A.J. Foyt's views on CART and street circuits

[Joe Fan]

In a recent interview with the Kansas City Star newspaper, A.J. had this to say about CART and street circuits: "I was one of the founders of CART," Foyt said Friday. "Now they're just a glorified Formula One series. They're not a Formula One, not even close to it, but they think they are. They're road racers. ...Indy cars should run on ovals. A good road course I like. But these street courses, that's Mickey Mouse. That's about the sorriest racing you could ever go see."

[Liz]

And just why is it we care that A.J. Foyt hates road races? Could it be because his drivers can't compete on road courses? Remember, this is the man who screamed over the radio at his driver, "You are being passed by a GIRL!"

Or perhaps he is just an Old Fart who thinks nothing should ever change?

If Mr. "Archie Bunker" Foyt wishes to avoid street courses, I for one will not miss him.

[mac]

Down here in Australia we don't have to put up with this CART vs IRL ****. We only get coverage of CART. And the Indy 500 (in which these street racing mickey mouse dudes cleaned up this year - but we won't mention that). That is all we care about. We know it's the best series. As for temporary Mickey Mouse circuits, does AJ consider Cleveland fitting in this category (what a race), or Surfers Paradise (where there is always something exciting). Part of CART's appeal is its diversity of tracks. Difference between IRL tracks? Hmmmm, a couple of degrees of banking here, a slight little bend there.

AJ has massive problems. He's upset that the sport is becoming more worldwide and not just for Americans anymore. I still reckon he's hurting a bit from Indy. As for a glorified F1 - HA! Because they go to different parts of the world and race on road and street courses, they are F1 try-hards - pull the other one Foyt.

[KC]

As always A.J. Foyt has only his typical myopic point of view. This is not 1965, CART and the IRL are not racing Kurtis-Kraft roadsters. As far street courses being the sorriest races, maybe he needs to look at some of the figures. Long Beach is by far CART's biggest and most watched event on their schedule. It destroys every IRL oval race in attendance, TV ratings and corporate attendance except the Indy 500 and Texas. CART's next most viewed event is Cleveland at Burke Lakefront Airport. Not because it is a beautiful course, but because it offers up some of the most daring and exciting racing. I have been to Houston twice. It is narrow and hard to pass, but it also packs around 100,000 people on Sunday. A.J. Foyt would be right if every IRL race went just like Kansas did with a great two way battle between two fast and respectful racers, but typically they do not.

Maybe A.J. Foyt should look at offering up some solutions instead of propping up his own lame situation. But then again, why work toward a resolution when it is much easier to stand around and ***** about it. What a bitter old has been he has become instead of the revered and gentlemanly Mario Andretti.

[marcus]

well mac I am in Australia and get coverage of the IRL races through cable TV ..and enjoy it more than CART races on ovals..but CART has it by miles on road courses.

anyway back to the topic.

I agree with KC ..AJ seems to gettint aliitle senile in his old age ..he is a legend and always will be but he should shut up and concentrate on racing instead of trying to hurt either series...getting the series back together or just at a point where they can both contribute to each others plans is the main goal not a slagging match.

[botsquad]

a.j. is such load of......

but he's a.j. and its cool...rock stars can say what they want.

but..the best part is...

a.j. himself could still outdrive 90% of the the irl pilots.

he could've stuffed queen eddie if he was out there with the infinity powerplant.

go a.j. go.

[SevenGrain]

And this is same A.J. Foyt who was upset with CART for not allowing him to enter his IRL spec cars in the Inagural Houston CART event a few years back. A Mickey Mouse Street circuit!!!

I'm sorry, A.J. has become a caricature of himself... Sometimes he says and does things so stupid that you have to laugh.

Who else could destroy the grammar on a simple Craftsman Tools TV spot. "Some people be usin' tools that I ain't even think they know whur they're made"

[Dave S]

This is really nothing new. Foyt hated road races way back when he still drove, & yes I know he ran Leman's etc, but it's the same refrain he's had forever. The big question was posed by Liz 'Why should we care'? Let him run dirt 1/4 miles for all I give a rip. At one time a great driver, a legend I would suppose, at least to US oval fans, but always an A**.

[floid2000]

AJ is like some crazy old relative to us Americans.He was a racing Icon when I was a kid and has accomplished more in racing than almost any other American in history. But I think he smacked the turn 4 wall at Indy one time too many.Who can forget the Auri Lyundyke incident ? By the way ...Did he ever give the trophy back ?

