Forsythe Blasts Pit Crew
Champ Car team owner Jerry Forsythe has excoriated his pit crew for an error that cost Paul Tracy a potential victory in last weekend's Molson Indy Toronto
Tracy was leading his hometown race despite a broken front wing when he aborted a planned pit visit at the last instant - and promptly ran out of fuel on the start/finish straight.
Tracy took the split-second decision to stay out because a full-course yellow had just been declared, temporarily 'closing' the pits. Had he pitted in those circumstances he would have been sent to the back of the field by race officials, unless they judged that he was already committed to the pitlane and could not safely change course.
But Forsythe was furious that the team didn't take the decision to call him in anyway - apparently because they didn't realise he wouldn't have enough fuel to complete another lap.
"It was a ridiculous error on the part of our crew, running Paul out of fuel," Forsythe told the Edmonton Journal. "That's so embarrassing (and) totally uncalled for."
Forsythe warned the crew that he would not tolerate a repetition of the Toronto debacle.
"I read them the riot act on Sunday," he said. "If this happens again, there will be a whole new crew in that stand.
"It better never happen again. This is the second time. The first time was one too many. This cannot happen, not from the calibre of team we have.
"This is not a weekend stint; it is a full-time job. Team members get paid handsomely. There is no room for error. No excuses. All they can do is hang their heads low. They all feel sorry but it doesn't get us a win back."
Tracy's Toronto DNF was costly in the championship stakes, turning a one-point advantage heading into the race into a 15-point deficit to arch-rival Sebastien Bourdais.
About this article
| Series | General |
| Author | Alex Sabine |
LEGO Ferrari 488 GTE
Why Campos Never Made It Into Formula 1
The F1 and Indy 'nearly man' that found contentment in Japan
Having had the door to F1 slammed in his face and come within three laps of winning the Indianapolis 500, the collapse of a Peugeot LMP1 shot meant Japan was Bertrand Baguette's last chance of a career. But it's one which he has grasped with both hands
The female all-rounder who arrived "too early"
From Formula 3 to truck racing, Dakar and EuroNASCAR via a winning stint in the DTM, there's not much Ellen Lohr hasn't seen in a stellar racing career that highlights the merit in being a generalist. But she believes her career came too early...
How Radical's latest machines fare on track
The lightweight sportscar manufacturer has not rewritten the rulebook with its latest machines, but the new SR3 XX and SR10 still provide a step forward on its previous successful models
The real-life racing rogues stranger than fiction
The forthcoming Netflix film linking the world of underworld crime and motorsport plays on a theme that isn't exactly new. Over the years, several shady figures have attempted to make it in racing before their dubious dealings caught up with them
How a GP is thriving in a COVID-free territory
The New Zealand Grand Prix's mix of rising talent and big-name stars thrilled the crowds (yes, remember crowds?) assembled for the Toyota Racing Series meeting at Hampton Downs last weekend and left distant observers craving a repeat
How a much-changed Macau GP kept the party going
OPINION: The 67th edition of the Macau Grand Prix might have been a largely muted affair to the outside world without its international influx and star line-ups, another victim to the COVID-19 pandemic, but organisers deserve huge credit for keeping the party going
Engineer's view: Motorsport's revolutionary braking tool
Although brake pressure and temperature logging is commonplace, measuring and understanding braking performance hasn't been so straightforward. But that's about to change following the introduction of a groundbreaking new sensor
The high-tech materials helping Renault in its F1 rise
The Renault F1 team is at the vanguard of innovative solutions pushing development of the V6 turbo hybrid engine rules, embracing the full potential of material science in its bid to get back to the top
