Champ Car Rant

Farewell Champ Car Rant

Ed Donath invites you to read and comment about his Op/Ed commentary.

Ed Donath

Champ Car Blog
 

Cairo, NY -- With the big Six-Oh looming large, half of my life has been lived in devotion to our beloved speed sport as CART and as the Champ Car World Series.

 

Growing up in stickball land my early sports heroes were New York baseball and football legends.  However, once I saw that B&W Indy 500 Highlights movie newsreel in the early Sixties I knew more about open-wheel racing than 99.4% of all New Yorkers then and now.

 

Mickey Mantle, Willy Mays and Y.A. Tittle have been out of the picture for a very long time and with their departure my interest in stick-and-ball sports turned casual at best.  If you put a gun to my head today I might be able to name four or five of the current Yankee squad but would get shot if you demanded any more.

 

Realistically speaking, the Champ Cars are also gone and, like the Brooklyn Dodgers and NY Giants, they ain't never comin' back.  Unfortunately, no reasonable facsimile or substitute will ever take hold and there's no "wait 'til next year" to embrace during the off season.

 

Like many of you, I've been kidding myself since Kaptain Kangaroo and the Speedway inheritor perpetrated their merger scam.  But it has been in the hope that there might be some alternative truth.

 

Although I've stayed around long enough to know -- for sure -- that the demise of open-wheel racing's bastard child is also at hand, the acquisition of that knowledge does nothing to alter reality.

 

"More power to you," I say to anyone who wants to give it a whirl and even to those who just want to linger long enough to confirm whether my opinion is correct.  Just the same, Don Quixote's name is synonymous with yours' at this point.

 

To paraphrase a line from Rick Nelson's final hit before a plane crash claimed his life, "If memories were all I wrote I'd rather drive a truck." 

 

So, while there are fond memories to last me the rest of my lifetime, from now on the rants of this renegade scribe will be devoted exclusively to subject matter that is based in the present.

 

 

To fellow Champ Car fans around the world, especially my dearest friends in Canada, Germany, the UK, Australia, New Zealand, Brazil and the USA (you know who you are), my heartfelt thanks to you for your continued readership, support and feedback.

 

I cordially invite everyone to visit my Political Blog from time to time.  Your comments, pro or con, will always be appreciated. In any case I'll be as easy to find and communicate with as ever, so please stay in touch.

 

Keep remembering the aroma of methanol and the sound of those wonderful screaming turbos.  Keep hating the splitter for his selfishness and stupidity.  Keep remembering the greats.  Try to forget the ingrates.

 

So long.

 

 

Racong Rants Archive

 

© Copyright Ed Donath

December 24, 2008

All rights reserved.

 

ADD A COMMENT...

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READER COMMENTS...

My comments are more credible when I include my name?

Ok, my name is Ehud Gavron.

My comments are more credible when I include my geographical location?

Ok, I live in unincorporated Pima County, north of the City of Tucson, in Arizona, part of the desert southwest of the United States of America, in the continent of North America, on the planet Earth, third planet from the star known as Sol in the galaxy self-designated The Milky Way.  

I have read your rants for ages, and sometimes didn't even realize I was reading a rant, because I was being provided good information, honest opinion, and a fair analysis.  During those times I felt richer for the experience.  Both you and Pat have a flair (that's quite a bit more than a talent) and when you're "on" you're "ON!"

Champ Car and CART are gone.  Just like Anne Tremko, we must all move on with our lives.

I'll miss your input, but of course will continue to read the political stuff.  I can't wait for things to get interesting.  After all, soon we'll have a president who knows about separation of powers, the three estates, and how to spell the word "constitution."

Best Christmas wishes to you.

Ehud
Tucson AZ USA EARTH SOLAR SYSTEM MILKY WAY GALAXY

[Anne Tremko, astronomical references -- both universal and to my friend paper-- political analysis and a religious holiday reference all in just a few short lines.  When I grow up I want to be a Renaissance Man too. Best wishes for a happy, healthy, prosperous New Year. -Ed]

Ed
Thanks.
From one fan from the sixties to another, it's been fun...........
As long as the iDioT gRAnDsOn has a hand in American racing, the "HATE" will live on.  Here's to hoping a "Phoenix" will rise from the ashes.
 

