Your Opinion of the New Engine Deal?

[FenderFree]

What say you all?

I say it's the best that could be done given the circumstances and Honda's preferences (preferences meaning 'laws')

[irloyal]

If this is the answer, looks like I'll convert to F1 and Nascar. What a shame the IRL is turning Indianapolis Car racing into a club spec series.

How can any of you think this is a decent alternative? Selling the engines would be fine, but we might as well put a bunch of Accords on the track and randomly assign drivers to 'em. All this is is IROC for open wheel.

[WheelerDealer]

We effectively had only one engine the past two years. If Toyota or Chevy could not pull with the Honda, what difference does it make to have no competition, but multiple engines.

[Indyracin]

When was the last time a real Ford, Chevy or Dodge engine was used in Nascar? They are built by the teams with a name of a manufacturer on them. On TV they are referred to Rousch engines, Hendrick engines, etc. Its not good for advertising and marketing but the racing will sure be alot better. I'd rather have the teams compete rather than the engineers designing the engines(which we never see on TV or would even want to see). The glory days of Indy was when the Offy's dominated the field providing some of the best racing. If I recall, Indy had the closest qualifying grid in history when the field was full of Oldsmobile engines. The IRL and ABC will loose money not having Toyota and Chevy but the fans will benefit the most!

[Doc Austin]

How can any of you think this is a decent alternative?

You mean an alternative to not having any engines at all?

At least be open minded about it long enough to see if it's going to work out. If it's half as successful as the champcar program we will be in for a teriffic year.

This is very strictly a stop gap measure to stabilize the series. If Honda had left, we would have been screwed. This gives the league 3 years to come up with something better.

It's just something new, and very temporary in a very cyclical sport. If we have one motor for a few years, it's alot better than one or two teams having the best motor and the rest having no chance at all. It's alot better to give up the engine wars for a bit in exchange for keeping the sport afloat.

No one in champcar is complaining that their sport was ruined by a solid, reliable, equally assesable engine. In fact, I've never heard a peep of discontent. Champcar has come around to bite the IRL in the butt precisely because they have engine stability.

When cart was around, all I ever heard about was crying that the favored teams got the favored motors. How long did it take Foyt to get a Chevrolet?

The Honda program does away with all of that and engines cease to be an issue of any kind. The alternative, especially within the timeframe, would have been not enough motors.

I supose you could let the independant engine builders take a whack at it, but if you think they have a chance against a Penske now fully armed with ownership of Ilmor, you had better think again. You know, if you let them in you're just asking for someone like Penske to get a really unsurrmountable advantage. 1994 seems to be longer ago than alot of people remember.

Remember when Roger was running the supposed inferior Chevrolets and he still almost won the championship? Helio still won the 500. Want that can of worms opened up again, only this time with nothing to hold Penske back from pouring it on?

[TeePee]

My reaction. I am finished watching the IRL. I'm embarassed to call myself a fan.
I won't spend another cent on the IRL and I'm thinking of throwing out all my souvenirs. This sucks.

[Radny]

Does anyone really care which engine wins the 500 or any other race? I don't. I care about which driver wins. Since the engine was got going in earnest (when Toyota and Honda came in) my favorite series champ has always had a lousy motor. This will give everybody the same motor and we'll find out whose best.

[lutesk]

My reaction. I am finished watching the IRL. I'm embarassed to call myself a fan.
I won't spend another cent on the IRL and I'm thinking of throwing out all my souvenirs. This sucks.

The fact that an American engine manufacturer is not even attempting to compete, in what used to be the greatest race in the world, is wretched.

I feels sorry for those that didn't get to experience the pre-2003 Indy 500.

[Rosco]

I think this deal stinks

[Clefo]

My reaction. I am finished watching the IRL. I'm embarassed to call myself a fan.
I won't spend another cent on the IRL and I'm thinking of throwing out all my souvenirs. This sucks.

Don't let the door hit you on the way out!

Here's my thought. The IRL will still have cars, right? And they'll have engines and steering wheels and the like, right? The cars will go vroom and fast, right? So why the bitching about WHAT the engines are? I got into racing because of the racing itself, not the brand on the engine cowling, and it'll stay that way. I look forward to an exciting IRL season here.

[TeePee]

The fact that an American engine manufacturer is not even attempting to compete, in what used to be the greatest race in the world, is wretched.

I feels sorry for those that didn't get to experience the pre-2003 Indy 500.

I agree. I also never been to the 500, but have many of them on tape. I 'm not going to watch in 2006, as a personal protest. Thanks to it now being a regional series, I can't return to the only two races I could attend. Phoenix and Fontana.
I hate the fact that factory teams were admittedly getting more help. I feel that it doesn't matter what I say, it will go onto deaf ears.

[lutesk]

Don't let the door hit you on the way out!

Clefo, is that really any way to treat an impassioned fan that cares what's happening?

Not dissing on you, but man, this is big time stuff for us here.

[Dizz Fan]

Clearly unpopular here, but the average fan (the one we have too few of) dosen't give a flip about it.

If Honda brings stability, even short term to teams and drivers, it's a good thing. The future should be interesting. Something tells me Roger Penkse is getting wealthy on this deal. I hope the league does as well.

Dizz Fan

[Clefo]

Clearly unpopular here, but the average fan (the one we have too few of) dosen't give a flip about it.

^ Pretty much what I was gonna say.

[Doc Austin]

Clefo, is that really any way to treat an impassioned fan that cares what's happening?

He's impassioned with a grand total of 20 posts?