Let it be known, before I too get oh so eloquently slammed publicly:

1) I am a Champ Car fan (whatever that means, I think it means I used to have Mario Andretti posters on my bedroom walls as a kid growing up, and cried every-time they lost at Indy or Cleveland due to $3.25 failing parts or when the patriarch of the family piled into broken down cars at Toronto Grand Prixs and such etc. etc. Sad, I get choked up still…)

2) I am flying the Ed Carpenter Twibbon (so cute) on my Twitter account (david_kovach)

3) If I could buy a burial plot at Indy for my father, for me – we would both like to be buried there. It means that much to us.

4) I have written Tony George’s Vision Racing a letter of reference, but haven’t sent it (yet).

4a) This is a miracle in and of itself.

5) I recently devoured everything I could find via Google on the “as reported” history of the George family I could read. It was educational to say the least.

5a) I wasn’t just looking to unearth how bad it might really be at the 2010 George Hulman Thanksgiving
dinner table, but if I am recommending something or someone I want to know who are the people really behind the entity. I never have really understood.

6) Empathy rules.

But, you know what? I had a Vision recently. And you know what I have determined?

1) Ed Carpenter reeks of just being a good soul and human being, an almost boy next door kind of kid you just want to see go take a beating to Team Penske or Target Ganassi Racing, even though we are suppose to think he was handled a set of silver spoons. He wasn’t.

2) I disliked Tony George because of merely how he has always been portrayed. I think I also assumed that he was given a rather large silver-spoon and opportunity in life financially and otherwise, and really believed “everything I read must be true about this guy, this family, ick, thanks for ruining my sport, wah wah wah!” and that these people are all the same types – you know? The merely, self-serving, I am going to take my ball home now kind of people that really do deserve to get what they have coming to them etc.

Most of my understanding of Tony George is based on what was written or said about him through the media.

However, in a world where we love to hate on people, I could see that maybe the family structure Tony George grew up in and in his twenties and beyond really contributed to maybe some questionable choices he made in life though mostly I am speaking of the ones related to the sport of racing. But, you know what? I could see if I take what I found and read about many things that have gone on in the course of his life, I don’t know… I could really see something way beyond what has been painted of him in the media. And what we have been led to believe. Now, where there is smoke there is a Safer barrier… but, no one is perfect.

We should always give people second, third or fourth chances (especially at Indy). And you know what, Tony has two great kids (as far as how they appear to me), who are trying to carry a torch comprised of a bunch of things that are 100% not of their own doing. And the only reason this has to be said, is fans and supporters like me, need to give them an opportunity to lead the charge and take the fight to the teams I really want to see lose and try to win me as a fan. When someone brings a new idea to the sport (embracing of social media) I am all ears, all hearts and all in support of them – just like that.

So, this Vision I had was that of one where an underdog of the “Jim Guthrie Wins at Phoenix” proportions rises like a phoenix (I know, cliché) and with all stacked against them including the fact they are a family breaking apart from their extended family all too keep racing… all to just get to the track. If they were sitting on large nest eggs, I don’t believe Pat Caporali would of incited a letter writing campaign out of a winter boredom.

The thing we share with the Georges, with Pat, with Robin Miller, is that they like each of us, in our own ways, we have been lucky enough to be born loving on this sport of open-wheel racing.

Now, I know what it feels like to get slammed by someone within the professional side of the Indycar community – namely the then sponsor “acquirer” for Walker Racing back a few years ago. Clearly, I or my idea rubbed him the wrong way with a concept I was trying to prove:

http://pledgie.com/campaigns/1328

Suffice it to say, they didn’t want to meet to talk about the concept even, and they never really made it to the grid (except for when Tony George partially bankrolled PT via WR to run him up at ED), so other than knowing “he went to school with Robin Miller” this gentleman that worked for Walker ripped me privately in an email. I would of hated for that to be a slam from the well-oiled keyboard of one Pat Caporali in the open public. I mean, we are all here, because no matter what, we love this sport of open-wheel racing.

