A look into the future?

camcartfan · 18 Dec 2002, 18:52 (Ref:452845)

Check out the article titled "A look into the future?" and written by Robin Miller on www.cart.com. He is talking teams, drivers and numbers. Very interesting.

Ben 93 325is · 18 Dec 2002, 18:56 (Ref:452848)

http://cart.com/News/Article.asp?ID=5326

Here's the direct link...some great news!!

camcartfan · 18 Dec 2002, 19:33 (Ref:452867)

Glad to see Jimmy Vasser and Ryan Hunter Reay get rides. I will be a Johannsen fan now because Stefan is making his team All American. Alex Tagliani is guaranteed to get a ride somewhere because he will be free to whoever picks him up. Players is paying his salary. It would be great to see Roberto Moreno and Memo Gidley (sorry Liz) back as well. Now someone needs to call Alex Barron and give him a ride!

The Snout · 18 Dec 2002, 20:39 (Ref:452905)

Now someone needs to call Alex Barron and give him a ride!

Be great wouldn't it.

And Newman-Haas are a sure thing for 2 cars, been some debate about that but it looks as good as done just got to pick the driver.

BootsOntheSide · 18 Dec 2002, 21:09 (Ref:452925)

Some encouraging rumours there, but we need all or most of these to come to fruition, and perhaps more, to get that magic 18.

f1manoz · 18 Dec 2002, 23:46 (Ref:453047)

Good article, even if some of them are only rumours, but it's good to stay positive. I hope to see most of those deals come through so we can have up to 22 cars next season.

Crash Test · 19 Dec 2002, 01:11 (Ref:453105)

Ok, up to 15, only 3 more to go without breaking the bank! Woo hoo!

brightline · 19 Dec 2002, 04:33 (Ref:453183)

On another good note I heard radio ads for the St. Pete race this past weekend. I also got to hear the announcer say Bridgestone presents the ChampCar World Series Powered by Ford Grand Prix of St. Petersburg in I believe one breath. Geez, that was hard to type much less say.

indycool · 19 Dec 2002, 10:00 (Ref:453274)

Not to D&G, but all isn't good at the CART office. They just laid off 20 people in a holiday pink-slip massacre and hired a COO that comes to CART from Burson-Marsteller in Korea. Kinda sad.

Liz · 19 Dec 2002, 11:57 (Ref:453347)

Judging by some of the people I have dealt with in that office, I'd say there are at least 20 of them who NEEDED to be laid off.

Are you familiar with Burson-Marsteller? I am. They know their stuff. And they won't be trying to turn CART into NASCAR the way that guy Heizler hired intended during the week he actually worked in "promotions".

indycool · 19 Dec 2002, 12:53 (Ref:453378)

Yes, I'm familiar with Burson-Marsteller...it'a huge worldwide PR/advertising firm. They're just hiring the guy away from the firm, though.

New guy is supposed to be a hotshoe Bernie buddy. The question I have for that is: If he's a hotshoe Bernie buddy, what's he doing with Burson-Marsteller in Korea, not exactly a bastion of auto racing activity?

I agree on the CART office, too, Liz, but I expect they "gotchaed" the wrong ones and didn't "gotcha" the right ones.

f1manoz · 19 Dec 2002, 13:26 (Ref:453423)

I don't take the 20 employees laid off as a bad sign. Perhaps it's 'streamlining' the office!

But frankly there have been lay-offs in every motorsport except F1, but don't expect them to last too much longer before they start laying off employees.

The economic slump is hitting all sports at the moment, not just CART. So perhaps some people should put away their knives...

Certain people are saying 'Pook is promising us X amount of cars yet nothing has been announced.' What people should remember is that 5 years ago there WAS money around, as the USA was in an economic boom. Now the market is in a slump, and every sport is being hit by it so there isn't heaps of money to be thrown around.

f1manoz · 19 Dec 2002, 13:29 (Ref:453426)

The above post was written while drunk so excuse me if it doesn't make much sense.

racerkeke · 19 Dec 2002, 15:59 (Ref:453547)

Where were the layoffs generally? Or were they all over the organization? Just wondering about the people who actually go to the races versus the ones in the office we never see...

keke

Liz · 19 Dec 2002, 16:33 (Ref:453575)

Did they give NATE a pink slip?

indycool · 19 Dec 2002, 17:23 (Ref:453603)

I don't know...I'm hearing bits and pieces that it's both at-track permanent staff and some of the TV department.

F1manoz, it makes sense and you make some good points about the economy. I just think it's pretty cold for those employees (if, indeed, there are some) who uprooted their families in Michigan to move to Indy believing in this thing and got pink-slipped a few months later.

Tiresmoke · 19 Dec 2002, 17:48 (Ref:453622)

this doesn't come from what i consider a credible source, but i was told the staff that was laid off was being placed by CART. perhaps within the teams Pook is supporting via ESP and whatnot. i don't buy into it. i think the layoffs are stupid but are probably justified with the new direction Pook is taking the company.

indycool · 19 Dec 2002, 19:10 (Ref:453663)

Tiresmoke, I agree and don't buy it, either. That's a backpedaling position about placement trying to ease the public perception of it. Also think you're right about the layoffs being justified, but think it's probably more out of economic reality if they broomed 20 at once than Pook's new direction. Some of it may be because the new COO wants some of his own people around, too.

The Snout · 19 Dec 2002, 20:31 (Ref:453731)

I remember Robin Miller saying earlier this year that in his opinion Cart had people in the front office that needed to be booted, ar that's right, I think in that article where he laid out what he'd do to save Cart. With the hiring of Bernie's old pal just sounds like a reshuffle, for a company in transition not unexpected.

Bizzo5000 · 20 Dec 2002, 14:52 (Ref:454265)

Better then the thousands US Air and United laid off. Dumping only a couple, while still a bad sign, dosn't mean the end.

Bizzo5000 · 20 Dec 2002, 14:54 (Ref:454266)

Or did they just leave for the IRL because it's a 'business decision"? Sorry, couldn't resist.

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