Wednesday, October 31, 2012

Moving Along The Dark Tunnel

A few days have past since Randy Bernard was let go by the board. And I still feel he got the shaft, he was wrongly fired by the board and people crucified him too quickly.

From reading Marshall Pruett's article, those within IndyCar viewed him as an outsider and after a minor hiccups, were ready to throw him overboard.

All the positive things done by Bernard are being scrutinized for not being picture perfect.

For example: We got new cars... but we wanted this new car.
We got turbocharged engines... but we don't Honda is getting special treatment.
We are looking to lower the tire bill for the teams... but it has to be Firestone.

I do think the decision about the new car should have been handled differently.

As for Honda's special treatment, Chevrolet won nine of the thirteen race after allowing Honda the larger cool air inlet, not to forget mentioning winning the manufacturer's championship, driver's championship and having seven of the top ten drivers in the final driver's table. What was the problem in the end?

As for the lower tire bill. Yes, Firestone has a great safety record, but the company originally did not plan on supplying tires for 2012, then worked out a deal for 2012 and 2013 with an increase in the tire prices. There are plenty of tire companies out their with fine history of safety. The teams backlash at the series looking for a substitute for Firestone is a conservative fear about potential tire failures. Yes, it is nice not having to worry about a blown tire in the corner at Texas or Indianapolis, but with proper testing, there are many companies capable of producing a safe tire.

I am going to see this through with IndyCar. Why? Because I love the sport, the drivers and the racing. However, I want the owners to have a better relationship with whoever is in charge. Whether he has a racing background or not. The tunnel is very dark as we move into the future.