ESPN -- Sebastien Bourdais undergoes surgery after Indy qualifying crash.

When you see this happen to a top driver, alone on the track for a qualifying run, you wonder how 33 drivers possibly circle this old track at 220 to 230 MPH.

Jeff

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

: I don't agree. I agree that it is easier to find a good car but the
: truth is that American open wheel racing is simply different.
: IndyCar decided that they wanted to limit the way money could
: influence competition. The result was that you have one
: manufacturer of bodies, two engine makers and rules which limit
: the modifications a team can make. F1 let's money dominate. The
: rules allow for much more diversity so money wins. Every time
: there is talk of changing this Ferrari starts to whine.

: Both philosophies have their downsides. IndyCar has sort of generic
: looking cars. F1 has dominant teams and it costs so much money
: that there are just a few teams...and there is very little
: competition.

: Both philosophies have their upsides. IndyCar has great competition
: on most tracks with the possibility of a good driver on a lesser
: team (metaphor for Alonso) to win. F1 is sexy.

: I love F1. I have been a fan for decades and my bet is that I have
: been to or watched as many or more F1 races than most of the
: people on this forum. Money attracts talent. There is no
: question about that. But, watching F1 is generally pretty boring
: these days. Watching IndyCar is at least exciting from time to
: time. At the beginning of this season, Sebastien Bourdais, who
: drives for the poorest team in the paddock, was dominant and
: leading the pack. Unfortunately, while he was on top of the
: speed charts during practice for the 500, he had a terrible
: crash during the first round of qualifications and will be out
: for the rest of the season at least.

: So, yes, "the level of American motorsport is far from
: European. It's not just for rich kids. The competition is
: better. If you really want to see some racing you need to come
: here to see the sprint races on the dirt at Eldora.
: http://www.eldoraspeedway.com/ This is where the racing is
: best. This is where the level of American racing far exceeds
: anything European. The only challenge to this might be at
: Surfers' Paradise in Australia!

: JohnCote
: Stirring it up here boss!