CCWS Driver Revelations: "American media is Trying To Kill CART!"

Liz · 26 Jul 2003, 00:25 (Ref:671557)

Our associate at www.rfmsports.com has interviewed five drivers today. Every single one of them has volunteered the thought that the American media is trying to kill CART and they don't understand why.

This statement was not solicited in any way.

Every one of these drivers said that they have seen huge crowds of enthusiastic fans everywhere they go, and yet the American media continues to scream that CART is dying.

If this had been only one driver, or two, I would have thought it was just personal opinion. But when 100% of those drivers have that idea, you have to pay attention.

Comments?

Jay · 26 Jul 2003, 00:36 (Ref:671563)

I don't live in the states, so it's hard to say. It seems to depend on where the media is as well... I've seen some pretty positive articles about Cart on news sites in Long Beach, Portland, Miami, St. Petes, Cleveland....coincidence? No...

This is where the quote comes from: Tiago Monteiro "...the American media seems to want to kill CART with their rumors; most of the journalists don’t help that in America. From the inside, it’s so not true. CART is getting better and better."

From my experience on these boards and reading, that's definately true! The people that are enthusiastic about Cart's death are those that have absolutely no involvement in the series, no contact at all with anyone in the Cart community, don't go to races, and probably don't even watch the races. Everyone that I've seen, talked to and read abou that has any involvement (or press that regularily covers it) seems quite bullish on Cart right now. The finances do not look good on paper, and Cart is in a tricky spot with respect to its status as a public company - definately big hurdles that need to be sorted out, but I'm pretty sure they will be by mid-August. The product itself though, hasn't been better in years and is attracting more new attention than it has in years. While there are hurdles to overcome in the background, the series is not dieing, it's growing!

sgjb · 26 Jul 2003, 02:17 (Ref:671610)

I just got home from the qualifying here today in Vancouver and we set a Friday record with over 45,000 fans. But I must say alot of people were talking about the press release yesterday about CART not having the funds for a full year next year. I do questions carts motives in releasing information one day prior to the event. It was only last week that reports from their board meeting said that Chris Pook declared they had enough funds for 2004. I know there are disclosure laws in the U.S. that I do not know about, but it seems to me they should release these things in between events hopefully when there is a break. It may give the event a chance at focusing more on racing than this negative stuff. I attended Portland and there was alot of negative there as well. I wish it would stop but it appears CART is there own worst enemy.

Liz · 26 Jul 2003, 02:25 (Ref:671613)

I think there is a timetable involved in the SEC disclosure forms' release. The sooner they go private, the better.

Tiago's comment was the strongest and most articulate so we let that one stand. The others were somewhat edited, as we didn't want to get crossways to the other media by being too negative.

Jay · 26 Jul 2003, 02:32 (Ref:671616)

45,000 people on a Friday? Wow..that's more than Toronto had... I don't blame any of them for talking about the latest news...news is news, good or bad. It's a lot like the time last year when we were doubtful Cart would get 18 cars on the grid...lots of talk, very little action.

Omega99 · 26 Jul 2003, 04:42 (Ref:671655)

It's always great when the source of our information really has no valid information at all. CNN can over analalyse a single sentence from the White House for four hours, but if it turns out to be nothing important, they'll never mention it again, they just leave it unfinished. The rarely intrigues or entertains the way random speculation does.

Dov · 26 Jul 2003, 05:02 (Ref:671662)

Quote:

Originally posted by Jay
45,000 people on a Friday? Wow..that's more than Toronto had...

Jay, just remember one thing, that Friday in Toronto it was raining so hard, I saw animals lining up two by two!

gttouring · 26 Jul 2003, 05:20 (Ref:671666)

American media is not helping CART at all, that is true, and if they are not helping they are part of the problem.
I would like to see the drivers comments i couldn't find it on the site.
Coverage has been poor, reports have been lackluster and no help, thet all move aside for IRL and NASCAR never giving champ car its fair share of time. Speed channel doesn't report it too well either and they have the best coverage of it. Newsprint and dailies is apalling names like Unser, andretti take the cake before actual racing
this suks, are they getting a cash award for every word onn any other series.

x_dt · 26 Jul 2003, 07:11 (Ref:671689)

Many with links to CART seem confident about the future and yet in recent days all there has been is this doom and gloom triggered by a statement about CART not currently having the money to complete 2004. That is the case only if there is no buyout (a buyout seems likely) and no injection of cash.

How many potential sponsors have been put off sponsoring the series or CART teams because they've read and been put off by the negative press?

GoFaster · 26 Jul 2003, 07:38 (Ref:671697)

Media killing CART?...give me a break.$1.60 a share for MPH and falling is what's killing CART. Next week I suppose it will be global warming killing CART.
I wonder how many people that are confident in the future of the series actually have invested in it?
I think the smart guys

got out around $30.

GoFaster · 26 Jul 2003, 08:49 (Ref:671718)

Canadian math:5 OF 19 = 100%..nice try.
Was Vasser in this survey?

BootsOntheSide · 26 Jul 2003, 09:29 (Ref:671735)

They only asked five drivers, not all 19. American 'education' strikes again.

The media is giving CART a hard time. I guess it's not as saleable as NASCAR or IRL - there are less American drivers, less drivers with well-known names and personalities, all these complicated road races without enough of the big crashes Americans love, races all voer the world....

GoFaster · 26 Jul 2003, 10:30 (Ref:671763)

[QUOTE]Originally posted by BootsOntheSide
[B]They only asked five drivers, not all 19. American 'education' strikes again.
I didn't suggest that all 19 were involved.The intent of my post was to dis-associate the 74% that were not surveyed from 100% and to stop the spin.
If you care to debate on my American education vs. yours,maybe we could arrange that on another forum.

macdaddy · 26 Jul 2003, 10:40 (Ref:671771)

Oh, so that was the intent of your post.
All the while I thought you were trying to brush up on your Canadian math.