It collects a passionate group of people and people go on to say things and so vaguely as to why I would like to share a quote:

“You can easily judge the character of a man by how he treats those who can do nothing for him.”

These are passionate times, days and weeks. I know most of my anger (in life) is because my beloved childhood memories and sport was torn apart, then sewn back together with Scotch tape, and basically continuously gets ripped apart again and again and again. Ahhh, but enter #IZODIndycar for real now.

So, to just leverage one’s ability to write better than someone else (no, I am not talking about myself here) and outclass them, I don’t know… I hate to be the truth here, and I do not know who Brian McKay is or what he has done other than write a comment on a blog that didn’t really explain a view or a point, he was just being typical blog comment like…

To be on point here would be for Vision Racing to stay focused on this –

Ed Carpenter needs a full time team that can run him. He needs the funding to go race and take on the big dogs this year. I realize there is a family legacy here at stake, but I don’t think responding directly to comments here is actually getting the sponsor acquisition process signed sealed and delivered aka done. Nor is it really maintaining the Vision of character I sort of hoped was behind the Tony George Vision Racing squad.

Or is it? I agree any whining of the economy is lost on me, too. And it won’t win you corporate or small business partners. Period. You need fresh value creating ideas. Powered by fans. I love that idea. Still.

But, I heard Sarah Fisher just moved into a larger shop and is expanding still. Now, maybe she is the model reference model of character we all should aspire towards as I don’t see her wasting time here outwitting comments that maybe 189 people even read.

Nope, she has gotten the business done to go race and more business done over the years to legitimately add a second car even at select races.

I fly my Ed Carpenter Twibbon proudly and he is the Vision. And the future of the sport as I see it.

So, let’s stay focused on him and keeping him in it. And focus less on taking down each other in a sports world where that is the absolute normal thing to do – fight amongst each other.

For We are Indy, as I literally have hung up my hatchet and hope that others have to and we can move beyond family or personal politics in our sport and just focus on the matter at hand – keeping talented drivers in seats and keeping them in the sport. To take the ass whooping fight to the real silver spooners over at Penske and Ganassi…

Whose with me?

Best to you each -

David Kovach
121direct.biz

As for those who THINK they know the first thing about Indy Car Racing and I don’t mean just Racing, think before you type.

It’s unfortunate that you feel that “the Vision team as a whole is a joke, and the sponsor-seeker(s) and PR flack(s) should fall on their swords in shame rather than blame their misfortune on ‘the economy.’ — pathetic…”

I just wanted to clarify that I, as the referred-to PR flack at Vision Racing, did not blame the team’s misfortune on “the economy” or politics of the federal or racing kind, nor anything else for that matter. If you got that sense from us, it was unintentional.

The fact is, we don’t have sponsorship. We continue to seek some out. I assure you we are not the only team in this predicament. And with the help of fans, and the letters they felt they wanted to write on our behalf, we hope to do so in the near future.

However, the team was made up of hard working individuals with families, pride in the job they did, and a love for the sport. If you think that is a joke, that is your opinion, but I assure you they didn’t think they or the team was a joke.

As for any shame I might have … I think it is a shame that you didn’t get to know Vision Racing as many other have in the past little while. I felt it was my job to let everyone know how amazing the team is by giving them a glimpse of the inner workings and a chance to get to know each member. I had hoped that our social media efforts would have done that but I see now that I have failed as we didn’t reach you. And for that I am ashamed.

We weren’t expecting to win over everyone, just those who recognized that we actually cared about sharing what makes racing special for those who work in it.

So if you have that sword at the ready, please feel free to send it my way. But if you feel that you don’t have the funds to pay for shipping due to the economy, I have some suggestions on where you can keep it for me …

To izod9- you left the toilet seat up and didn’t flush before you left…

This post was mentioned on Twitter by IndyCarSeries: The Silent Pagoda*: Vision Racing Will Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night: Regarding the Vision Racing situation, … http://bit.ly/9exLKj...