[enemy-ace]

I met A.J.Foyt some twenty-odd years back at Mosport and he was quite pleasant and it was a real thrill for me. But I was just a little guy back then and I have to say that some of the antics and idiocy spewing from this man as of late have really tainted my childhood impression. Thanks A.J.

[Joe Fan]

Really, in some ways I agree with A.J. that street circuits are kind of Mickey Mouse. The only ones that I really like are Monaco and Vancouver. The only reason why I like Monaco is due to it being scenic and part of tradition. If Monaco weren't Monaco it would be very Mickey Mouse because it provides little passing oppportunites. There are some street circuits that I am not real crazy about like Toronto, Detroit and Houston. I like Toronto and Houston as cities but I just don't care for these street circuits there.

As for A.J., he doesn't ever hide what he is thinking. I remember hearing that he p!ssed off the French when he first ran at Le Mans because he called it a "little ole country road."

[Liz]

So you and A.J. think Toronto is a "mickey mouse" circuit, eh?

Well, jump into a Champ Car and drive it 190 mph around the circuit to show us just how "mickey mouse" it is. I expect you to beat the best pole time set by any current or past Champ Car driver in the process.

And, oh, good luck in the race on Sunday. You will be racing, right?

[Joe Fan]

Liz, my feeling that street cirucits are Mickey Mouse is due to the fact that they produce processional racing like some other major series we all know about. Besides that, they don't have the same allure that permanent circuits do like Laguna Seca, Road America or Watkins Glen. Soon as the race is over, it becomes just an ordinary public road.

To me, these street circuits should be temporary until a permanent facility can be built. But it appears to now be the El Cheapo way of having to build a real circuit. So, this is what the drivers get, a bumpy uneven race circuit that provides little passing opportunities. For the life of me, I cannot understand why Toronto cannot step up to the plate and build a nice circuit or upgrade Mosport Park.

[enemy-ace]

I'm not sure if you are aware but Don Panoz now owns Mosport and upgrades are under way. As for CART ever racing there, I don't see it happening as the race in downtown Toronto is by far the better economic option. It's not just a race it's a festival. Sure it will never compare to Mosport from the pure racing enthusiasts point of view but it is a good event.
On a side note, one of the support races for the molson indy is CASCAR (stock cars) which I have seen race at both mosport and toronto's street circuit, and the far better race of the two was the street circuit. Each kind of circuit takes a different set of skills and to be fast on all of them is what I think makes a true racer.

[Liz]

Mosport is a wonderful road course. But it is in the middle of bloody nowhere, it is impossible to reach without an automobile, there are very few hotels anywhere near it, the closest metro area is Bowmanville, population about 80,000 with no night life of any kind except the lounge at the Holiday Inn ... why on earth would anyone want to move the Molson Indy Toronto to the wilderness? So they could then complain that nobody shows up and then cancel the race and move it to - THE UNITED STATES?

Mosport is a Sports Car Venue now and it is wonderful to see the American Le Mans cars race there, as well as all the vintage cars, the club racing, and the GT and Speedvision Touring Cars. But when we go up for the weekend, we have to either rent a car, or this year I can go with my cousin, and we have to stay in Oshawa for the weekend in order to make it to the track when the events start.

In Toronto we can jump on the streetcar and be there in 20 minutes, right at the track.

Last night we went to a huge street party with the Player's guys and their crews, free to everyone and right in the middle of the city. Around this venue are many hotels, theatres, night clubs and a clean, safe subway system to take you home after the party.

And today we are going to the most looked-for event of the season in this city, with 175,000 of our closest friends from Canada, the USA, Brazil, Mexico, and lots of other countries (you can see the flags in the stands every day.)

The street race is where Champ Cars builds its audience - people who come to the parties see the cars and the pilots and say "Hey, I think I'll get a day ticket, hop on the streetcar and see what this Champ Car thing is all about!"

People who read in the papers that there's racing at Mosport aren't similarly inspired. "Hey, I'll take the day off and get in the car and drive 90 minutes to see if I might like this racing stuff ..." Ain't gonna happen.

[KC]

I for one, am certainly glad that A.J. Foyt is right when he says that street courses are Mickey Mouse. Yesterday's race only illustrated the point. There was no passing, no drama, not action at all.