Liz · 26 Jul 2003, 11:59 (Ref:671798)

Vasser is being interviewed today, so I will let you know if he has anything to say on the subject.

100% of those interviewed is what I meant to say. Sorry if that was unclear.

indycool · 26 Jul 2003, 12:09 (Ref:671808)

Checked the link and couldn't find their comments.

billiaml · 26 Jul 2003, 12:13 (Ref:671810)

Seems like this has been happening on & off for a couple years now. Only difference is that now we're hearing it from the drivers rather than the other members of this (and other) forum.

BobbyB · 26 Jul 2003, 14:37 (Ref:671884)

Quote:

Originally posted by BootsOntheSide
races all voer the world....

And British education?

sgw2 · 27 Jul 2003, 05:49 (Ref:672319)

Tiago has it half right. His POV is similar to that North of the border. And things really do look different up there.

But I think you Canadians are finally beginning to understand that the thinking is different to the south.

In 1997 I remember watching CNN one weekend - actually my wife was watching the finacial news as she does all our stocks - and a Sports Entertainment Analyst came on to talk about racing. He made me laugh when he said that CART was in longterm trouble (it had almost $400M in sponosrship deals that yaer, ut NASCAR had finally caught up). The he went on about how the IRL was not getting much traction, and that in 10 years NASCAR would make both insignificant.

I'm not laughing now. NASCAR is really kicking butt.

Now that I look back it makes sense what he said. In the US OW has circulated around Indianapolis and the short track racing as feeders. But the feeder system is broken, and has not really found a replacement that works. In CART that Indianapolis tradition, which really is an American tradition, has been broken.

In Canada, OW has revolved around F1. CART is seen as something of an extension to that. It has found a niche. The split only made that niche fit better in Canada, removing the US Indy connection.

In the US a very pragmatic business view dominates. CART is widely viewed as very poorly managed, without focus, without tradition, and by some even anti-American. But overwhelmingly it is seen as on a suicidal course to oblivion. Worse for CART, many now see it as in the way of allowing OW to compete against NASCAR.

This perspective shows up in the posts here and elsewhere. Almost every post critical of CART's management is from an American. Almost every post on the subject from Canadians support the management.

Ultimately I think it comes done to what CART delivers. For the American audience clearly isn't; TV numbers, falling attendance - be it Laguna Seca 1/3 of 2000, Portland 2/3 of it or Road America 1/2 - and sponsors all point to a major problem in the US. In Canada the opposite is true: the press is not so critical of the leadership, the attendance shows continued growth, while Canadian drivers and sponosr enjoy unprecedented success. Brock Yates even suggested - tongue in cheek - that CART be renamed "Canadian Auto Racing Teams."

Sort of Dickensonian

It is the best of times (Canada), it is the worst of times (US).

When it comes to the harsh reality the Americans are right.

Unfortunately CART listened to the "Canadian" POV (not just Cannucks held this POV). Now it is down to praying for a Billionaire buyout and laying down an obscene amount of money to keep the doors open.

Jay · 27 Jul 2003, 06:00 (Ref:672321)

Actually, both TV and attendance numbers are up at most events this year over last year. Laguna Seca was more of anomaly compared to the other races, and I suspect that had more to do with the date than the series. That said, TV is a long way from where it was and where it should be...

indycool · 27 Jul 2003, 13:12 (Ref:672452)

Jay, if attendance numbers are "up" everywhere, why did MPH's financial guidance update predict a greater loss on CART-promoted races, of which there have been four so far? If attendance is "up," where's the money? They announced 112,000 at Cleveland and two weeks later said they were upgrading their losses on CART-promoted events.

As for the American media ditching CART, Forrest Bond has a story out now that alleges Robin Miller, John Oreowicz, Gordon Kirby and David Phillips are bought-and-paid-for journalists by CART who write the CART company line for their other "journalistic" clients. If true, that brand of ethics has been breached by CART and those writers to be exactly the opposite.

Jay · 27 Jul 2003, 14:39 (Ref:672492)

You really are hopeless... have you, sgw2 or rush1 ever participated in a racing thread in this forum? Do you have any interest at all in Cart Racing... I'm guessing not. The only posts I've seen you three put here have been to bash Cart. There are some that can be critical here, but they at least have an interest in the series. You guys dont. It's very clear that your only purpose here is to throw as much dirt as you can possibly dig out (and you really do scrape the bottom of the barrel) and throw it in the faces of Cart fans that would like to discuss racing and the real issues of Cart.

To put it simply, sgw2, rush1 and indycool would be very wise to stick to the IRL forum and leave this forum for people who actually have an interest in Cart!

Brian W Keske · 27 Jul 2003, 15:10 (Ref:672503)

CART has the problem, not the media. The business problems of CART have been detailed by CART itself.

Once CART solves it's problems, the media will not have this focus. The solution is CART's, not the media.

But to orchestrate this with the drivers (as Liz is questioning?) is a but heavy handed to me. And a bit 'cry babyish'.

Did the media kill NASCAR afer the death of DE and all the negative 'media' it recieved from his death?

indycool · 27 Jul 2003, 15:24 (Ref:672508)

Jay, you brought up attendance. I commented. The thread is about the American media. I commented. Do you care to comment further on either issue?

Lee Janotta · 27 Jul 2003, 15:48 (Ref:672512)

Jay, for crying out loud, if you keep telling everyone who disagrees with you to go to the IRL forum, there'll hardly be anyone left here!

I thought sgw2's post was well-written and insightful.

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