IRL, Cart, F1 What´s the difference

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JRod
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IRL, Cart, F1 What´s the difference

Post by JRod »

I just read something on cart failing in the past few years which if you new something about that type of racing makes sense.
<BR>
<BR>Anyway I was just wondering what´s the difference and what is to make of it now.
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<BR>I know the IRL and Cart at one point were the same league (I don´t remember what it was). And that they used to race at Indy 500 amoung other places. But the two split and to an below average race watcher I could never understand what one was which. I do know that the Indy 500 from my perspective in the past 6 years of so has gone from one of the premier racing events that the general public got excited about but now is more of niche race event where as Daytona seemed to take over that spot. And the split caused some drivers not to go to Indy.
<BR>
<BR>F1 i think that´s what they call it in europe and that´s the style where shumaker participates in. They race all over the world.
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<BR>So are any of my fact correct and I´m interested in this answer.
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<BR>Is IRL healthy again? My only perspective like I said was the Indy 500 where years ago it was like what Daytona is today. It was the racing event everybody was watching and the media swooned over it much like they do know over Daytona.
<BR>
<BR>I´m sure I´m completely wrong and I have no idea what I´m talking about.
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IRL, Cart, F1 What´s the difference

Post by DChaps »

Ok, I will try to give you some info on CART and the IRL , at least as it pertains to the split and the confusion.
<BR>
<BR>First official season for CART was 1979 and was started by the owners of the main teams that were competing in what was called at the time, Indycar racing. Previous to CART, USAC ran a loosely organized championship that included the Indy 500. The CART organization and the Indianapolis Motor Speedway were at odds on this setup from the get go, but besides 1 year, the Indy 500 was part of the CART championship schedule. Up until 1996, CART was what you would have heard referred to as Indycar racing. In fact, prior to 1996, I rarely remember the term CART being used by fans. Back then you would hear people say I am an Indycar racing fan, and there was no confusion about it.
<BR>
<BR>The pinnacle season for CART was probably 1993 when reining F1 champ Nigel Mansell came to run for the Newman Haas team. He won the series in his first try. That year attendance and TV ratings were the highest they had ever been for the series. The Indy 500 took a 9.3 share and TV ratings for Nascar were not even close to most of the Indycar racing events.
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<BR>In 1996, the owner of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway started a new all oval open wheel racing series(IRL) that of course included the Indy 500. The schedule was setup to overlap with CART events leading up to the Indy 500 and a 25/8 rules were implemented stating that the first 25 positions at the Indy 500 would be reserved for those teams running in the IRL, the last 8 would be up for grabs. This forced the hands of the CART team owners and they decided to run their own "500" at Michigan the same weekend as the Indy 500.
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<BR>So, as of 1996, the majority of the teams and drivers that you may have known as "Indycar" racing in the 80´s and early 90´s were in CART.
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<BR>CART contiuned to run a combination of road courses, street circuits, and ovals, but the ovals contiunued to diminish as attendance was down at those venues.
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<BR>After a few years away from "the greatest spectacle in racing" CART wised up and stopped trying to compete directly with the Indy 500. However, by then the formulas for CART and the IRL were completely changed, thus only the high end CART teams could afford to maintain CART and IRL teams. In 2000, Target Chip Ganassi racing came back to the Indy 500 with former CART champs Juan Montoya and Jimmy Vasser. Montoya won and this sounded the start of the end for CART.
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<BR>In 2001 Michael Andretti and Team Penske (10 time Indy 500 winners from the 70´s, 80´s, and 90´s) also ran the Indy 500. Team Penske went 1-2, and CART teams and drivers took the top 5 positions. Towards the end of the year it was announced that Penske(one of the CART founders) would move from CART to the IRL full time.
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<BR>Penske won the 500 again in 2002 and 2003, and for the 2003 season the Target Chip Ganassi and Andretti Green racing teams also came over to the IRL from CART full time. Scott Dixon driving for Ganassi took the title last year in the IRL.
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<BR>So as of 2004, bascially most of the teams and drivers that you may have known as CART are now in the IRL full time.
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<BR>IRL is still currently an all oval racing series, but that will probably change a little in the next couple years now that CART is dead and gone.
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<BR>It would take months to describe all the stupid moves that CART management made over the years after the split that led to its demise, but suffice to say they went bankrupt and their remaining assets were acquired by OWRS early this year. Who knows exactly what will happen at this point? Hopefully, at some point the IRL will add long time CART road courses like Laguna Seca, Road America, and Mid-Ohio. There has even been talk of street circuits like Long Beach and the Canada courses being added if OWRS is unable to continue at those locations.
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<BR>PS - As a side note, the Indy 500 was part of the F1 championship for awhile in the 50´s and the 60´s, altghough most of the main F1 drivers and teams skipped it. In the early 60´s Colin Chapman brought his F1 Lotus team and driver Jimmy Clark to the Indy 500. They won it in 1965(Clark) and 1966(Hill).

