Grapevine: Da Matta Saddened by CART Problems

CART champion Cristiano da Matta fears the U.S. series risks returning to the old days when it had only a handful of top drivers and teams.

"I am very sad about the way Champ Cars (CART) is going," the Brazilian said at the Circuit de Catalunya today during testing with his new Formula One team Toyota. "The only real motor sport there is in America today is Champ Cars. IRL (Indy Racing League) is a good series and getting better in everything but it is only ovals.

"For Americans it is a good series...but if you look at it from the world point of view I don't think a guy from Europe or Australia or Japan will want to go to America to race IRL. CART is such a good series because the equipment is so similar and teams are (at a) very high level.

"Now many teams and the drivers are leaving so I think the series will go back in time a bit to what it was like in the late 1980's and early 1990's where there were a few good drivers and teams."

Michael Andretti, the biggest name in American motorsport and the most successful driver in CART history, has bought his own team and defected to the IRL.

Team owner Roger Penske went over last year and Chip Ganassi, who has run four of the last six CART series winners, is also entering two cars in the Indianapolis-based IRL. Da Matta has left, as has Brazilian Christian Fittipaldi and Scotland's Dario Franchitti.

"I feel very sad about it because for drivers, for every professional that is involved, you want to be involved in F1 or CART but now there is a lot less opportunity for everybody," said da Matta.

"But I have a lot of confidence in the CART president, I think he has done a very good job this year from what was put in his hands. He has already improved it a lot. Next year is definitely a crucial year for the series but I just hope for the best because it is such a better series than anything else in the United States."