Why is A.J. so adamant to illustrate all the short comings of CART. Maybe he needs to address the issues of poor attendance, high engine failure rates, and crashes within the league that he apparently reveres.

Certainly we saw some poor driving and childish antics during the CART race at Toronto, but we also saw some masterful and respectful driving from better than half of the competitors on the track. There was sure a lot of passing going on on that street course when all the media pundits and some of the IRL leadership continue to bash the races as processional and Mickey Mouse. I wonder if anyone has ever asked the fans at Toronto, Long Beach, Vancouver, and Houston what they think about street courses. Nope. They continue bith and complain instead.

[macdaddy]

I've watched every Indy 500 since I was seven.
Don't know why. My dad didn't. My friends didn't.
I guess I was born to love motorsport.
I wanted to grow up to be Mario Andretti.
For awhile.
Then I wanted to grow up to be Rick Mears.
Now that I have grown up, I realize I'm not Andretti.
Or Mears.
But I'm not Foyt, either. And I'm glad.

A baker by trade, we in the "business" have a name for people like Foyt.

Dumbass.

[Jay]

JoeFan, if you can't see why Toronto is in no hurry to built a new circuit away from the city, you simply need to come to the race. You will see why the Molson Indy gets bigger every year, why soo many other Cart events have or are failing..

[Liz]

Street races are where the market is. If you want to lead the parade, you have to find out where it is going.

There is an excellent commentary on Speedvision.com called "Let it Bleed" that covers some of these points, and is pretty fair to both Champ Cars and the Brand X Racing League, and I think it explains why Toronto is one of the biggest events on the Champ Car circuit.

But I suppose the same people want to get rid of that one that want to get rid of Monaco.

Except for Foyt, who wants to get rid of the last half of the 20th century.

[Dave S]

You're exactly right Liz, Street Courses are the big draws, & also set CART apart from other racing series at least in the US. Long Beach has been a huge party for years as well. Just look at Michigan. Provides some great close racing, but if you put on a good show in the middle of no-where with no amenities & can't draw the crowds, it isn't going to last. And please don't start on about NASCAR. They have a marketing jugernaut & a fan base that would follow them to Hell, though I don't know why.Whatever frosts your flakes, I guess. CART seems poised to add at least another street course (New York seems to be the front-runner).

[Liz]

Having attended the Montreal GP this year, I am eagerly anticipating the Montreal Champ Car race. Montreal also knows how to throw a party!

Of course A.J. won't be there. Too many furriners.

[Joe Fan]

Liz, Mosport is only 60 miles from Toronto, I wouldn't think they would have a problem drawing people there. How about a weekend doubleheader, ALMS on Saturday and CART on Sunday?

As far as your furriner comment about A.J., remember his last two drivers have been foreigners, Brack a Swede and Salazar a Chilean.

[Jay]

The problem with that Joe Fan, is that there is so much more to Molson Indy (and many other street races) than what occurs on the race track. In fact, the on track action comes off as rather minor compared to the lead up, the parties and all the other festivities leading up to the race. There is no way that any of this would be possible if the race was 60 miles from downtown Toronto. If the race was held at Mosport, my guess is that they'd have trouble getting anymore than 50,000 for the entire weekend, and probably few in the city would even notice. For another thing, I would probably not be able to attend it!

[Nuvolari]

A. J. Foyt is a dinosaur, and CART is better off without him.

He thinks street circuits are 'Mickey Mouse,' that CART has become a poor imitation of F1? He doesn't know what he's talking about.

The IRL is just where he belongs.

[Liz]

Besides the good points that Jay made (and I would be another one who would be unable to attend if they moved the race to Mosport), the roads leading there are narrow two-lane blacktop, and the traffic jams in and out would be on the order of Silverstone. There would be no possibility of running buses from Toronto, either, as parking here is approximately $20 a day and would be much higher for that kind of event weekend, plus about $50 for the bus trip - each way. There are no grandstands at Mosport and nowhere to get in out of the rain or the sun, the entire paddock area is dirt and gravel, and there isn't anywhere to park but on the grass. One wet weekend would ruin everything Molson has worked to build up. And don't kid yourself that people would come up for Friday practice if they had to drive back to Toronto afterwards, in the rain, and then spend two more wet days in the open!

No, Mosport is entirely unsuitable for open wheel racing above the club level. You will see when the figures for the ALMS race come out, that it is just about suitable for sports car racing.