204 replies to this topic

[LuckyStrike1]

F1: million dollar machine to train neck muscles.

Indycar:  stick lead weights on helmet.

 

Gotta love it.

 

You don't think putting weight in a helmet and go go-karting in a race kart is a universal training exercise for racing drivers building neck muscles? Beats being in a gym and one thing doesn't exclude the other. 

[OfficeLinebacker]

Well, 23rd at Dover last night, back to his old ways then. He seemed quite useful in a NASCAR for a few weeks after he got the notice from Ganassi and was looking for a new job. After the Penske Indycar contract he's clearly back in his comfort-zone where he's been for the last few years. I do hope the Penske organization will be able to motivate him to utilize his huge talent. He is clearly not one to listen to others and has wasted a lot of what could have been a great carreer, but hopefully Mr. Penske can manipulate him to have some really good last seasons in an open-wheeler..

I think you (and others) oversimplify things.  I listen in on his team's radio frequency and his attitude never changes.  He always wants to win.

 

You'll conveniently forget that his team elected to take two tyres on the first pit stop, which vaulted him from 14th to 4th on the track.  On the restart, he came like a bat out of hell and was running 2nd at the end of the first green flag lap.  

 

After that the handling went away and he believed he had a shock problem.  Because of the really long green flag runs, he lost multiple laps and couldn't make them up, resulting in a 23rd place finish.

 

If you think he's just making up the numbers, or really ever has, you're flat out wrong.  Even when he's multiple laps down, he always asks what other cars are on his lap, so he knows what positions he can still race for, and discusses what kinds of strategies they can use to get laps back or avoid going more laps down.

 

I've seem some thrilling races he's done, where he's banging doors with a guy to fight for some position in the mid-20s, multiple laps down, because he is that competitive.

[OfficeLinebacker]

Here's how Montoya is training today:

 

http://instagram.com/p/e4o6vWNXhw/

 

[Hans V]

I think you (and others) oversimplify things.  I listen in on his team's radio frequency and his attitude never changes.  He always wants to win.

 

You'll conveniently forget that his team elected to take two tyres on the first pit stop, which vaulted him from 14th to 4th on the track.  On the restart, he came like a bat out of hell and was running 2nd at the end of the first green flag lap.  

 

After that the handling went away and he believed he had a shock problem.  Because of the really long green flag runs, he lost multiple laps and couldn't make them up, resulting in a 23rd place finish.

 

If you think he's just making up the numbers, or really ever has, you're flat out wrong.  Even when he's multiple laps down, he always asks what other cars are on his lap, so he knows what positions he can still race for, and discusses what kinds of strategies they can use to get laps back or avoid going more laps down.

 

I've seem some thrilling races he's done, where he's banging doors with a guy to fight for some position in the mid-20s, multiple laps down, because he is that competitive.

I do believe he has talent and car controll to be a top-notch NASCAR driver. After a couple of years he should have been right up there. After seven years he's just an also-ran, and it's embarrasing for a guy With his talent. So what went wrong? If it's not his motivation it has to be the team or how the team and he interacts. The team may not be among the best, but he should have notched up the occasional oval-win. Without bothering checking statistics I believe his team-mates have performed better. I also suspect he's not very good at setting up the car or communicate how he wants it. Anyway, I'm really looking forward to see him in the Penske.  

[whitewaterMkII]

So what went wrong?

No stability
Sabates/Ganassi/DEI or whatever iteration of the year Fatassi came up with.
No only has ganassi changed his crate engine suppliers every two years, he's lost a bunch of sponsors to other teams.
When you have teams like Hendricks, Gibbs, Childress and Penske to contend with you are up against the best in the business, and sadly that left Montoya to be firmly outside the top ten every week and fight for scraps. If Montoya had run the way he has when he was in a Henricks car, I'd agree that he sucked in NASCAR. That hasn't been the case however. If he wasn't such a positive guy, I'm sure he would voice embarrassment. Frankly, I look forward to when he is fully retired so he can finally put it down how it really was at MacLaren and Williams, and what his overall view on his NASCAR experience is. He's not a guy to burn bridges, so I'd like to have someone hand him a torch when there is no reason any longer any bridges he may need to cross again.