Yes the Indy 500 was raced safely. But they did so on tires designed specifically for an oval track no other road surface. Michelin and Bridgestone had to design tires that would be competitive on a tight infield, a superfast straight as well as moderate banking. Bridgestone succeeded but Michelin did not. I doubt if you could take the tires designed for the Indy 500 or a NASCAR race at Daytona and expect them to perform on a tight road course. Racing tire manufacture is very sophisticated.

As to racing being a macho sport and and F1 drivers being sissies I can’t buy that. I started going to races, including F1 in 1967 and I hate to think of the number of drivers who have been killed largely due to poor safety. Fortunately in the last 10 — 20 years great progress has been made in safety and deaths have thankfully been reduced dramatically. Surely no sport is worth putting someone’s life at risk unnecessarily?

All the best

Steve

What I argue is what was to be done in the situation at hand. Michelin had no other tires to give to the teams, and told them that what they had is not safe and it will fail. And this is the essence — no team owner would in his right mind put his racers to the track knowing that it is ultimately dangerous to do so. I, as team owner, would not do that nor would I care if my racer is crazy idiot who is willing to take a chance. It would not be him giving explanations nor living with it.
If you on the contrary would actually take that risk, that’s your stance and only yours. I think it’s deeply wrong, but then again — opinions are like butts, everyone has one. Me, you or anybody.

Steve, many thanks for sharing the Stoddart’s link — great read. It’s stating what I also feel and agree — FIA was 100% strict with the rules and did not want to bend not an inch, even if it meant the farce we witnessed.

Not really willing to repeat myself — but withdrawal of all Michelin-supplied teams was the only possible thing to do in that case.

And to be daring — I think that this is may just be the tipping point that would give birth to GPWC in 2008.

Trying to replace the blame for the Insult at Indy anywhere else but in Michelin’s lap defies logic. It doesn’t matter when, where or why the track was resurfaced: it was Michelin’s responsibility to appear at the track with equipment suitable for the race. They didn’t do so, and declred their own product inadequate and unsafe. That speaks to MICHELIN creating an unsafe condition, not the track. And please explain to me when, in contravention of established rules it became the responsibility of the track to accomodate ill-equipped vehicles? As I have said elsewhere, please explain to Dan Wheldon and his compatriots who took that very same turn at 200+ mph for probably 160 of 200 laps in the Indy 500(!) how Michelin can’t develop a tire to do it 73 times? Please note that I said “Let’s get this conversation back on a “racer” level”: this isn’t a “show”: U.S. fans don’t want a staged “race” for their already overpriced tickets; and the current crop of boy drivers again canot be compared to real race drivers of past eras by their attitudes and performance. Let me say it another way: Fangio won an Argentine road race before he came to Europe that was 8800 miles in length. 8800. Not on paved roads most of the time, and in home-built cars. Got that? Think he had a tire technician advising him?

For those who are interested there’s an interesting account of the whole USGP by Paul Stoddart. Stoddart is the head of the Minardi racing team that, reluctantly, did race last Sunday. He seems to blame FIA head, Max Mosely, and Ferrari for the farce. He points out that 9 teams were willing to race using a chicane and that Bernie Ecclestone was willing to go along with this. His account can be read at:
http://uk.sports.yahoo.com/050622/13/bq2l.html

Steve Caldwell

I saw Michael Schumacher’s comment that adding a chicane would not have worked (see post-race interviews on the F1 website). According to M.S., other drivers told him that they had problems with the Michelin tires other parts of the track. I’m sure that he knew a lot more about the situation than he revealed. Anyone who watched the post race interviews could see that he was wearing an “I know nothing”, poker face.

As far as the throwing trash on the track goes, there are people in every country that act like chimpanzee’s in a zoo to express displeasure.

I don’t know enough about F1 history to say this race qualifies as the biggest farce in F1 history. It definately qualifies at the biggest of the decade. I think that anyone with a sense of humor will be laughing about this race long after other more competitive & conventionally run races are forgotten. All parties involved are on the defensive & dodging fans’ anger. Of course, none can step forward, individually or collectively, to take the blame. Anyone that does will be slapped with lawsuits & bankrupted.

It was a disappointing day for F1. Many say this will be the death of F1 in the US (again). I’m not sure. More people may come next year to see if there might be another “train wreck”. It was grizzly & gruesome. We just can’t stop ourselves watching it.

And if this same guilty part applies to american racing championships, I’m more than sure that racer’s opinion will not matter.

Adam if you want to go to a race why not go to Montreal. It’s right next store and Montreal is very cosmopolitan and a real party city.