Pook vs. Players - Breach of Protocol?

TedN · 5 Jul 2003, 16:12 (Ref:653418)

This story is weird. Heard nothing of it during last night's qualifying broadcast. Seems serious enough if the team brought in a senior Players executive to resolve.

Any comments? Is there something there or much ado about nothing?

Ted

Dov · 5 Jul 2003, 16:51 (Ref:653444)

PT in hot water again? What a SURPRISE!

This is my first time hearing of the incident, but it wouldn't shock me if it took place. Paul does cross the line from time to time, but it's not Chris Pook's place to discipline him.......it's Ronald McDonald's.....sorry, I meant Chris Kneifel's.

Jay · 5 Jul 2003, 17:06 (Ref:653450)

I think Pook must have just lost it, he does have a bit of a temper.

macdaddy · 5 Jul 2003, 17:48 (Ref:653473)

Everybody's right and everybody's wrong.
Although I am beginning to question Tracy's qualifying strategies, I also must agree with the team that Pook should keep things like this behind closed doors.

Interesting read, and thanks for the link.

Liz · 5 Jul 2003, 19:50 (Ref:653540)

Did anyone else see Jimmy Vasser giving Patrick Carpentier the same one finge rsalute on TELEVISION last night? Why is it that Pook didn't see fit to buttonhole HIM about his finger having a dirty mouth?

I think Pook needs to take a few deep breaths and realise he's got duly appointed officials whose place it is to handle any breaches of protocol or good manners. And I'm really glad he didn't buttonhole the old Paul Tracy.

Dov · 5 Jul 2003, 20:20 (Ref:653557)

No, I didn't, however I did hear Patrick tell his crew to thank "Mad Max" for slowing him up.

gttouring · 5 Jul 2003, 20:25 (Ref:653560)

it seem that pook is protecting the Mexcian jourdain from having a bad run why?
well the LIVE broadcast of CART at Cleaveland is on Fox sports en espanol!
so nake sure the mexican does well for these fasn afterall this is one of the biggest fan bases for cart and the largest US minority.

TedN · 5 Jul 2003, 21:44 (Ref:653591)

Speaking of the one-finger salute, here's a reminder of the good old days. Moore and Montoya.

Ted

Jay · 5 Jul 2003, 21:50 (Ref:653594)

That's the best photo ever! Is there a larger version somewhere?

Liz · 5 Jul 2003, 22:16 (Ref:653610)

Well, making sure the Frenchman won in Europe has set the precedent. But I think Jourdain is going into competition with Bruno in the whiney-hiney division. If he's going to run tattle to nanny every time somebody sticks a finger up at him, this is going to be a very long season.

Snrub · 5 Jul 2003, 22:44 (Ref:653622)

We've been hearing a lot of these accusations about people purposefully blocking during qualifying. I am starting to wonder if something really is going on....

Nice shot of Moore and Montoya!

Those were good times.

Lee Janotta · 5 Jul 2003, 22:48 (Ref:653624)

I'd rather see one-lap qualifying, but that's just me.

avsfan733 · 6 Jul 2003, 01:47 (Ref:653688)

Quote:

Originally posted by Liz
I think Pook needs to take a few deep breaths and realise he's got duly appointed officials whose place it is to handle any breaches of protocol or good manners. And I'm really glad he didn't buttonhole the old Paul Tracy.

Does it seem to anyone else like everytime PT gets involved in some scrap either on the race track or off. Verbal/physical/or with a car that its someone elses fault? Maybe one or two i can understand but this happens on nearly a weekly basis and its never paul's fault? it happens over and over with different drivers and its always someone else who screwed up?

marcus · 6 Jul 2003, 02:43 (Ref:653702)

yes Paul does get involved in alot of things that he probably shouldnt , but in this case despite theon track antics , Pook should not of got involved , I love the comment in there that it is his job to make sure the grandstands are full and they dont blow over in the wind, but it is crazy for the top ranking guy in the cart ADMINISTRATION to even think of getting involved.

take a chill pill Chris and get the series back on track and leave the racing to the experts.

Russfeld · 6 Jul 2003, 19:37 (Ref:654129)

Quote:

Originally posted by Liz
Did anyone else see Jimmy Vasser giving Patrick Carpentier the same one finge rsalute on TELEVISION last night? Why is it that Pook didn't see fit to buttonhole HIM about his finger having a dirty mouth?

I think Pook needs to take a few deep breaths and realise he's got duly appointed officials whose place it is to handle any breaches of protocol or good manners. And I'm really glad he didn't buttonhole the old Paul Tracy.

You mean when Vasser tapped his index finger on his forehead, the universal signal for "think". Or is that the same as the middle finger for Canadians?

The Snout · 6 Jul 2003, 21:35 (Ref:654211)

All this agro stuff, great.

