What's your opinion of......

[Rachel]

CART recently announced that crewmembers won't be allowed in victory circle for the celebrations. Supposedly it is too much of a hassle for the press (hey, isn't that the point?). I know this has angered many crew members, and rightly so. To put in all those hard hours, and not be able to share the thrill of victory? That's a true shame.
Personally, I think this new regulation takes the fun out of things....watching Max go up to podium at Homestead was boring. No one was there giving him a high-five or a hug during the post-race interview.
I hope CART will be persuaded to change this rule in the near future...as someone recently pointed out, CART's victory lane celebrations should look like NASCAR, not F1.

[bobdrummond]

That bites! Although the race on Sunday proved how spectacular Champ Cars can be, let us not forget that in Team Kool Green and particularly Target Chip Ganassi we have teams which have undoubtedly won races for their drivers in the past couple of years. They deserve a lot of glory.
Furthermore, the noise and infectious excitement of a winning driver being surrounded by his delirious crew is a damn site better than the likes of Gary Gerald, who in Homestead managed to wipe the happy smile off Max Papis' face on the podium by an inappropriate question regarding Greg Moore.
Drop it CART and concentrate on selling the series!

[Liz]

Nobody comes to a race to see the Press.

Every time I think CART has hit bottom, they seem to slide a bit farther down.

But then, the new marketing director said that once Zanardi was so successful on the track, "Everyone forgot he was Italian." (Back page of "On Track" magazine last month).

So what can you expect?

[Lizzerd]

I thought the stick-the-mic-in-your-face tactics on the podium were a bit hokey too. I love the shots of the crew, all around the car as it pulls into victory lane, doing high fives with the winner. Ok fine, stick a mic in his face after that and get a few words, along with the podium party. If CART could get a 2 1/2 hour time slot for a 2 hour race, it could be done. I, for one would watch the post-race celebration and interviews as closely as a race, ala NASCAR and F1. The question is, would ABC/ESPN be willing or able to extend the telecast to carry it? Doing so might just keep a few casual fans tuned in. I know that this hard-core fan would want all he could get with a post-race show.

[jms]

That rule is so bad, you'd think it was one of the FIAs' inspirations. Those guys and women give so much during the season, I can't believe that there is something to prevent them from shareing in the glory too.

[floid2000]

Thats the dumbest rule i've ever heard.

[Nuvolari]

While it's true that "nobody comes to a race to see the press," media coverage is as important to CART as any other sport. Having said that, I think the post-race crush issue could have been handled differently.

Why not gather the teams and put out the word that in victory lane, the crews have to make sure they don't impede the interviewers from getting to the driver quickly. Speed's of the essence since the coverage is usually so tight, there's only a minute or two to squeeze the interview in before cutting away.

I love the podium ceremonies in F1 . . . but I think CART's better served by staying up close and personal.

[Liz]

Well how about pilotes who need their crews for some reason (like maybe they are totalled out and can't move, or like Helio in the last race they are overwrought)? Is it fair to leave them out there with a bunch of losers asking them "How do you feel?" and other questions of overriding importance when maybe all they feel like is throwing up?

I have never heard the Press ask a reasonable question after any sporting event. If we have to listen to them whitter on and on, shouldn't they be required to ask something we really want to know?

[Nuvolari]

Of course not every reporter is a "loser." Some are better at their profession than others. It's worth remembering that were it not for them, we wouldn't have much racing news, would we?

Naturally, if a driver needs assistance, that should be the first priority. But it's a symbiotic relationship. It needs to work for both sides.

[Jared]

Amen, that is the most idiotic rule I have ever seen. The celebrations between driver and crew are one of the things that makes racing fun to watch, at least for me.

This is another thing that CART is doing that makes me wonder if they are running the series for the few (i.e. the press, the anti-American-drivers crowd, the anti-oval crowd, etc.) and trying to shut everyone else out. It's almost like they are in a little club, racing for themselves.

[Neil C]

I wouldnt go that far, Jared. CART still provides much better access for the fans than F1. Much like F1 was before 1980.

[mayhemotorsports]

The goal is to promote racing - racing is not a individual sport but a team sport - the goal of the media is to sell time - the more excited we see the winners circle - the more the media can sell time/stories. Maybe if we just get more folks in the seats - then CART will not have to look for ways to make the media happy - just the fans!

[This message has been edited by mayhemotorsports (edited 18 April 2000).]