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IRL, Cart, F1 What´s the difference

Post by davet010 »

F1 is the one run by a corrupt dwarf and the son of a Neo-Nazi, which is so dependent on the advertising largesse of cancer sticks that it is gradually forsaking its European origins for ludicrous courses in the middle of nowhere, and where the owners of third rate teams expect free engines from the more well off teams to allow them to better compete against them.
<BR>
<BR>Oh, and it accidentally made Villeneuve junior look like a good driver.
<BR>
<BR>Allegedly
<BR>
<BR> <IMG SRC="images/forum/icons/icon_wink.gif">
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IRL, Cart, F1 What´s the difference

Post by pk500 »

Don and Dave:
<BR>
<BR>Very good assessments!
<BR>
<BR>I´ll add a basic primer with no opinion, as it´s impossible for me to stay neutral:
<BR>
<BR><p><b>IRL</b>
<BR>Engines: Normally aspirated V8, 650 HP
<BR>Fuel: Methanol
<BR>Top Speed: 230 mph
<BR>Circuits: Long and short ovals
<BR>Countries: U.S., Japan
<BR>Races on 2004 Schedule: 16
<BR>Tires: Slicks
<BR>Build or Buy Cars, Engines: Buy
<BR>Top Drivers: Sam Hornish Jr., Helio Castroneves, Scott Dixon, Tony Kanaan, Dario Franchitti, Dan Wheldon, Tomas Scheckter, Scott Sharp
<BR>
<BR><p><b>CART</b>
<BR>Engines: Turbocharged V8, 700 HP
<BR>Fuel: Methanol
<BR>Top Speed: 225 mph
<BR>Circuits: Natural road courses, street circuits, long oval (Fontana), short oval (Milwaukee)
<BR>Countries: North America, Mexico, Australia, may return to Europe
<BR>Races on 2004 schedule: ??? (schedule not set)
<BR>Tires: Slicks
<BR>Build or Buy Cars, Engines: Buy
<BR>Top Drivers: Paul Tracy, Sebastian Bourdais, Bruno Junqueira
<BR>
<BR><p><b>F1</b>
<BR>Engines: Normally aspirated V-10, 900 HP
<BR>Fuel: Racing gasoline
<BR>Top Speed: 220 mph
<BR>Circuits: Natural road courses, street circuit (Monaco), combo oval-infield circuit (Indy)
<BR>Countries: Worldwide
<BR>Races on 2004 schedule: 18
<BR>Tires: Grooved
<BR>Build or Buy Cars, Engines: Build
<BR>Top Drivers: Michael Schumacher, Juan Pablo Montoya, Kimi Raikkonen, Fernando Alonso
<BR>
<BR>Hope this helps.
<BR>
<BR>Take care,
<BR>PK<BR><BR><font size=1>[ This message was edited by: pk500 on 04-03-2004 08:35 ]</font>
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IRL, Cart, F1 What´s the difference

Post by BBReBozo »

<!-- BBCode Quote Start --><TABLE BORDER=0 ALIGN=CENTER WIDTH=85%><TR><TD><font size=-1>Quote:</font><HR></TD></TR><TR><TD><FONT SIZE=-1><BLOCKQUOTE>
<BR>On 2004-03-04 08:06, davet010 wrote:
<BR>F1 is the one run by a corrupt dwarf and the son of a Neo-Nazi, which is so dependent on the advertising largesse of cancer sticks that it is gradually forsaking its European origins for ludicrous courses in the middle of nowhere, and where the owners of third rate teams expect free engines from the more well off teams to allow them to better compete against them.
<BR>
<BR>Oh, and it accidentally made Villeneuve junior look like a good driver.
<BR>
<BR>Allegedly
<BR>
<BR> <IMG SRC="images/forum/icons/icon_wink.gif">
<BR></BLOCKQUOTE></FONT></TD></TR><TR><TD><HR></TD></TR></TABLE><!-- BBCode Quote End -->
<BR>
<BR>BEST. POST. EVER.
but really, this is 2004, and nearly everything is considered to be gay now

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DChaps
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IRL, Cart, F1 What´s the difference

Post by DChaps »

Hilarious Dave! I wish I had the wit and writing style you have. In a couple sentences you did more than I could do in like 10 paragraphs. Well done!

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IRL, Cart, F1 What´s the difference

Post by wco81 »

They had a report on F1 on NPR this afternoon.
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<BR>Second most watched sport after soccer, some 600 million people each week!
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<BR>It´s awash in tobacco money, particularly American tobacco ($300 million a year and 189 million pounds from Euro. tobacco) which has found an advertising venue as it´s rooted out of American sports.
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<BR>The Marlboro man can´t be seen at baseball stadia so he´s moved over to F1. Even NASCAR is reportedly dropping tobacco sponsorships.

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