Nothing like a bit of rivalry and shadow boxing to get interest up.

Liz · 6 Jul 2003, 22:32 (Ref:654262)

No, not that signal. The universal signal for "I have two words to say to you and they are not Happy Birthday."

Heck no, it's not unusual for a lot of things to go wrong when one particular driver is around and be somebody else's fault every single time! Have we already forgotten Mikey Andretti, who never made a mistake in his life no matter what the camera showed? Or TGF, who by his own gracious admission makes only one mistake a year and he gets to pick which incident to take the blame for?

I believe the phrase is "That's racing!"

=============

However, my point is not that PT is never to blame for any of the things the other drivers and/or Pook complain about. My point is that it's not Pook's place to buttonhole drivers and wag his finger in their faces. There are several layers of officials beginning with the driver's race engineer (and his mother), to Chris Kneifel, whose responsibility that is.

In fact, if Pook had his wits about him, he would have stepped up to PT and said threateningly, "DO YOU WANT ME TO GET YOUR MOTHER DOWN HERE?"

Tenoch · 7 Jul 2003, 01:36 (Ref:654332)

The Paul Tracy show is scheduled for everyweek so of course he is going to be there I mean he is the driver with most character. Sure I'm as big a Jourdain fan as they come but in honesty the kid is kind of bland same goes for Bruno who's ****ed the championship wasn't given to him on a silver platter as evryone was predicting.

Russfeld · 7 Jul 2003, 03:45 (Ref:654394)

He needs to drop the scripted 'tough guy' lines. Or at least get some acting tips from Newman.

Liz · 7 Jul 2003, 16:34 (Ref:654967)

I kind of liked the Applesauce bit though.

Dov · 7 Jul 2003, 19:24 (Ref:655138)

The trouble over Tracy's shorts
`Bad boy' and his duds irk CART boss

Sponsors say image fits their team

RICK MATSUMOTO
SPORTS REPORTER

CLEVELAND—Chris Pook doesn't like the way Paul Tracy dresses.

But it was the way CART's CEO and president addressed his dislike for the Scarborough native's wardrobe that had Tracy hot under the collar.

And, yes, Tracy's Player's/Forsythe Racing golf shirt does have a collar.

"If they fine me for this, I'll pack up and go home," said Tracy. "I was the good boy when I was badmouthing the IRL last year. But now they're branding me the bad boy the way they were before I said those things about the IRL."

When a number of CART drivers vaulted to the rival IRL at the end of last season, Tracy elected to stay in CART and signed a two-year contract with Player's/Forsythe Racing.

The latest brouhaha began when Tracy showed up at a news conference at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame to promote last night's Cleveland Grand Prix wearing a pair of denim shorts. All of the other drivers wore long pants, but they were more likely fashioned by Levi Strauss than Ralph Lauren.

At that time, Pook expressed his annoyance with Tracy's choice of clothes, as well as the fact he was not clean-shaven, to Player's media relations official Pat Caporali, who relayed the concern to team executives.

At the end of Thursday's provisional qualifying session, Pook came out on the track where he told Player's vice-president of operations Neil Micklewright that he wanted to see both him and Tracy in the CART transporter on Friday morning.

At that point Tracy, who had already been in a vocal dispute with fellow competitor Michel Jourdain about an alleged blocking incident during qualifying, exchanged heated words with Pook.

Both Imperial Tobacco Ltd. (Player's) president Bob Bexon and co-owner Gerald Forsythe said they had no problem with Tracy's clothes. "We just care about the way he drives," said Bexon.

Imperial Tobacco sponsorship associate Michael Bonelli, who spoke with Pook yesterday, said the matter had been resolved.

"We have a certain image of our team and Paul fits that image," he said.

Bonelli said the team's argument was that Pook should not have stepped out on the track to confront Tracy.

Pook issued a "no comment."

Jay · 7 Jul 2003, 19:47 (Ref:655155)

I'm not sure what Pook is thinking here...there is no driver that has done more to promote this series, and more to build excitment for this season and the Championship than Paul Tracy. I say, as long as he's clothed he should be allowed to wear whatever he wants to whatever function. There's a black and white event this Thursday in Toronto...wonder what Paul will wear

.

Dov · 7 Jul 2003, 20:43 (Ref:655210)

May I suggest....

http://www.paultracy.com/PaulTracy.html

Dov · 7 Jul 2003, 21:29 (Ref:655264)

Maybe this...http://www.cart.com/Drivers/Photos.a...ID=26&EventID= .....or Pookys favourite...http://www.cart.com/Drivers/Photos.a...AbsolutePage=1

Russfeld · 7 Jul 2003, 21:35 (Ref:655275)

I havent seen Paul promote the championship at all.

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