Paul Tracy given ultimatum to renegotiate his contract. Has Forsythe, and Champ Car lost their minds?

Question

This has been reported on Speed TV's website. Does Champ Car expect to keep any loyalty by making decisions like this? I've always been a fan of the IRL since the split, but I have still watched Champ Car (formerly CART). But the way that things are being handled at Champ Car right now, one just has to wonder what they are thinking. If they lose Paul Tracy, they might as well write off next year, and just close up shop!

First, Tony George did not like the direction that CART (now Champ Car) was going. They were already moving toward an all road and street course series way back in 1996. Second, Gerry Forsythe IS a minority partner in Champ Car. So he would realize the value of a name like Paul Tracy. Paul, if you are watching all of this, race the Indy 500 again. Hell, Buddy Rice was able to wind up with a nice ride to win!!!

Answer 1

If Paul Tracy leaves, then Champ Cars will lose the last marketable driver they have for Europe. Already the series isn't taken very seriously (look at Bourdais...he's going to be in the slowest car on the grid in F1 next year and he had to win the Champ Car title 4 years in a row to even get that slot), losing Tracy will leave Justin Wilson as the only driver with anything resembling a profile in Europe (and he's a failed F1 driver too). Any pretensions that remain to being an international series will be gone.

Answer 2

Champ Car is circling the drain and for all intents and purposes the "war" has been long over and was won by the IRL when CART went bankrupt. The IRL doesn't want the whole series and in reality only a few teams and choice tracks are worth it to the IRL to keep. If Paul Tracy doesn't get a top tier ride I feel that CC's days are over. I also think that NH does not want an older driver in his last few years but will be interested to see if the powers that be (KK, Petit, etc.) won't force a big team to take him.

Answer 3

First of all, Champ Car (the series) is not responsible for the decisions of the teams. Champ Car has nothing to do with what Forsythe and Petit decide to do with their teams. This "report" in my opinion is someone at SpeedTV trying to make a mountain out of a mole hill.

PT is definitely the most recognizable driver in the series, but he is nearing the end of his competitive career. If the series falls apart just because he is gone, then it is worse off than I thought.

I have been a diehard fan of Champ Car for about 20 years now. The IRL is unwatchable to me. If it wasn't for Tony George being an idiot there would be one series. The IRL was an answer to a question no one asked.

Do I agree with every decision that Champ Car has made? No. Does there need to be one series? Probably. However, I would appreciate being able to enjoy my favorite series without constantly having to hear that it should just go away.

One driver does not make up the series. I have seen more drivers come and go. When Dario Franchitti came to CART no one knew who he was. No one knew who Helio Castro-Neves was. CART and Champ Car made these drivers not the IRL. What I don't understand is why everyone wants the series to go away now. Its very sad to me.

Oh, and Sebastien Bourdais went to one of the worst tearms in F1. Maybe, but who was the last IRL driver to go to F1. I don't recall any. Just remember that Alonso started out in F1 driving for Minardi. And didn't a certain seven time world champion start out driving for Jordan?

Answer 4

If Forsythe and ChampCar lose PT, what'll happen is......
1--a good chunk of the attendance for the three Canadian races goes out the window;
2--the driver everyone associates w/the series will be out of a ride, and,
3--the series gets another embarrassing black eye.

Now, to be fair to Forsythe....PT's not exactly lit up the track the past two years(1 win in the past 2 seasons) but when he signed that multi-year contract back in 2006, the assumption was that PT puts all of his focus on ChampCar and the team lets him finish his career in the series. Things must be really serious over at Forsythe/Pettit if they want PT to renegotiate...

Alone, this might not be a series-killer, but considering all the other embarrassing things that have happened(dismal car counts, cancelling the China and Phoenix races, gassing two drivers[Servia and Dalziel] right before season's end to fulfill a contract requirement for the Mexico City race).......you get the idea.

Answer 5

These two oraganizations need to get it together for the sake of N. American open wheel racing. Up until the spilt, I still watched CART for a little while then switched to watching the IRL because they started putting road and street courses on the schedule. Now it seems that CART is a stepping stone or minor league for F1 drivers. Watch, Paul will probably make a split for the IRL unless he doesn't like Tony George.

Answer 6

first off just because the media and and the series say Paul Tracy is great doesn't make it so, he has been the biggest disappointments , in my eye, to enter the series, he didn't achieve anything until all the real drivers jumped ship, when penski went 1,2,3, at Indy he was three,behind 65 y/o fitipaldi, and the damn near retired al unser jr, he was the second driver at newman hass when Michale was driving, and was the one guy you could count on to rear end you in every race, team mates included,

i will admit that he brings character to the series,

what we have seen are that f1 has-beens (or more like never will be's) are kicking butt in champ car, and with veteran drivers like fisichella and Ralph schumacher possibly out of a drive next season i would be more than Happy to trade pt for some prooven race winners

Answer 7

I saw that report as well, yes Paul is getting up in yrs, but heck, with Bourdais gone, there are no real known drivers out there, yeah theres Rahal.. Paul says he has a contract already, don't what Forsythe racing is thinking..They need to keep Paul in Cart, he adds color to a lack luster circuit.. I just wish IRL and CART would come back to gether then we can have races with 30+ cars again..

Answer 8

I'd really like Tracy to go over to the IRL. I've always like watching him, even when he does what looks like bone-headed moves. CART? I like all racing especially open wheel, but who even knows when CART is on TV? It's a shadow of what it once was and almost invisible. I give it a couple years at most before its DOA.

Answer 9

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