Marty's Version Of Events
By Andrew Cutler
October 19 2008
Marty Roth, who has quit the IndyCar Series and is trying to sell his team, is clearly peeved at the IRL management. In an interview for www.wheels.ca, a website based in his hometown of Toronto, he confirms the rumor that the league essentially told him that they didn't want him driving anymore.
October 19 2008
Marty Roth, who has quit the IndyCar Series and is trying to sell his team, is clearly peeved at the IRL management. In an interview for www.wheels.ca, a website based in his hometown of Toronto, he confirms the rumor that the league essentially told him that they didn't want him driving anymore.
Here is a link to the article:
http://www.wheels.ca/Article%20Category/article/419845
I feel that a few comments are in order here. It is of course perfectly okay for the writer to be a fan of Roth and to paint him in the best light possible, but there are certian facts that he overlooked that I believe need mentioning here.
First of all, he claims that Marty finished with a higher championship points total than fifteen other participants. What he neglected to mention that all of them were running limited, part-time schedules - not the full season like Roth did (minus Watkins Glen): In fact, five of these fifteen only made one appearance in '08. Furthermore, there were two drivers with fewer race weekends under their belts for '08 who still managed to outscore him.
Secondly, of the sixteen race weekends that Roth showed up for, he failed to keep the car in one peice long enough to even qualify for four of them, and he crashed out of six of the races that he did participate in.
In my opinion, while the IRL should have clearly stated that it was his driving skills - or lack thereof - that precipitated the attempt to "kick him upstairs", out of the cockpit & into the manager's chair, they were well within their right to ask him to do what they felt was best for his safety and that of the other drivers. Therefore, I feel the writer's assertion that the league owes Roth an apology to be without merit.
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StumbleuponMarty's Version Of Events
Posted by: Indy Racing League (IP Logged)
Date: 19/10/2008 03:41
Marty's Version Of Events
Re: Marty's Version Of Events
Posted by: gturner (IP Logged)
Date: 20/10/2008 01:31
If what Marty said is true, then I actually have a problem with the IRL allowing him to run at Indy, Toronto, and "a bunch of ovals." The guy wasn't safe on almost any track and should have simply took his license. He apparently forgets that the IRL is resposible for deciding who gets to drive in their racing series, not wealthy amateur racers with an inflatted sense of their own abilities. Furthermore, the "owner demographic" is full of people just like him, aging racers who either are past their prime or found that their talent peaked at too low a level to continue driving. Imagine if Roger Penske had been as stubborn about his driving as Marty is.
Re: Marty's Version Of Events
Posted by: TheContrarian (IP Logged)
Date: 05/11/2008 23:50
Well, it sounds kind of like the IRL may have gone about it the wrong way. I do agree they need to keep tight controls on who they let race, to ensure the safety of the drivers and spectators.
He should step aside and work with the promoter and get a solid budget and put someone like Andrew Ranger in the car. Why that very talented young man is stuck in stock cars is beyond me.
He should step aside and work with the promoter and get a solid budget and put someone like Andrew Ranger in the car. Why that very talented young man is stuck in stock cars is beyond me.
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