Dale Coyne Racing pays tribute to the Monteverdi/Onyx F1 team

[corkholio]

From Mid-Ohio First Practice

3 min
Rhode Island native Geoff Boss has an unusual problem that will have to be fixed; 5th gear is lower than 4th gear. The gears have been installed in the wrong spot.

[BootsOntheSide]

LOL that shows that it's not always the drivers at faultwith this team. The whole thing still has 'cowboy' written all over it.

[macdaddy]

Unbelievable. Coyne should just relax, go grab a beer, and then come back and start firing people.

[gttouring]

what? that is not acceptable iwould not think so.
Stil the coyne drivers did stink but the mechanics too?
oh man why is he in this game?

[Liz]

Because he loves racing? (Hey, what a novel idea!)

[gttouring]

i mean, wiseacre, that why would you keep up with such inept team members and a lousy team- start over...
and move from Illinois-i have been to Rt66 speedway in joliet and it is in the styx, not a little like most tracks but really desolate

[corkholio]

Turn 11 Gravel Trap count so far: 3 super nice studs, 1 mean ugly American, and a Pupo, all in Practice 2.

[Jay]

do you ever have anything nice to say?

My reaction to all this is a big: so what? coyne and his pay drivers are providing the 18th and 19th cars on the grid. If they suck, so what... They're not the first ones in the sport to.

[Omega99]

I really doubt anyone would do well in one of the Coyne cars. And Salles finished in the points at RA. True, it did take the retirement of a handful of drivers, but he finished ahead of people still out on the track. And at least we have a team to laugh at. It's the Minardi of CART.

[macdaddy]

Hey, I'll be the first person to stand up and support Dale Coyne. He's one of my favourite owners. But for his mechanics to botch the gearbox like that is just plain embarassing. Heads should roll, people should be fired. I'm sure that competent engineering and mechanical staff can't be that hard to find.

[macdaddy]

In fact, Dale oughta pick up David Watson, recently "let go" from Fernandez Racing.

[evo]

Geoff Boss was having an outstanding run at Road America until Ryan ran him off the road. He was 8th at the time.

[corkholio]

Originally posted by Jay
do you ever have anything nice to say?

*Yawn*

Originally posted by Jay
My reaction to all this is a big: so what? coyne and his pay drivers are providing the 18th and 19th cars on the grid. If they suck, so what... They're not the first ones in the sport to.

Race contract only stipulates there to be 18 cars. If Coyne's bunch cannot competently put together a single car, why should he get any ESP money to run two cars?

[Phoenix1]

Originally posted by Omega99
I really doubt anyone would do well in one of the Coyne cars. And Salles finished in the points at RA. True, it did take the retirement of a handful of drivers, but he finished ahead of people still out on the track. And at least we have a team to laugh at. It's the Minardi of CART.

Looking at there colour and current form and lack of money and thus sponsership on the cars I'd like to amend your quote to Jordan not Minardi :-S

[Liz]

If I had the money I'd give it to Dale Coyne to improve his team. I like a man who keeps right on trying to make bricks without straw, especially since he's going out and gathering up all the straw the other guys throw away.

I'm sure he knows what he ought to do. Most of us do. "If sponsors can be found" we are all geniuses.

[BootsOntheSide]

Corkholio, Why are you yawning when it's a fair point? Most of your posts, including ones in the middle of otheriwse positive, cheerful posts, seem to criticise someone. Some of the criticisms are valid, for sure, but, can you please tell me which moments in CART history you DID like? Great races, great victories, great moves, that kind of thing?

I'd rahter se Dale concentrate on one car though. Maybe then he could hire a team of efficient mechancias and put a credible entry togeth, rather than a team which feels pleased when it finsihes up 17th and 19th on a 19-car grid

[corkholio]

Let's see...Moore's first win...Zanardi's comeback drive at Cleveland...Portland 97...de Ferran's pass at Rockingham...Zanardi at Lausitz this year, but start a nostalgia thread or something if you want me to post about that. I don't know cheerful I am supposed to be when a team from a top racing series can't even install the gears correctly.

[JohnSSC]

Well being there because you "love it" means at least respecting it enought to do it right. Limited budget - fine. At least be professional about it and send the cars out in the best possible condition.

So making bricks without straw is to be rewarded? Aren't we supposed to learn as we go? Serves him right I say for engaging ugly American pay drivers instead of someone from Moose Jaw or S. America.

[Omega99]

And the biggest problem with the gears being mismatched is they probably significantly shortened the life of that engine... Watch for smoke.

[Tailwind]

Serves him right I say for engaging ugly American pay drivers instead of someone from Moose Jaw or S. America.

What?

[sgw2]

Originally posted by BootsOntheSide
LOL that shows that it's not always the drivers at faultwith this team. The whole thing still has 'cowboy' written all over it.

Boots,

"Cowboy" ??? :confused:

I think something got lost in the translation from British to American there. We would probably say "clown" or some other pejorative, but definitely not something with positive connotations like cowboy.

In racing the closest I can think of is when Villenueve made that outside pass on a high speed corner in his Championship run or that manuever Hakkinen did when passing Schumacher and a lapped car to take the lead a couple years back. That was cowboy!

[StuiE]

Originally posted by macdaddy
Hey, I'll be the first person to stand up and support Dale Coyne. He's one of my favourite owners. But for his mechanics to botch the gearbox like that is just plain embarassing. Heads should roll, people should be fired. I'm sure that competent engineering and mechanical staff can't be that hard to find.

I have always wondered this, how come Coyne did so well last year in the 2 races with Darren Manning and that German guy? was it the drivers, or did they bring more money that this years drivers or something??

[corkholio]

Coyne had half-decent funding for Rockingham last year, he basically hired the ex-Sigma crew (one of the best crews out there working with a limited budget), most of whom are now at Rocketsports, and also help from Manning's team RML from ASCAR, so essentially he had two very professional squads dealing with his cars for that race. I am not sure about Mexico City but I am pretty sure he had the ex-Sigma crew with him for that race too. That's besides the fact that Manning and Lotterer are far more talented and have actually raced in a formula car the past few years.

Lack of money excuses bad reliability because the are cutting corners and reusing parts past their used by date, but it does not excuse lack of professionalism like installing the wrong gears.

[Liz]

Yes, he should do the best he can with the money he has. But everyone makes mistakes. My webmaster who is very professional usually, deleted the entire Vancouver race page last weekend when he was making changes. That doesn't mean he's an idiot. It means he made a mistake. But if he kept on making it, then he'd be an idiot. Has Coyne continued to make this mistake?

P.S. Is Gualter Salles American? I always thought he was Brazilian.

[JohnSSC]

G. Boss is American.
Mea culpa, mea culpa, mea maxima culpa! G. Salles is not from 'da Bronx actually but he is a real live S. American Race Car Driver. So sorry I slipped and typed pay driverS instead of pay drivER.

But soon (if the current administration has it's way) all that will be changing (insert sinister laugh here)...