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.
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