Robin Miller Wind Tunnel Transcript

[HerbieIsHere]

Robin had some good points....and looked like an idiot when called to the carpet on his mistakes in his articles.

Interesting note, Tony R was doing 227 when he crashed.

[hdolan]

RM didn't put parts in the stands at Charlotte...he didn't put the cars in the fence...it is a PR problem folks, nothing more, nothing less...the IRL needs to learn how to deal with this...it needs to be perceived as 'doing' something...

[fivehundred2go]

Does R "lemonade" M want the cars to be marked as TOO FAST as they are being pushed out of the garage area? Has he subscribed to the book "Unsafe at Any Speed" by Ralph. He was not wanting close competition. But yet we lost Tony when he was on the track by himself - go figure.

[jmart]

I was actually pleasantly surprised by the interview. Dave did challenge Robin on the TX report which I wasn't expecting and basically demonstarted that Robin's report was bogus. On one hand Robin conceded that the same problems the IRL is experiencing could also affect CART, it's just that the IRL runs so many ovals that they are going to have more problems. On the other hand, he never let an opportunity go by to slam TG and/or the league. I know the guy loves OW in his heart, I just can't understand why he acts the way he does.

[rev-ed]

Let's keep this discussion to the issues, not to the personalities involved. We've got all the "Trash Robin Miller" threads we need.

Thank you.

[Jim Wilke]

I know the guy loves OW in his heart, I just can't understand why he acts the way he does.

Because


(Sorry, rev)


he's an idiot.

[Truth Detector]

Dave Despain beat RM the old fashioned way.

With facts.

[mnkywrch]

Howard, you're wasting your bites & bytes.

[dog-ring]

mec got his questioned asked......................

[damilt]

Even when Dispain called him out on the mis-reporting of the Texas facts, he didn't seem remorseful. Nor did he print an apology or retraction. And when you go on national television as an expert in your field to be interviewed you think you would at least clean up a little bit. Looked as if he was sitting in his bathrobe and boxers.

I applaud Dave for having a discussion of the "issues" that we are dealing with in open wheel racing. I for one, do not want to see the speeds go back to the 180 mph range. The genie has been let out of the bottle on this one. The fans have experienced the most exciting wheel to wheel racing EVER produced. To take that away and assume you will retain your fans is a bad assumption. I have slowly watched less and less NASCAR because it now seems tired and slow compared to the IndyCar series action of the past three years.

An undertray revision or operable deployable air defusers may help. I do not know the magic answer, but if you take away the speeds you take away the uniqueness of the IRL and it goes away. a scenerio I do not want to see. Try slowing NASCAR down by 10-15% and see how many fans you keep.

Robin seems to want to scare the fans away from the stands for fear the sky is falling. More C^rt fluffing on Mr. Millers part.

[ovals rule]

had to go to work tonight. anyone know if thr shoe gets reaired?

[rev-ed]

3AM Eastern

[slinger]

Originally posted by damilt
Even when Dispain called him out on the mis-reporting of the Texas facts, he didn't seem remorseful. Nor did he print an apology or retraction. And when you go on national television as an expert in your field to be interviewed you think you would at least clean up a little bit. Looked as if he was sitting in his bathrobe and boxers.

I applaud Dave for having a discussion of the "issues" that we are dealing with in open wheel racing. I for one, do not want to see the speeds go back to the 180 mph range. The genie has been let out of the bottle on this one. The fans have experienced the most exciting wheel to wheel racing EVER produced. To take that away and assume you will retain your fans is a bad assumption. I have slowly watched less and less NASCAR because it now seems tired and slow compared to the IndyCar series action of the past three years.

An undertray revision or operable deployable air defusers may help. I do not know the magic answer, but if you take away the speeds you take away the uniqueness of the IRL and it goes away. a scenerio I do not want to see. Try slowing NASCAR down by 10-15% and see how many fans you keep.

Robin seems to want to scare the fans away from the stands for fear the sky is falling. More C^rt fluffing on Mr. Millers part.

NASCAR is running 20 mph slower than the track records at Daytona and Talladega and it hasn't hurt the attendance or the TV ratings one bit. The IRL doesn't want to go as fast as they are now. It's only a question of how much they'll be slowed down. Also, Miller is dead right about what will happen if a car gets into the stands and kills spectators. That will be the end of OW racing and anything like it.

[RacerX]

I liked when dave said robin did work for cart and robin looked like he was ready to find a rock to hide under!

I also liked when robin said every IRL fan in the indy area has only been a fan of Open wheeled racing for 6-7 years! (slam) Meaning that every IRL fan is new to racing including me(who lives in CT and is 25!) who has watched every irl race, most cart races since the mid-80's, and almost every sprint car(wing/non wing) race since jeff gordon drove the diet pepsi car!

I see that Robin bought his Outfit at one of Rev. Al Sharpton's yard sale's! I guess Al kept the gold chains and medallions!

[everyindysince70]

Expect to see more public dress downs of our friend RM.

He and the editor of the ESPN RPM web page are in a very uncomfortable position. The only people that read his stuff are hardcore open wheel fans and industry insiders.

Both RM and the Editor of the RPM web page will get a lot of negative feedback on the flame of the article RM wrote the day after Renna's death. The blatently false info like the engine and tranny in the stands at Texas was inappropriate in that article. The picture of dozens of children putting their hands through a fence to get autographs (I presume at Indy in the pits) with a title right above FANS IN DANGER is unforgiveable in the industry .

The message of the article is correct. Everyone in the industry needs to look closely at ways to keep the cars on the ground. But as this forum has helped teach me, it is not what you say as much as how you say it. And RM rpm article is a perfect example of that. That same article is also a case study of the importance of when you say something. To state that no one in the IRL family cares about safety literally 24 hours after the crash and while everyone is in shock and grief over this thing shows the true character of RM and the Editor in charge of the RPM web sight. Clear as day to everyone in the industry-- except maybe the most zealot CART fan..

It is obvious, the politics of open wheel racing clouded RM's judgement as well as editors on content and timing. The racing industry needs to correct this problem. Great job to Dave Despain for taking the first steps tonight!