[AlvinKarpis]

Originally Posted by The Dark ↗

Not that I have any real affinity for Franchitt

I have none, I hate that pretty boy who drives with a computer instead of raw skill and talent

If he was racing in the 70s and 80s he would have never won the Indy 500 even once

I will take that statement to the bank and still be able to make a large cash withdrawal on it with the standard 3 day hold on checks waived

[The Dark]

Oh I undoubtedly agree, he's won 3 times, and each of them has masses of luck involved, from being the only car still to pit in 2007 when it began raining, to being close to running out of fuel in 2010 and a fortuitous yellow caused when someone else ran out allowed him to smuggle across the line on fumes to avoiding a> the crash into something solid in the pit lane and b>Sato taking him out this year he's certainly never going to be accused of having "Andretti Luck" at IMS.

Oddly enough I saw him win his 1st oval race at Rockingham 2002, he had a lucky strategy then as well!

On the flip side he does have to put up with Ashley Judd everyday, so he's paying a steep price!

He has however lost 2 very good friends to Motor Racing and that has to be very hard to deal with, especially in this day & age of very good survival chances.

[jeremycrpntr]

Originally Posted by windowlicker ↗

Would have been nice to see Sato win....

Sato took part in 92 GP'S with a best result of 3rd in the 2004 US GP.

I like Sato a lot. He's a helluva driver, and I was impressed with how nice of a guy he really is. Most of the asian (and I don't mean this badly or not being stereotypical, I think its just the cultural gap) drivers I'd met before @ Indy weren't all that friendly. I mean, they weren't asses, just not friendly either. Takuma is a very personable guy. Here are a couple pics from my seats of his crashed car, with my crappy little camera.

[jeremycrpntr]

Originally Posted by The Dark ↗

Not that I have any real affinity for Franchitti, but I feel he gave Sato just enough space to have a crash

Plus I think it was somewhat "written" that one of Wheldon's friends was going to win (I'd have preferred Kanaan honestly).

Not trying to debate, but as a driver myself (not indy car lol) I can see things much differently. Franchitti gave him NO room, which caused him to wreck. I have spun myself out before as well, when someone has pinched me down... As a driver, especially last lap of the Indy 500 going for the win, you try whatever you can to keep from wrecking. Franchitti pinched him down and gave him no room, which a driver will "put more wheel into it" to try to stay off of, or keep from making contact with the other car, which in an Indy Car would be a definite wreck. In a closed wheel car, such as a stock car, Franchitti would not have gotten by with that. Sato would have put a door on him for not giving him room, and used the old theory "8 wheels turns better than 4"! It would have knocked Dario up in the marbles and HE would have wrecked. I know Dario was doing whatever he could to win the Indy 500, but HE wrecked Sato, even though he never touched him!

[jeremycrpntr]

Originally Posted by jeremycrpntr ↗

Not trying to debate, but as a driver myself (not indy car lol) I can see things much differently. Franchitti gave him NO room, which caused him to wreck. I have spun myself out before as well, when someone has pinched me down... As a driver, especially last lap of the Indy 500 going for the win, you try whatever you can to keep from wrecking. Franchitti pinched him down and gave him no room, which a driver will "put more wheel into it" to try to stay off of, or keep from making contact with the other car, which in an Indy Car would be a definite wreck. In a closed wheel car, such as a stock car, Franchitti would not have gotten by with that. Sato would have put a door on him for not giving him room, and used the old theory "8 wheels turns better than 4"! It would have knocked Dario up in the marbles and HE would have wrecked. I know Dario was doing whatever he could to win the Indy 500, but HE wrecked Sato, even though he never touched him!

Sorry meant to put: When the driver "puts more wheel in it" it causes the car to become loose (or oversteer) and the ass snaps around on you. You can see Sato start inching ever closer to Dario before spinning, and he felt this and turned the car even more trying not to make contact. I've also door-slammed guys for pinching me down, which is my instinct id someone wants to race me like that. I wouldn't make a good open wheel driver. That whole no contact thing would kill me!

[lp199th]

Originally Posted by jeremycrpntr ↗

Not trying to debate, but as a driver myself (not indy car lol) I can see things much differently. Franchitti gave him NO room, which caused him to wreck. I have spun myself out before as well, when someone has pinched me down... As a driver, especially last lap of the Indy 500 going for the win, you try whatever you can to keep from wrecking. Franchitti pinched him down and gave him no room, which a driver will "put more wheel into it" to try to stay off of, or keep from making contact with the other car, which in an Indy Car would be a definite wreck. In a closed wheel car, such as a stock car, Franchitti would not have gotten by with that. Sato would have put a door on him for not giving him room, and used the old theory "8 wheels turns better than 4"! It would have knocked Dario up in the marbles and HE would have wrecked. I know Dario was doing whatever he could to win the Indy 500, but HE wrecked Sato, even though he never touched him!

Did anything illegal happen in that first turn that might have disqualified Franchitti?

[jeremycrpntr]

Originally Posted by lp199th ↗

Did anything illegal happen in that first turn that might have disqualified Franchitti?

Not really. The only thing that happened that he could have even been reprimanded for was the way he blocked him going down the frontstretch. In open wheel cars blocking is illegal, cuz u can't just bump someone blocking u like u can in a stock or closed fendered car. It's the last lap of the Indy 500... Anything goes, pretty much! That doesn't mean it's right. It wasn't "dirty", but it wasn't clean on Dario's part either, in my eyes. For the rest of my life I will say Dario wrecked him, even though he never touched him. It's racing, and was an amazing finish. I was REALLY pulling for Sato. Franchitti is an arrogant ass, and his wife is one of the biggest bitches I've ever met (and I RARELY use that word describing a female unless they REALLY deserve it)...

[windowlicker]

Michael Schumacher's practice crash at the 2001 Australian GP 2001. Michael went on to win the race and the Championship, with nine race wins over the season.

[windowlicker]

The start of the Australian GP 2002, Ralf Schumacher crashes his Williams into and over the back of Ruben Barrichello's Ferrari.

[windowlicker]

Takuma Sato's huge crash with Nick Heidfeld at the Austrian GP 2002.

Heidfeld lost control of his Sauber under braking and smashed into Sato's Jordan-Honda with an impact hard enough to punch a hole in the side of Takuma's cockpit. Sato suffered minor concussion, but no lasting injury.