Schumacher wins six-car Indy farce

[kimpOy]

[Elroi]

nice one...hahaha ... but true IMHO...

expect to hear lawsuits arising from this.... sa US pa...

[creepy]

expect to hear lawsuits arising from this.... sa US pa...

Michelin or F1 will probably have to pay tens if not hundreds of millions of dollars to settle ... but every fan will probably receive US$2 each -- the rest will go to the lawyers!!

[Alpha_One]

IMO, it's mostly (but not entirely) Michelin's fault. However, the single tire rule itself is silly.

I'm sure every Fernando Alonso fan went insane when the two Williams cars overtook his car in Monaco due to his badly eaten up tires.

I'm sure every Michael Schumacher fan started throwing darts at an FIA logo when he blew TWO tires in Spain.

I'm sure every Kimi Raikkonen fan shot his TV screen when his suspension broke due to to extreme vibration caused by a flat spot.

[luckytruck]

well, although i don't like the one set of tires rule, it has absolutely nothing to do with this because all the teams approved that rule before the start of the season.

i think that the rule should be scrapped to have more action in the pits and to have faster speeds for the whole race. but this race should not be the reason the rule is reviewed.

[niky]

Sigh... only in da Amerikas...

[mazdamazda]

from CNN

Michelin will refund angry F1 fans

Tuesday, June 28, 2005 Posted: 1931 GMT (0331 HKT)

LONDON, England (Reuters) -- Michelin have offered to refund U.S. Grand Prix fans after tire failures turned this month's Formula One race at Indianapolis into a six-car fiasco.

"Michelin has decided to contribute to the costs incurred by the spectators present at the circuit on Sunday, June 19th 2005 by offering to refund their tickets," the French tire manufacturer said in a statement on Tuesday.

"This is an important decision, since Michelin is not at all legally bound to do this."

Some 120,000 fans attended the race.

Michelin, who gave no financial details, also offered to buy 20,000 tickets for the 2006 U.S. Grand Prix to be given to spectators who were at this year's event in order to "promote further Formula One interest in the United States."

Seven of the 10 teams use Michelin tires and none raced at Indianapolis after the company said they could not guarantee safety through the final high-speed banked corner.

Some fans threw plastic water bottles and beer cans on the track in a debacle that badly damaged Formula One's standing in America.

"Michelin deeply regrets that the public was deprived of an exciting race and therefore wishes to be the first, among the different groups involved in the Indianapolis race, to make a strong gesture towards the spectators," the company said.

[badkuk]

i'm not that familiar with F1, pero i do know that the fans/teams can get very very passionate about it. i once saw this clip were this guy was on stage trying to calm down some angry fans, and boom! out of nowhere, a bucket filled with ice hits him in the face. a few seconds later, his face was covered in blood.

wouldn't be surprised if people started mugging michellin mascots B)

[EL Chicane]

i'm not that familiar with F1, pero i do know that the fans/teams can get very very passionate about it. i once saw this clip were this guy was on stage trying to calm down some angry fans, and boom! out of nowhere, a bucket filled with ice hits him in the face. a few seconds later, his face was covered in blood.

Pre, hindi kaya SOCCER yung napanood mo?

[diesoline]

the complete text from formula1.com:

Michelin offers to refund US race tickets[U]

Michelin has said it will compensate fans who attended the United States Grand Prix after its seven teams pulled out of the race.
BAR pack away their Michelin tyres and head home. Formula One World Championship, Rd 9, United States Grand Prix, Race, Indianapolis, USA, 19 June 2005The withdrawal, which came about after Michelin said it could not guarantee the safety of its tyres, resulted in only six cars competing at Indianapolis.

Michelin has offered to refund the tickets of spectators and also to provide 20,000 of those with free tickets for next year’s US race. The French company stressed that the move is a goodwill gesture and not the result of any legal obligation.

The offer comes a day before Michelin's seven partner teams are due to appear before the World Motor Sport Council in Paris to explain their failure to race.

