For the past week I’ve been enjoying another very pleasant holiday in Scottsdale, AZ. The trip had originally been planned to coincide with this year’s inaugural Phoenix Grand Prix, which I’d been looking forward to attending, as it was to be Champ Cars seasons finale in the “Valley of the Sun,” Sadly Champ Car was forced to pull the plug on this event, well actually the promoter’s pulled the plug since they didn’t want to loose anymore of their own money! Of course I’d learned of this decision just days after purchasing my airplane ticket to Arizona. (BASTARDOES!) This leads me to ponder the “just completed” season of Champ Car… (Wondering’ how it went overall?) With the “official” tally for cancelled races being three this year, which certainly cannot do much for one’s credibility! Yet the Indianapolis based operation managed to complete another season, albeit with some major speed bumps along the way! As the three events cancelled was the stillborn China race, which has now been cancelled three years in a row… Or has never gotten off the ground, although Roberto Moreno did indeed run demonstration laps aboard the DP-01 at the Zhuhi circuit. Denver lost its temporary street circuit event around the Pepsi Center, which ironically had “stolen” Vancouver, BC’s traditional Labor Day calendar spot… While Phoenix scrapped its planned street race around the Downtown corridor. Perhaps they were worried about Sherriff Joe blocking the track when he couldn’t stand the noise anymore? Then there were the two INSIDIOUSLY LONG schedule breaks… The first six weeks coming this spring while the Indianapolis Motor Speedway was garnering “All” of the media attention with their annual Month of May festivities… Overly hyped with the arrival of Danny B’s favourite IRL addition. None other than Milka Duno… The second six weeks break was self-inflicted by Champ Car who STUPIDLY aired both European rounds on ESPN Classic. Hey, doesn’t everybody get that freakin’ channel? (Way to go Comca$t) And it seemed almost foreign to me to sit down and finally watch the Surfers Paradise event via tape on November 3rd. Which means I hadn’t viewed a Champ Car race in two plus months… Although the event “Down Under” was fairly entertaining, since I’d just assumed that The Hamburgular had run away and hid while stealing his 30th Champ Car victory… Yet he’d actually had to work for it, before dusting off Justin Wilson once again, whom theoretically will replace Sea Bass next season? On the flip side the Panoz DP-01 acquitted itself fairly well in its maiden season, albeit a few teething issues with fuel tanks, gearboxes, etc. Not to mention a freakish low speed crash to series “Star” Paul Tracy. And Champ Car unveiled standing starts at Portland this season, which cut down on the number of first corner pile-ups, along with giving us some spirited competition… Alas, nobody seemed capable of beating that DAMN Hamburgular! And with the release of the 2008 schedule, along with Champ Car possibly solidifying its driver line-ups? Perhaps next years championship will be “Muchoe Better!”
