Actually, an IRL tub is safer than a CART tub.

[papisfan]

Hearn said that even if Dellapenna gets money for a second car he won't be back. Personally I think Hearn was just a little bit out of his league in CART.

[Lizzerd]

I always admired Richie. Grew up in a racing family (if only my father had the same passion as his...) He rode in a racecar before he was born, in his pregnant mother's womb. Unfortunately, I have to agree with papisfan (BTW, I'm one too). There is a book called Peter Principal, or somthing like that, and he reached the level of his incompetency in CART.

[Crash Test]

"Actually, an IRL tub is safer than a CART tub."
-Please don't start us on this one again...

And a bath tub is safer than the lot of them...unless you drown....

[indyracefan]

for an all-oval series, with each race achieving & attaining speeds at or over 200mph, not to mention the fact that 27-32 other similarily matched machines are racing in front, beside & behind you.....you are going to 'have' to have a safer chassis, not to mention the fact that there will be more 'incidents' & yellow flags. So with that I stand by my post.....IRL tubs are actually safer than CART tubs,.....or more correctly, chassis.

[Green_man4421]

No Hearn is right to leave all the drives should strike or something for safty reasons. In protest to their treatment.

[mapguy]

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Trebuchet MS, Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by indyracefan:
Actually, an IRL tub is safer than a CART tub. <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

I think that there are a few drivers that can say otherwise after Orlando.

[Lizzerd]

Brett,
Say what? Punctuation works. Use it.

[craigmanning]

...thank you mapguy!...tub for tub I couldn't say which can stand more impact, but in complete race car configuration I think from observation, specifically at Orlando you can see that the IRL car is stiffer and therefore more dangerous than the CART car, especially in a rear end first crash...so indyracefan, I couldn't disagree with you more. Perhaps you could tell me why you feel the IRL car is safer and show me where I'm misinformed. thanks...

[This message has been edited by craig (edited 27 April 2000).]

[indyracefan]

Although after looking at Orlando's events it doesn't appear so, remember all 3 'serious' incidents were also with a '99 chassis. Not that this should change any bearing on this discussion, but the 'new' chassis are significantly better than the '99's. I( don't have 'exact' figuires, so bear with me....for one, the IRL chassis is some 3-4 inches wider than the CART chassis almost all of which is for re-inforcement & padding. The radiator side-pods are also significantly taller than the CART chassis(which one of the 'plus' bi-products of this is drag), which it's purpose is for driver protection from side-impacts. The roll-bar is built-in in the IRL chassis along with the air-intake,.....this is also taller than the CART roll-bar, thus allowing more room between the driver's head & the track surface should the car become inverted. The rear accenuator(sp?)....which is 'supposedly' designed for rear-end impacts....a good arguement here as it 'appears' the '99 chassis aren't living up to that....too stiff, I haven't heard what the verdict is with the new chassis.

[craigmanning]

...indyracefan, A good post, thanks for responding...