the pook discussion cont....

[The Fry Sauce King]

not sure why the cleveland thread was closed.....wilke simply posted that the Motorrock would become the promoter, think what you want about MR, but his post was clean, simple and most likely correct.

as to Pook..you two constantly put everything on Pook....CART was a fricken mess for years before Pook, has been a mess under Pook and time will tell what the future holds....but in the end did Pook not do exactly what was asked of him by the BOD and the majority of the major shareholders?

you are quick to through out financials about pooks decisions....ie the lights at cleveland and promoting races
but again were these solely Pooks decisions? do you really think he made million $$$ decisions with out others input and approval.
Pook is a travel agent dealing with guys like Forsythe, Hass, patrick, and not to mention the new crop of owners....there is a lot of big dollar players involved

in the end I am fairly ambivelant about Pook....some good, some bad...but the two of you never acknowladege the hand he was delt

and now lets discuss the state of the IRl (let's face it we point fingers around here)

where are we today...poor attendace, sure some is up, but some is down, including the 500.....and lets face it no one is coming on friday and sat, that's gotta be a concern

TV ratings are down....no way to spin it, it's simply down....how long will ABC be around under the current conditions

this was suppossed to be the breakout season....we all know it....it hasn't been

what happens next year....if Cart makes the bell we still have the status quo...two struggling race series with no identity.

what happens if CART is gone......the IRL picks up a few of it's poorly attended races, ones that are prodominitly attended by CART diehards......newsflash:the IRL isn't going to go over well at MO..

anyway....we could go on all day pointin out the others falicies...

the real question is what can be done to improve the state of OW racing?....and the answer isn't for CART to die:and the sooner the better

My answer, in short.....teams, drivers and sponsors(manufactures?) supporting both series instead of choosing sides

I know, easier said than done

[Defender]

Do the sauces you make ever contain prodigious amounts of liquor? Just curious.

[The Fry Sauce King]

Originally posted by Defender
Do the sauces you make ever contain prodigious amounts of liquor? Just curious.

7 years clean and sober

but I do make a killer roasted shallot cabernet reduction

[indyracer56]

Originally posted by The Fry Sauce King
7 years clean and sober

but I do make a killer roasted shallot cabernet reduction

I haven't had anything stronger than coffee for over 17 years!

And I do a "killer" hot dog on the grill.



I can also brew a mean pot of coffee.

Mac & Cheese?....no problem.

TV Dinners?....specialty of the house.

Pizza? Just call Dominios (Official Pizza of Nascar!).






Oh, and Pook's a crook!!!!!!

[Jim Wilke]

Originally posted by The Fry Sauce King
7 years clean and sober

Big deal. 17 years for me.

Naah, just kidding, good for you. I don't miss the beer and/or booze very much but I sure would like to have a cigarette....

[jZink]

Chris Pook did exactly what he was supposed to do, create a 2003 series out of virtually nothing. While I don't always agree with his tactics, he's put 18 cars on the grid at every venue and had better attendance than the IRL at most.

After lurking here for almost a year, FSK is pretty much on the money. Many threads asking questions or offering opinions or advice that doesn't sit well with a certain few posters get the tables turned when the thread gets diverted to Cart issues. The question or opinion never gets resolved and the thread winds up getting locked or moved to another board. If Cart does survive into next year and beyond by going private, IRL fans need to quit focusing attention on Cart, diverting the focus away from real issues, and get real with the lagging attendance and TV viewership.

[Tara]

Sometimes being a CEO especially for a troubled company, means doing the "unpopular" thing(s) in order to save and rebuild the business. Sure Pook was "authorized" to spend money by the BoD, but it was still Pooks plan or if it wasn't he should have raised objections. My bet is it was a Pook plan, agreed to by the BoD. (That doesn't leave the BoD blameless, but the line "Pook just played the hand delt him" is non sense.)

Pook gave everyone what they wanted and spent all the cash. He put C^RT in a position where they either needed to find a buyer or they were (are) dead.

People champion Pook and I say "for what?"

For spending $43 million dollars in 6 months? Ok ok, blanket statement, perhaps sometimes spending $43 million is the right thing to do in rebuildiong a company, but the next question is what does he have to show for it?

Pook spent and has nothing. The teams he got to run this year on his nickel, (30 million) will most likely be gone next year. He bought no physical assets. He bought no publicity, C^RT is less in the average viewers mind, then it was last year. He bought no driver promotion. He bought nothing, yet he spent 43 million so far and at the current burn rate will spend 80+million by years end.

