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CART in Crisis Firestone Firehawk 600 "Postponed" |
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Update: May 9, 2001--Texas Motor Speedway has filed suit against CART as a result of the race cancelation. Here is a portion of CART's response: CART finds it curious that Texas Motor Speedway apparently has decided that focusing its energies in a lawsuit against CART for hyperimaginative damages is more important than accepting the seriousness of the driver safety issues raised at its track. In fact, Texas Motor Speedway's legal action seems to belie its own statements immediately after the race was postponed. In a press release issued April 29, a Speedway executive was quoted as saying, "Driver safety is the number one concern for everyone. There are certainly enough tragedies in our sport and nobody wants anyone to get hurt." A mere two hours before the scheduled start of the Firestone Firehawk 600 at Texas Motor Speedway, Championship Auto Racing Teams, Inc. made the right decision and "postponed" the race. During Saturday's practice, drivers reached speeds over 235 mph and experienced 5½ Gs for 18 of the 22 seconds it took to complete a lap. That's comparable to the Gs a Top Fuel or Funny Car driver will experience for a much shorter time. It's significantly greater than CART drivers normally experience during a race. Dr. Steve Olvey, CART Director of Medical Affairs, reported that 21 of 25 drivers said they had experienced dizziness, disorientation or other problems after the practice session. Whether the race will be rescheduled is open to question. Recriminations are flying faster than the ill-fated Champ Car drivers around this circuit. CART's official statement was brief and unemotional: "We are postponing the Firestone Firehawk 600 Presented by Pioneer due to concerns over the physical demands placed on our drivers when traveling at speeds of more than 235 miles per hour on this 1.5-mile oval," CART President/CEO Joseph Heitzler said. "We offer our sincerest apologies to the fans and our associates at Texas Motor Speedway, but I will tell you that as CART's President and CEO, I am confident that we have exhausted every available option to find a suitable resolution to these concerns at this time." Texas Motor Speedway General Manager Eddie Gossage was blunt: "Driver safety is the number one concern for everyone. There have certainly been enough tragedies in our sport and nobody wants anyone to get hurt. That is why we have been asking CART for several months to address the issue of speed and why we felt it was so imperative for teams to test here. Unfortunately, CART did not sufficiently slow the cars and as a result, both the Texas Motor Speedway and the fans are victims. We wish CART had found a way to slow these cars." Team Motorola driver Michael Andretti, Cart's all-time victory leader with 40 wins, expressed drivers' sentiments, "I must say that in my 20 years of auto racing, I've never experienced the kind of forces I experienced here this weekend." Texas Motor Speedway has been lauded as one of the finest of the newer (1997) auto racing facilities. The Indy Racing League has two races planned there this season, on June 9 and September 16. The 1.5 mile oval track is banked at a steep 24 degrees. In comparison, banking at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway is only 9 degrees. Testing by Kenny Brack in December did not reveal problems. Speeds in that test, however, were in the 210 mile range. Indy Car speeds have also been slower than the 230 mph plus speeds of the Champ cars during practice. There's no question that CART made the right decision in calling off the race. Driver, crew and fan safety must be the first concern at any event. The last thing auto racing needs is more tragedy. CART will be justifiably roasted by the media, including this writer, for not anticipating the problem and taking steps to ensure a safe race. In the first four races of the 2001 season the score stands as: Races
Run: 2 The problems may not have been of his making, but new CART President Joe Heitzler is the man who must clean up the mess. If he cannot, CART will be in serious trouble. Indy Racing, anyone? |
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