Enge to test with DCR...

[Dov]

From Tsn.ca.........http://www.tsn.ca/auto_racing/news_Story.asp?ID=59820

Once again.... http://www.tsn.ca/auto_racing/news_Story.asp?ID=59820

[racefanatic]

Whoa, I never heard that he was supposed to race at Fontana! Well, good luck to him with the test... I would rather see him with Coyne than Geoff Boss.

[macdaddy]

Good luck to Enge! I'd love to see him in a ChampCar!
IMO, he's been treated unfairly. But that's another story.
Maybe he'll end up at Forsythe, flying the Imperial Tobacco colours of ZigZag?

[Snrub]

Wow that would have been cool.

Let's hope he gets a real ride for next year.

[jjspierx]

Originally posted by macdaddy
Good luck to Enge! I'd love to see him in a ChampCar!
IMO, he's been treated unfairly. But that's another story.
Maybe he'll end up at Forsythe, flying the Imperial Tobacco colours of ZigZag?

I'm going to assume by you saying that he is being treated unfairly, that you are referring to his marijuana use and the fact that he wasn't given a chance in F1, and such. I personally don't think he's being treated unfair at all. I personally race myself, and I don't want to be on the track with another driver who is not at 100% potential for any reason such as fatigure, lack of fitness, lack of sleep, or ESPECIALLY because of drug use, whether or not he was high when racing isn't even an issue. The fact is, he as a driver could not perform at 100% even several days after smoking marijuana, and that is putting himself and the other drivers on the track at more of a risk than if he was able to drive at 100%.

I competed in the Russell Graduate Runoffs last year, and one competitor(who looked and acted stoned the whole time) was eliminated in the first round(surprise, surprise). He got angry at not advancing and proceeded to tell me, oh well, I'm gonna go home and smoke myself a fatty. I didn't even respond to him and I turned away. He obviously could sense my disapproval and he proceeded to tell me what he did in his own free time was HIS business. Well I'm sorry, but thats bull****, because if what he does in his free time puts me at more of a risk than normal for being on a race track, than what he does IS VERY my business.

Anyways, sorry about my anti-drug/racing bit, but I think Enge did something stupid and he is being treated quite fairly. Its not like he didn't race this year anyways.

[Snrub]

Guess what drivers do after they win? They get really drunk. I nither drink nor smoke up, but there really isn't much of a difference between the two except that one is socially acceptable and that particular one is addictive. Why can't a driver perform at 100% for days after smoking pot?

[BootsOntheSide]

There's no evidence that Enge's performance would've been impaired or enhanced. Mariujana stays in the bloodstream long after its effects wear off, and it is indeed non-addictive and much less harmful than either alcohol (a vodka manufacturer sponsored Enge's team, remember) or tobacco. He may not have even smoked or been affected by it due to the potential passive effect.

[Liz]

The point is that smoking pot is against the law, and in particular it is against the regulations of the series in which he was driving. What more did he have to know than that? If they told him not to wear blue shoes and he wore blue shoes, he'd be breaking the regulations and would deserve to be punished according to the rules.

He decided that his own wishes were more important than the rules of the competition and he got caught breaking the rules and got the specified punishment. End of Line.

That doesn't mean he has to be punished for the rest of his life for it, but if he gets caught breaking the same rule again, he's proved he can't follow orders and THEN he ought to be banned from racing. But meanwhile if he can get a job with a Champ Car team and prove he's got the stuff, and if he keeps his, er, bloodstream clean, I'd be happy to welcome him to the grid.

[jjspierx]

I personally think Enge is an incredible driver, I don't think there is any doubt from any of us about that. However, as Liz pointed out, he did break the rules and he paid the price. Should he be punished forever for it? No, I think not, however if no F1 team will hire him, that is there choice, and there right, and sure it sucks for him, but still he brought it on himself, fair or not, its up the individual team to hire him or not.

And as for drinking vs. marijuana, yes drinking is addictive and more socially acceptable. However, one is illegal, and has a longer lasting effect even when the user is no longer under the influence of it. Sure if you drink alcahol to excess it will kill brain cells, damage the liver, and can have permament effects on a drivers ability to drive. However drinking or getting drunk after a race or partying with alcahol on occasion is going to have almost no effect ona driver when he is completely sober. With marijuana, even smoking it once, the chemicals will stay in your body for 2-3 weeks and it does effect your ability to think during that time. Maybe not very much, but it depends on the person and how much marijuana is used. If a driver wants to smoke in the offseason and they don't tell anybody, and there body is completely free of the drug by the time they start driving again, I could careless, I just don't want to know about it. However if after a championship is won and a drug test is taken and the person shows positive for drugs, then I won't(and don't) feel bad for any consequences that they suffer thereafter. I will also point out, that traces of THC will not make a person fail a drug test. Certain amounts are acceptable, for reasons of people simply being around someone who had smoked or walking through a room where people were smoking. Giving Enge the benifit of the doubt, assuming he didn't use marijuana, he would have at the very least been in a room for an extended period of time where people were using marijuana, which still isn't smart for a driver of his caliber to be doing within a few weeks of winning the FIA Internation F3000 championship. If that was the case, then yeah, it sucks for him, but you can't blame the FIA for treating him unfairly, no matter the reason, failing a drug test, is still failing a drug test.