Perhaps if Pook had done what is being talked about for next year, this year. Like cut money losing tracks from the schedule. Get rid of the Euro Vacation. Don't spend money on temp lighting and other non revenue producing razzel-dazzel. Re-negotiate with tracks for reduced car counts. Restructure the administrative office. Look for cheaper TV ..etc, then C^RT might have the funding to actually run a 2004 schedule without a "sugar daddy".

And C^RT would have another year to look for a buyer, plus the potential buyers would not be looking at a C^RT ledger covered in blood. Who wants to buy a company that lost 30+ million in 3 months or 43 million in 6 months.

[Jim Wilke]

but in the end did Pook not do exactly what was asked of him by the BOD and the majority of the major shareholders?

Back on topic, yes, I do believe Pook deserves the lion's share of the blame. if you'll recall he was offered the job and turned it down once when CART hired D-Production Joe. When they came back to him after that debacle, he made it clear that he would only take the job if he had total control. In my opinion Pook's major mistakes have fallen in two areas:

1. He has tried to present the series as a truly major player and has squandered money at every turn. The lights, the Euro deal, the new races, the on and of and on of R-a, the list is endless. If your restaurant was struggling, you wouldn't hire an expensive chef and completely remodel the place. No, you'd cut expenses where they didn't show, clean and tidy up as much as you could and concentrate on the basics. Pook didn't do that because it isn't his money.

2. Perhaps even more important, he and his staff have underdelivered. The ESP and TSP deals were to be offset by selling sponsorships. None ever materialized. The TV time-buys were to be offset by ad sales. Those numbers went down instead of up. He watched sponsors, manufacturers and teams walk out and didn't replace them. Note: I didn't say this part of the job was easy but it shouldn't have been impossible. He also badly mis-handled the Judd deal and that will end up costing CART a bunch. And he has spent a lot of time and money chasing manufacturers and tracks in Europe and has landed precisely none other than the money-losing track rental deals at Brands and Lausitz.

Pook is a showman, a promoter, a huckster. That's fine if you bring home some bacon with the sizzle. He has failed miserably, even spectacularly. As I've said, it is hard to imagine how anyone else could have achieved less.

[indyracer56]

Originally posted by Jim Wilke
As I've said, it is hard to imagine how anyone else could have achieved less.

Stay tuned.

[indycool]

FSK, I showed up as you predicted on this thread but most of what I'd have to say has already been said...............

[Jim Wilke]

Originally posted by indyracer56
Stay tuned.

Good point. I thought old Emmy-winner Joe was going to be a hard act to follow, but in hindsight, he looks like Jack Welch.

[The Fry Sauce King]

isn't forsythe the largest share holder in CART? isn't he on the BOD? isn't he arguabbly the only owner with enough sponsorship cash to adequatly run a full season? why would ha have agreed to all the cash being spent if he didn't see alight at the end of the tunnel? or was he just agreeing to the afore mentioned "letting Pook have total control"


couldn't the esp all been a big smokescreen to bring in the necesary players to build a future ownership team?

gentilozzi, kalkovian, dingman, Jaques manager with F1 ties

to use the bait analogy again....couldn't the bait have been $$$..get some cash cows involved?....let them see the fans, smell the manthonal etc......maybe land a couple?

and as usaul I see alot of finger pointing and no plan for OW to survive

it looks as if Pook will be out of the picture soon.....Cart will race in 04' under some form......cut some fat with an eye on the future....yet the IRL still thinks it can ride the I500 back i......it can financially.......but what about the rest?....what about the bigger picture?.....growth! it just isn't there

and Tara....pook has nothing?....he looks to have some new owners lined up (may not happen, but something is in the cooker).....that very well may have been the plan all along....do you KNOW for certain any different

[indycool]

FSK:
1. Forsythe is NOT on the MPH BoD. That's why he can talk a little more freely about buyouts, etc., than those on the BoD.
2. If you think they brought those guys in to buy the company, I disagree. ESP I and II do not cover even a third of a team's expenses over the course of a season. I think those guys were contacted to put cars on the grid at St. Pete and beyond.
3. As far as Pook having new owners lined up, consider one year ago with the "25 letters of intent."
4. As far as "hijacking" threads, my comments were directed on topic to those made prior to mine. That's how threads are presumably built on a discussion forum, or my understanding of them.

[Jim Wilke]

3. As far as Pook having new owners lined up, consider one year ago with the "25 letters of intent."

Minor clarification: I believe it was Lopes who was talking about letters of intent and, if I recall, he said he had '28 and 3 more were in the mail.'

[Jim Wilke]

My answer, in short.....teams, drivers and sponsors(manufactures?) supporting both series instead of choosing sides

As CART gets closer to collapse, this becomes the rallying cry:

"All of open wheel is hurting, you must save CART."

Ummm, no.