Sort of wish he hadn't done that. :(
I wonder why he signed on for the ovals as well. Hopefully he doesn't regret. He should have done the rest of the races, and race at Le Mans.
I like Rubens. I wish him the best. And I hope he stays safe. Indy cars are not built like F1... I hope he (or worse,.. his family) never regrets his choice.
All I'm saying is that Indy cars (the series as well as the cars) is not on a par now with what it was when Nige came over. In fact, it is inferior in every way that matters. Also, Mansell was near the peak of his skills at that time, whereas, RB....not so much. I think it's an attempt to keep a career going that would be better left to go out with dignity intact. He has nothing to prove and is most likely well set up financially. I admire his racer instinct and desire, but I think this is a mistake.
Personally I would have done Le Mans and Le Mans Series, but that's me... To compete in the Indy 500 is of course also on the list if I had the skills.
Yeah....I agree with all of you. If I was offered an indy test and was good enough to be offered a drive, I'd knock it back too. *shakes head*
Most likely the biggest Rubens fan on this forum, let me throw in my .02 I am Stoked! Why hang up the boots if you still like to race? Sure he could have gone to DTM or ALMS, but if he has the opportunity to Run the Indy 500 why not do it? Years ago everyone praised guys for running multiple series' and now it laughingly appears on this site that everyonse says he should hang them up.... Did you all have the same opinion of DC or Mika when they went to race DTM? I didn't see it... The other thing that is going to amaze people on this Ferrari-centric site is just how many people worldwide are Rubens Fans. It is going to have a significant impact on INDYCAR ratings and following of the series. In any case, there is nothing anyone can do about it now. He is doing it and we are talking about it on Fchat. You have to admit it is already bringing a spotlight on INDYcar racing even on here, and although I agree FULLY that Indycars are not F1 cars, the racing in Indycar is much more fun to watch (from a purely on track racing viewpoint) because it is more of a spec series drivers actually play into the equation at a much higher level. GO RB!!! MB
^Complete horse manure! The series is better managed and includes double the number of road courses compared to ovals. It may not be the most popular form of autosports in the states anymore, but it has a strong following. The cars are FAR superior than those of the past. How many engine blow outs have you seen over the past 3 years? I'll bet everything I have that my modern IndyCar could run circles around your old one. As for RBs decision, that's up to him, i wish him the best and hope he does well. It could bid well for autosports. Indy has 5 ovals in it's race schedule next season... and 11 road courses.... http://www.indycar.com/schedule/
That's because they were spec engines not even remotely pushing the performance envelope. Yawn. A CART car from the late 90s/early 2000s would run circles around recent IndyCar cars, road course or oval. It wouldn't even be close. Doubt it. Also, I think only 5 ovals is stupid. Like it or not, ovals are part of IndyCar's identity.
Yeah Nigel Mansell was 40 when he jumped to CART, and he was dominant. Rubens will be the same age. Who cares if the IRL isn't the premier league that CART once was. . . the guy is still making money driving cars. If that is "losing his dignity" or however you want to call it, I'll give up my "dignity" in a heartbeat.
Rubens spin around Infineon http://auto-racing.speedtv.com/article/video-rubens-barrichello-infineon-raceway-in-car Enjoy
Oh I don't think he's losing his dignity at all. I'm actually pretty excited about Indy this season, but the series is a shadow of what it once was.
I agree with all of that and did not mean to convey any disrespect of RB. In fact, just the opposite.
Personally, I think racing Indy has a lot more dignity than, say, had he tried to stay in F1 by racing for some backmarker for several years after Williams didn't want him back. In Indy he has the chance to be a top dog especially with so many road courses on the calendar.
But, he's not going to be considered a rookie outside the 500! WTF? Huh? As most know, I'm not a Mansell fan, but he sure did good his rookie year! Hopefully Rubens will do the same. Certainly I'm more interested in Indcars now than before and the new motors should be good. I wish 'em well. Cheers, Ian http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/97789