Also as Liz stated, if Enge does get a champcar ride, I will be happy for him, he is a great driver and will definitely add to the quality of drivers in CART.

[cos]

Originally posted by Liz But meanwhile if he can get a job with a Champ Car team and prove he's got the stuff, and if he keeps his, er, bloodstream clean, I'd be happy to welcome him to the grid.

Hear hear.He beat Bourdais on the track, what he did off it has nothing to do with it. Let's hope he comes to CART.

[Snrub]

Just because technically it's tracable in your system, it doesn't mean that it is adversly effectly one's performance. Remember the Canadian snow boarder who was initially striped of the gold @ the olympics because he had been at a party where other people were smoking over 6 months before hand?

You guys have a point that he should have been smart enough to do anything that would jepordize his career, but if I was to jay walk across the street infront of a cop, I wouldn't get a ticket because no one cares. Same with what happened to Enge. I'm sure lots of drivers have driven the night after having 3 or more drinks. That would have a lot more of an effect than smoking up the week before and no one would blink an eye.

My point in the end is that I'd more than welcome him to CART if he smoked up every weekend after qualifying. This is a non-issue for his CART worthiness.

[jjspierx]

Actually, I don't know about CART, but I know most lower level, and amateur races(Skip Barber, Russell)require that drivers don't drink within 24 hours of driving the cars.

Also as for the snowboarder guy, I don't know that whole story by any means, but its almost impossible for him to fail a drug test for being at a party where smoking occured 6 months before. In fact even if he had smoked 6 months before there is almost no way it would show up on a standard UA, or blood test. Not to mention its almost impossible to prove thats where he was around smoke, vs smoking it, nobody knows for sure.

[Liz]

And "the snowboarder guy" has ruined his career because having a drug conviction on his record, he can't enter the United States -- which is where all the work is.

If pot is not addictive, why are young people so eager to ruin their careers for a stupid cigarette? Are they really so arrogant that they believe they won't be caught?

So far this year we've had 63 pedestrian fatalities in Toronto, 10 more than gun murders. Maybe you would jaywalk in front of a cop and not get caught -- and maybe you'd jaywalk in front of a woman in an SUV who had just reached back to slap her kid ...

----------------

By the way he has driven the Prodrive car, I believe Enge would be an asset to CART and surely by now he has been briefed on what failing another drug test would do to his chance of getting another work permit to come and drive in the USA. I'm sure he has taken it to heart.

[evo]

Ross Rebagliati, incase you all where wondering.

If he can't get into the USA because of the drug conviction, how can Enge get into the USA? Am I missing something?

[macdaddy]

Was Ross Rebagliati ever actually convicted of anything? I know his gold medal was taken from him, and he became fairly famous because of it...

[Liz]

Enge wasn't convicted or even arrested, that I ever heard. Rebagliati was arrested in Japan, which has rather tough laws, and although he did get his gold medal back, he didn't convince the Japanese police that it was all a big mistake.

[Snrub]

Pot can be habit forming, in a similar way that most things can be, but it lacks the fundimental requirements such as physical withdrawl, etc. Go down to a UAW/CAW union hall on a friday afternoon during one of the breaks and tell me what they're pouring down their throats.

Typically when I jaywalk I look both ways before I cross. (thanks Mom!)

The point is that Enge would be great in CART and atleast we can agree with that.

[Tenoch]

Enough about the potsmoking, where can I get a Bio on this kid?

[macdaddy]

From CART.com...

Sebring, Florida - A pair of up and coming European stars were impressive in their maiden test in Champ Cars. Tomas Enge and Michael Keohane ran for two days in two cars prepared by the Dale Coyne Racing team over the 1.6 mile Sebring circuit.

Tomas Enge with his impressive background in Formula 3000 and Formula 1 ran 360 miles over the two days. “The cars are quite heavy and require a little different driving style, but I am quite happy with what I have learned.” Commented the 27-year-old Czech Republic native. “I am very thankful to Mr. Dale Coyne for giving me this opportunity to run a car I have always dreamed about driving.” The Prague resident ran a flawless two days recording very competitive lap times given the Florida track conditions.

Michael Keohane also ran a pleasantly surprisingly two days recording over 260 miles. The Irish driver who spent most of the past two years in British Formula 3 took to the powerful Champ Cars with amazing ease. “These cars are really fun to drive.” Reported the County Cork native. “You are never sure of how you will do until you get in one, but I am very pleased with the performance of the car and the way the whole team worked.”

Michael ran at Sebring for his first time at any American track. “Michael went from a 170 horsepower F3 car to 750 horsepower champ car and looked very natural and impressive in doing so.” Commented team owner Dale Coyne. “Michael’s lap times were within a few tenths of Enge’s best. Each driver showed that they have what it takes to be highly competitive in CART.”

[mac]

Good to see some good young talent being given a chance to shine by Dale Coyne. They would both be great additions to the series. Let's hope one or both can make it to the grid at St Petersburg.