A bad year for motorsport....
The title says it all in terms of summing up this year in racing. With fond
expectancies of the coming season, we headed to Homestead for the CART season
opener. A huge crash in turn 1&2 left veteran Al Unser Jr. and rookie Naoki
Hattori with serious leg injuries postponing the true start to both of their
seasons. On to C***te and the IRL event which would set the scene going
into Indy at the end of the month. Unfortunately it would end after only about
70 laps when a stray tire and suspension assembly flew into the stands injuring
several spectators and killing 3. As if this werent enough we go to the
British GP at Silverstone to see Michael Schumacher leave the road and break
his leg. It was already going poorly...did we have to withstand any more? We
got the unfortunate answer 3 months later when young CART rookie Gonzalo
Rodreguiez flips at the Laguna Seca corkscrew. We hope against hope but it
turns out bad once again as we find out he has passed away in the wreck. Then
on to I-80 speedway and the WoO event where the "G-man" Kevin Gobrecht, winner
at Eldora, departs from us in a crash where it seems no one knows what
happened. As if it weren't bad enough we get the return of Michael Schumacher
at Sepang in Malaysia. This race was to be marred by a contorversial decision
over the now famous barge board took away Ferraris 1-2 finish. But that wasnt
the end of that matter. The FIA board overturns the decision making a
controversial decision even more so. A week later we all head out to Fontana,
California and the Marlboro 500; hoping to forget the tragedys of the past year
and enjoy a race to decide the CART championship in outstanding fassion. We
leave shocked as the incredible talent, Greg Moore, dies of injuries sustained
in a horrific accident. I dont write this to remember the accidents, or to
relive the controversies; but to give us a basis for reflection. Relfection
that will leave us asking why didnt we do things differently. Perhaps it is
human nature to need to see bad things happen for us to act upon them. We
conviently block them out and dont want to consider what could happen. Looking
forward 4 months we must hope and pray for a better racing season in the new
millenium and beyond...
Chris Weber...10/31/99