Michelin’s statement in full:

Straight talk and a sincere gesture for the American spectators: It could have been an exciting race.

One week after the Indianapolis Grand Prix, Michelin wishes to make a sincere gesture of goodwill towards the people present at the GP, a group whose passion for F1 is encouraging in the development of this sport in the United States.

Therefore, on our own initiative and in total solidarity with our partners, we have taken two decisions:

1. Michelin has decided to contribute to the costs incurred by the spectators present at the circuit on Sunday June 19th 2005 by offering to refund their tickets. This is an important decision, since Michelin is not at all legally bound to do this.

Michelin deeply regrets that the public was deprived of an exciting race and therefore wishes to be the first, among the different groups involved in the Indianapolis race, to make a strong gesture towards the spectators.

2. Michelin also offers to buy 20,000 tickets for the 2006 U.S. Grand Prix to be given to spectators who were present at the Indianapolis race in 2005. We are offering this to promote further Formula One interest in the United States.

We would also like to take this opportunity to underline the fact that it is unacceptable that our partner teams have been accused by the FIA of having boycotted the Indianapolis Grand Prix. The reality is that together, Michelin and its partners have done everything possible to assure that the race could take place in total safety.

We are extremely disappointed that the proposals made with all our teams were not accepted. These proposals, including a chicane, were technically viable and totally met all safety requirements. On Sunday morning, June 19, the sporting authority had all the means necessary to preserve the interest of the race.

And yet, the sporting authority rejected the proposed solutions. Why? In our view this is totally incomprehensible and reflects a lack of respect for the spectators.

It is the spirit of respect for the spectators that brought us, with our partners, to propose solutions to allow the race to take place in total safety. It is this same spirit that leads us today to make this gesture.

in the end, they still blamed the FIA. haynaku....

[luckytruck]

akala ko good move by michelin, eh parang pinoy din pala itong michelin. i will make ammends, but its not our fault....sige pa rin turo ng daliri


maybe they shoud run for president of the Philippines?



hope the US fans don't push the litigation anymore. lawyers lang ang yayaman nyan

andy

[empy]

akala ko good move by michelin, eh parang pinoy din pala itong michelin. i will make ammends, but its not our fault....sige pa rin turo ng daliri

hay, ganyan talaga dito. companies know that they screwed up and they need to make amends, but they are afraid to admit fault for fear of even more lawsuits. so they make "settlements without admission of any wrongdoing"

[mikaztro]

hay, ganyan talaga dito. companies know that they screwed up and they need to make amends, but they are afraid to admit fault for fear of even more lawsuits. so they make "settlements without admission of any wrongdoing"

They both have similarities with our President. :D

[beerygud]

They both have similarities with our President. :D

Nice comparison.

[mikaztro]

Unbelievable as it may seem, the F1 race in Indianapolis only proved one thing--safety of the drivers' the utmost importance. Michelin did not bring the proper tires for the race. They eventually did not guarantee their tires to perform 100% safe in indianapolis F1 designed circuit. Michelin user teams proposed to put chicanes in grd 13 that will allow the Michellin users and other teams to slow down in those corners before entering the fast straight line track. The FIA dissaproved their request and subsequently caused the defaultation of the Michelin user teams partcicipation in the race. It could have been a great race if not for Michelin's ineptness in providing right tires for thier teams. This race is somewhat odd since only 3 teams participated and eventually ALL landed championship points thereafter. What a great way to ruin a very close, competitive and exciting season of F1. Now, it's beginning to be the battle of the TYRES(Michelin vs. Bridgestone).

[diesoline]

EL Chicane
Quote:
Originally Posted by badkuk
i'm not that familiar with F1, pero i do know that the fans/teams can get very very passionate about it. i once saw this clip were this guy was on stage trying to calm down some angry fans, and boom! out of nowhere, a bucket filled with ice hits him in the face. a few seconds later, his face was covered in blood.


Pre, hindi kaya SOCCER yung napanood mo?

honga naman...