MDH
Northeast Wisconsin

[It has been my pleasure.  Hey, a Tucson has already risen -- a Phoenix could be next. -Ed]

My name is Brian and I have a drinking problem?    What?  Oh....wrong meeting....sorry.

My location?  At the bottom or a frozen snow bank in freezing frickken Manitoba.  Yup...Canuckland.  Anyone have a donut?

I'll miss your "rants" Ed.  I'm not much into the political stuff aside from what I learn from Jon Steward or the Colbert Report.  But I'll check in every now and then.

And if I do make it back to NY anytime soon, I will be calling you up for that cabbie's tour of the big city   :)

Cheers!  Stay warm, and have a great Christmas and holiday season.

Brian

Hey Ed,

Although I will miss your takes on the current OW mess, I agree with your advice to not forget the "memories". The Smell of methanol, and the sound of those screaming turbos.

We all have those and stg and the rest of those clowns cannot take that away from us.

Take care,

Ronbo
Pacific Northwest

So you are about to become a member of Sixties Nation (I joined in 2008).  Have you re-set your teevee remote so that when you flick it on, the Weather Channel appears?  That's the first law of Sixties Nation.

Many things have gone that ain't never coming back. Formula One disappeared in 1993 when Prost retired and sank forever when Senna was killed.  Stock Car Racing, save for club racers and Speed World Challenge, vanished about 40 years ago.  The Daytona 24 Hours disappeared when an ALMS GT2 Porsche won overall and the format had to be changed to prevent that ever happening again (but not before Harry Bytzek aged 70 came in 6th overall in a Porsche EVO deemed too frail for Le Mans when it was built in 1995 (I think).  NHL hockey vanished for good with the Lockout, as Baseball vanished along with the Montreal team into the maw of Greed as Millionaires lined up vs. Billionaires and millions of people discovered futbol and rugby and joined beer leagues.

But we had all these things when they were worth having, and we have our memories.  Just like us Pioneer Trekkies who saw Star Trek before it was syndicated -- and us Doctor Who pioneers who were there in 1963 ... we members of Sixties Nation have a heritage that even our kids will never understand.

Good Luck with the Future and don't quit writing!

Kate Shaw
Toronto

[In my Sixties Nation it's do-it-yourself weather forecasting (amateur meteorologist w/computer software).  Otherwise I pretty much agree with you, Ms. Shaw, although I've never cared for Star Trek or Dr. Who.  I will definitely keep writing and could re-create Champ Car Rants if the best-case scenario ever becomes reality. Thanks for your input! -Ed]

It has been my pleasure and honor to have had the chance to read your insightful comments.  I too have followed the sport since 1961 and feel like I have lost a member of the family with the demise of CC.

Good luck and keep penning.

Ange
Rochester, NY

[Thanks Ange.  I'll keep penning if you'll keep snapping. -Ed]

As representative for the german crappie faction i thank you cordially for your rants-n-reports about our (killed) beloved racing series and also for your clear and honest words about the f-inheritor and his pathetic "racing" series.

You may rest assured that many crappies beyond N.A. had appreciated your writing and my personal kudos to your style! You are able to find the proper and direct (hard) words without stepping over the line. This was (is) especially what i appreciate at most of your work.

If I would be in your shoes I made the same decision because we all, sooner or later, realized that our beloved series is gone for good!

So I'm proud to be a friend of yours and I'm sure you'll enjoy us with new reading stuff when it's on the way to be able to discuss (Greenprix, Atlantics etc.).

Hope I'll manage to realize my planned N.A. trip in 2009 so we can discuss our issues in person and I finally meet you, your family and AXL.

But you stay tuned at crapwagon.com, don't you?

Cordial greetings from (currently deep frozen) Stuttgart, Germany

jorgen (joe)

ps. as mentioned before, english grammar is a "funny" thing for germans, so feel free to correct any mistake i've made in my comment....IF you want to publish this ;-)

[As always, Joe, you done fine.  Grammar is unimportant when you speak from the heart. Thanks.  -Ed]

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