Rain...

[Cygni]

[jmart]

Does anyone know what CART's plans would be if the rain continues? I know at the SC's they race under Yellow/Red if needed due to having to hand the course back over to the city for Monday's business. But would CART just run the race tomorrow? How many laps would they shorten it to to get the race in today?

jmart

[AlJRFAN]

Hmm i guess the comercial doenst apply to this race, more false advertising! Atleast its not on TV and they just parade around like Surfers last year.

[Cygni]

Seeing as how they stopped this race before they even got a green flag lap to avoid what happened at Surfers... PS, it is on TV. Oh... and remember that Al Jr. was the master of the CART STREET circuits, and was quite the rain driver. Kinda funny to hate CART. But I digress...

Anyway, the rain has stopped, and it looks like they are going to restart at 6:30 eastern.

[AlJRFAN]

34 laps what puke, btw why am i listening/ watching timing and scoring. 7 laps already done sounds like its started! Hdnet, what in the heck is that I know its a long track but 25 laps of racing(pace laps count)!

[220mph]

no one is forcing you to listen or pay any attention to it.

And if anyone looked at the radar for that area today they would understand that CART is making a pretty valiant effort to get the event in - shortened distance or not.

If it had been an oval event they would have cancelled it long ago and made everyone come back tomorrow . . .

[AlJRFAN]

You guys are getting me wrong, I said atleast there not pulling a Surfers not that they are! Im not even saying there doing the wrong thing by delaying the race and waiting for better weather, however ive been under the impression that CART will race under anything according to fans and comericals. Also i think a race that is much less than half distance is not very intresting and seems busch league. I listen and watch because i am a race fan and im not forced to do it, but its people like you that make me not want to watch the race or listen on the internet and make me want CART to die, and the people on this boards arent even near the worst.

[220mph]

Road races ARE held in inclement weather - but only to a certain point. The most fun I've ever had in a race car was a very wet race in Formula Vee at Road America.

That said conditions for a ChampCar must be better than for a low hp FV. RA is particularly susceptable for several reasons - drainge across track is several areas and the high speeds and limited runoff in areas.

That doesnt take into consideration the horrible conditions they endured today - with a big low pressure area hovering right over the area spawning Tstorms all day.

Sorry AlJrFan - but thems the breaks of road racing. Had it been an oval they would have just plain cancelled it instead of their efforts to keep trying to get the race in.

CART has many failings but calling it bush league when weather is the culprit is just plain unfair. Seemed to me that everyone made a big effort to gte the show in under adverse conditions today - keeping in mind most fans can not come back Monday.

Credit where credit is due.

[NoviVespa]

Just wondering, why does F1 race no matter what the weather? The horsepower excuse dosn't wash. Excuse the pun.

[jmart]

Originally posted by NoviVespa
Just wondering, why does F1 race no matter what the weather? The horsepower excuse dosn't wash. Excuse the pun.

Behind a Safety car. That's racing? F1 will race in some abd stuff but even they have their limit.

jmart

[silva2]

Just wondering, why does F1 race no matter what the weather?

To make the live TV window of course. When you are highly rating in multiple countries you do everything that you can to run during the scheduled time.

[Doctorindy]

Originally posted by jmart
Behind a Safety car. That's racing? F1 will race in some abd stuff but even they have their limit.

jmart

I recall the F1 race in Australia in te 90's that only went about 24 miles before it was called official...the torrential rain made it too dangerous, and they couldn't come back the next day..

[AlJRFAN]

I **** well know an oval race would of been canceled but thats not the point, shortining the race for fans that stuck out for 4 hours, i bet they were real happy. I remember seing a ad many many times telling me that they race anywhere in any kind of weather.

[gyc]

I think at just about any other road/street course, they could've restarted the race much much earlier. RA has serious drainage problem when it rains and you'd think after the 2001 race they'd learned their lesson and was going to fix the track.

[BlueStang]

If they'd gone ahead and run, as some are suggesting, and gone on to have a Memo-Gidley-like accident with more dire consequences, these same folks would be giving them down-the-road for it. Yes, they say they race in any kind of weather, but you reach a point where you have to be responsible as far as the safety of your driver's are concerned.

F1 attempted to run in Brazil, and that race eventually ended in what was probably a weather-related accident that could have been avoided. If I remember right, the start was delayed because of the weather, too.