Andretti/Green make it official - Mike, Dario & Tony K gone one

[Russfeld]

There's nothing snake or backstabber-esque about going where the opportunities are. CART doesnt provide the sponsors teams and manufacturers what they need to meet their business needs. Its just that its the IRL that has everyone so hopped up. No one screams murder at Haas having an expanding NASCAR team or Rahal wanting to run ALMS. So its politis, it has nothing to do with immoral business, ethics, or integrity.

And I hardly see how biblical quotes have any relevance. Unless I can quote aesop's fables as well

[Liz]

Excellent post though, even if you did!

And very very true. Our mid size law firm of anarchists was sold to a faceless corporate "engulf and devour" type firm because the five guys at the top of the food chain thought they saw Big Buckolas for themselves. Lo and behold when the Faceless Ones took over, they also pre-empted all the power for themselves. And in addition to the fact that they now were powerless (although with lots of cash), 36 people quit the company including the long-time secretary/assistant of one of the five sellouts, because the Faceless Ones treated the employees abusively and now the five sellouts had no power to object.

In fact, the next firm that the Faceless Ones attempted to take over actually dissolved itself rather than be taken over. People do learn lessons from the mistakes of others. Now and then.

[Barbarosa]

Got a better one for you. Just rewards in fact. We were bought out by a French conglomerate for a lot of money. At least three times what their competitors offered. But, the money is contingent on our hitting certain revenue and profitability goals. If they don't, the senior executives who sold the company don't get anywhere near the full amount.

Five weeks after the sale was finalized, the economy went south. They've dropped from a 1000 person operation in five cities to I would guess about 200 when the current round of layoffs are over, in three cities. And their revenue is a quarter what it was when I started there. By the time their three year deal with the parent company is over (who has been mandating that they cut their executive and director staff to something more reasonable than the 25% of the head count that it was when there were 400 employees) the executives will be lucky to break even on this deal.

B

[Barbarosa]

By the way, no one is screaming at Haas and Rahal cause they are "Expanding", not taking the money and running. Neither is cutting their CART operation. In fact, both have been rather adament about staying in CART. There's a difference there. Besides, ALMS is pretty much in the same boat as CART, though they are being hounded by the Florida Mafia and their Grand Am series.

Expansion means, they have faith in their brand and are looking to build upon it and in the process, build their own name recognition and their organization. Now THAT is sound business.

Barbarosa

[Liz]

Which proves the old maxim "Never try to cheat a cheater."

I took great consolation in the fact that the Faceless Ones referred to our unrepentant crew of anarchists (who nevertheless were exceedingly profitable before they took over) as "a cancer in the body of the Corporation."

And then denied they had said it.

[Russfeld]

Actually if you want to ***** about loyalty, you should be all over Dario leaving Merc/Hogan for Honda/TKG. Thats a loyalty issue. Merc and Hogan brought in an unkown driver and did a lot for him, and he spit in their eye. Going from TKG to another team (or series) is just business.

[The Snout]

I think the simple fact that is sh1tting most people is that these defecting teams were once stalwart against the IRL and have sold out.
If Cart had collapsed and they HAD to go over cause there was no other OW series then people would cop it sweet, but Cart is still more than viable and they just took the money and ran turning theirs backs. The final nail is that they then tooks shots on the way out the door to help sink the Cart ship. It's like having relations stay over for a week and they final leave...."Thank god they've gone", that how I feel anyway.

[Liz]

Dario is just repeating a habit of Take the Money and Run, then. Figures, don't it? A man who cheats on his first wife will cheat on his second. It gets easier the more often you do it.

[macdaddy]

Russfeld, thanks for the reminder about Franchitti and Hogan. Didn't Carl bench him for the last race(s) of the season?

[Russfeld]

Yeah. In that case i agree because it was loyalty. Hogan/merc didnt have to take Franchitti, but they beleived in him and took a risk. TKG/Honda took a guy who had allready proved himself so it was more a business thing. So Dario leaving TKG is just a business thing. TKG didnt go out on a limb for him

I dont begrudge anyone the 'take the money and run' mindset. If someone is offering you more pay to do the same job, whats the problem? Do you guys turn down raises?

[mac]

Originally posted by Russfeld
Do you guys turn down raises?

No. But if it was a raise to sell forged product I would refuse.

[Russfeld]

Christ you guys its just racing. Sometimes I think its the fans who are propagating the split.

[macdaddy]

Dario is pleading with the fans to believe him when he says that it has nothing to do with money. "I am not getting paid any more than I would have been in CART," he's explaining. All he's doing is following his team, and following Honda.

http://www.autosport.com/newsitem.asp?id=20738&s=18

Of course, now he's in "damage control" mode.

[Russfeld]

Wait a minute. The ultra-unloyal Dario is showing loyalty to his employer and doing something he doesnt want to do out of loyalty?

Shock! horror!

[Flatspot]

Michael Andretti was never his employer, Barry Green is no longer his employer and Kim Green is the only one that plays into the employer loyalty picture. I can see and even understand Dario being comfortable going with his former teammates (mechanics, engineers, etc.) If that's so why doen't he just say it. Since he didn't, I believe his press statements to be nothing more than damage control rhetoric just like his pro CART comments when he was still negotiating for a job there.

Don't read into this that I am angry that he left. Disappointed maybe but not angry. He is a professional and has the right to do what he beleives best for his career whether I/we like the decision or not. I'll miss watching him race.

[mac]

It's the fact that he bagged the IRL and ovals for ages (he even said the Indy 500 was just another race - didn't that tick some people off). And then, all of a sudden, none of that matters anymore.

[Liz]

And I quote Mr. "I'm Not Grabbing The Cashola Honest" Ashley Judd: "The Indy 500? I'D RATHER PLAY PING PONG!"

As far as "Do you guys take raises?" that is not the question you should be asking. "Do you take bribes from the opposition to desert the people you claimed you were loyal to, and then lie about it?" is the question, and the answer is a resounding HELL NO!

Dario is a free man and if he wants to grab the big paycheque and turn his back on us, fine. But he should be man enough to tell the truth about it. As Jacques said to TGF after Austria, "If he believed he won that race, why not stand on the top step, face the booing and be a man?"

I'm not so disappointed that he grabbed the cashola and turned his back on us, as I am at the fact that now he's lying about it. Under the impression, perhaps, that we are really, really stupid.

[Russfeld]

He didnt desert his team or his engine manufacturer. He had no obligation to the series. No driver does. If anything he's more loyal this way.

[macdaddy]

Kanaan, to the best of my knowledge, hasn't made a public statement yet. I look forward to the interviews with both drivers when the circus rolls into Miami.

[paul-collins]

Originally posted by Russfeld
If someone is offering you more pay to do the same job, whats the problem?

Ah, I see why you don't get it. You think that IRL and CART are the same thing.

Up until Mr. Judd announced his withdrawal to retirement pastures, he had asserted that they in fact were not.

I guess that's how we have to view this. It's not abandoning CART for IRL. Dario's retired from racing.