[craigmanning]

This is a letter written by a CART crewmember to Andrew Craig,
CEO of CART, as it appeared in National Speed Sport News.
Mr. Andrew Craig,
I was disappointed to hear of CART's decision to ban all crewmembers from victory lane in Miami and all subsequent races. The lads work very hard, putting in long hours, which make for long days and nights that translate into a long season sacrificing valuable time with their families.
Strapping your man in on the grid before sending him into battle and then giving him the support of pit stops and radio communication is all we can do for him before welcoming him back into our midst as a returning member. This is when the emotions of a long dedicated effort are released and rewarded - the driver wants to see us, we want to see the driver, and the car wants our attention. It's not about a detached CART official undoing his helmet and leading him to the podium; it's about the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat, it's about coming together after battle. In this case, it's about putting CART officials on television as opposed to sponsor-laden fire suits.
Look at how sterile F-1 looks and how much fun NASCAR makes it for the "family" of team members. It's about the fans and families seeing the results of the sacrifices made to get to that podium.
I saw our taped race on TV in Brazil and England and it left me flat at the end when Max came in to celebrate his first win "O Solo Mio," how anti-climactic! I feel sorry for Max because he didn't get to experience the ultimate fellowship and camaraderie that we had with Christian last year at Elkhart Lake.
Thank God for Adrian in Houston, and Juan Montoya in Miami - all their fellow coutrymen coming out to support their hero; if it weren't for the Colombian community, Homestead would have been empty. Your people, CART, need to worry about putting more vertical smiles in the empty seats, not fewer crewmembers in victory lane.
Thanks for your time; must go back to work and do our part to help Christian reach victory lane - all by himself maybe!
Cheers,
Ken Szymanski, Tireman, No. 11 car

[Liz]

Thanks for that Craig, that says it all.

Now the rest of us need to write in and say the same thing.

Seems to me that if you want more people to watch, the way to get them watching is not to make it more boring. But of course if you cut out all the celebrating, then you can cram the race into 2 hours and it's cheaper to buy the TV time - and you can run 400 more advertisements in the time you used to show the pilotes and their crews celebrating victory. And life is about Buying Things, isn't it? *sigh*

Nuvolare, you are right, some of the journalists are prime. But not the ones with the microphones.

[Nuvolari]

I would disagree, Liz, that there are no broadcast journalists who do good work.

It's worth remembering that those guys are under a kind of pressure their print colleagues don't face -- time. The pit reporters, especially the one who do the post-race interview, must harness the moment and make sure it gets on the air before the coverage wraps. Unfortunately, in too many instances, there is only a minute or two left before the rush off the air. That's not the reporters's fault.

Do reporters always ask great questions, the ones we want asked? No. But they hit more often than they miss. The CART coverage I watch features Gary Gerrold and Jan Beekhuis. Gerrold's a reporter . . . Beekhuis is a driver thrust into the role of journalist. I find he comes up short, often asking a more technical question that may miss an essential emotional element of the moment. But he's learning.

In an earlier post, Gerrold was faulted for asking Max an "inappropriate" question on the podium about Greg Moore.

I couldn't disagree more.

Greg's memory was hanging heavy over the entire race (at least for me), and not to have asked one of his closest friends what that meant in his moment of victory would have missed a key element of the story.

As for the new rule . . . it's wrong, and CART ought to take steps to modify it.


[This message has been edited by Nuvolari (edited 19 April 2000).]

[AndrettiRULES]

I personally thought the question regarding Greg Moore was ill-timed.

It took away all of the emotion and excitement of Max's first victory....he was left utterly silenced and sober. Something that shouldn't happen in my opinion.

[Liz]

The Greg Moore question struck me exactly the same way that I am struck by the Eyewitless News Team's questioning of the distraught mother who has just watched her child run over by a train, "Mrs. Jones, how does it feel to know your only son is dead?"

Not to mention his colleague shoving the mike under the train to get the dying child's last words.

In other words, there are times when a journalist's own self-centered desire to boost his career should take a deep breath and seek a more appropriate time to slap someone in the face with a question like that.

[bluefeather]

My emotions are gradually turning to stone with sanctioning bodies and their assinine rules. How many reporters need to get an interview of the winner before the time expires? If only ABC or ESPN is carrying the race, they only need 1 person interviewing the leader. If you want to talk to the top 3 finishers, that's only 3 people. If victory lane can't support the crew and 3 network talkingheads, then expand the area!
I'm reminded of the news reporter that stands out in the wind to give updates of hurricane or tropical storms. They're focused on becoming a part of the story.
If the interview is for the victor, then the reporter needs to wade in the crowd of team members and shove and keep it real.
If they are beyond that, then find a place in victory circle before the car arrives. Once the driver gets there and parks on the "marked" spot, the networks' assigned personnel can go to work. With the crew giving the driver high fives or bunny ears.

[Unknown Soldier]

Brain Cramp with this rule. First thing most drivers say after a victory is to thank their crew for great pit work.

[papisfan]

Andrew Craig really didn't have a big say in it. The rule was the idea of CART's new marketing guy Pat Leahy. He figures new fans should get to see the driver and not the crew in victory lane for TV reasons. My problem with this thinking is no one watches CART races. Long Beach got beat by a damn IROC race in the ratings.

[Nuvolari]

If only Liz were in pit lane AND the broadcast booth . . . all would be right with racing journalism.

It's a pity.