Nigel Mansell ... Indy 500 or CART Championship?

[ChicagocrewIRL]

Just curious.... and this is probably pure opinion from everyone who responds... but did Formula 1 World Champion Nigel Mansell come to North American Open-wheel racing to win Indianapolis or to win the CART Championship ???

I have been trying to find articles on Nigel Mansell's mindset when he came here.
Also... did other F1 drivers come here for Indy or the CART (series) Championship ?? Fittipaldi, Piquet, etc.....


note to Nigel Mansell..... sorry about Dennis Vitolo.

[fan-veteran]

Well, i think he came to Indycar to win the title and for the fun also (aside the money). When i watched the interview with him immediately after the 1993 Indy500 he said that race had been one of his best races (he finished 3-rd).

[pdalbey]

I don't think he came for either. He came because of a contract dispute with Williams following the '92 F1 season. He has said in sevearl interviews that coming to the US was not his first choice.

[ChicagocrewIRL]

The CART championship.

Starter.....is this your opinion or have you heard or read that he specifically stated this as his reason for running IndyCars ?

[Komahawk]

I would like to think first and foremost he wanted to win the title, but also the '500 since he would've been one of only 3 Brits and the first Brit since '66 to win it. If he only had wanted to run the '500 then he wouldn't have bothered battling the IndyCar veterans the entire year. He also wanted to defend his championship in '94 and not just try to win Indy.
Fittipaldi probably wanted both. He was practically dropped from the F1 scene, everybody said he was too old and had lost it without really taking into account that he wasted his final F1 years with his cousin's inept team. He wanted to show that he had still alot to give to racing, and he was right.

Piquet only wanted to win Indy, he was probably just too lazy to drive the entire season. Too bad, really. This guy was just absolutely fantastic in terms of making it thru the race somehow another. And his practice times at Indy were quite competative. But as I said, he was probably just too lazy. Kudos though for giving Indy a second shot after his terrible accident.

Cheever and Johansson IMO only came to America because they couldn't get a decent ride in Europe anymore. Same probably goes for Moreno, C. Fittipaldi, Yong, Danner etc.

BTW, as far as I've heard Villeneuve never cared much for the IndyCar championship. He only wanted to win Indy in America.

[Komahawk]

I don't think he came for either. He came because of a contract dispute with Williams following the '92 F1 season. He has said in sevearl interviews that coming to the US was not his first choice.

Maybe he said that AFTER his disappointing '94 season. As far as I know, Williams wanted to keep Mansell, and Prost had no objections against Mansell as a team mate. Mansell made big a__ statements (like he often did) that he'd like nothing more than taking it to Prost on equal material, but he never got around actually doing it.

[Spiderman]

BTW, as far as I've heard Villeneuve never cared much for the IndyCar championship. He only wanted to win Indy in America.

That's not true! First he wanted to become formula one world champion. There is no doubt that he would have left IndyCar Racing even without wnning neither the 500 nor the championship, if someone would have offered him an f1 cockpit before...

After his 1995 Indy500 win he told the journalists about his thoughts when he recognized he was two laps down because of the penalty. He thoght, that this would be bet but that he has to continue because he wanted to collect some points for the championship. Before the indy500 was finished he had already the championship in his mind...

[codalunga]

I have been trying to find articles on Nigel Mansell's mindset when he came here.

In his book he says he'd had several interesting offers from CART teams over the years and even visited the Penske HQ in '91. He says there were no other F1 drives available he was interested in, and "making the move was clear to me". They had already bought the Clearwater, Florida home before the squabble with Williams, so a move wasn't neccessary, and doing CART allowed him more time with his family than F1 had. The N-H deal was tentively in place before the end came with Williams. He called Haas the night before his press conference when it was clear things would not be worked out. They signed the contract a week later. Mansell, as always, did his own negotiations.

[xtlm]

Also... did other F1 drivers come here for Indy or the CART (series) Championship ?? Fittipaldi, Piquet

I would only assume Andretti did it for both

[Komahawk]

That's not true! First he wanted to become formula one world champion. There is no doubt that he would have left IndyCar Racing even without wnning neither the 500 nor the championship, if someone would have offered him an f1 cockpit before...

After his 1995 Indy500 win he told the journalists about his thoughts when he recognized he was two laps down because of the penalty. He thoght, that this would be bet but that he has to continue because he wanted to collect some points for the championship. Before the indy500 was finished he had already the championship in his mind...

When being asked about which of his accomplishments he rated highest he replied "Winning the F1 world championship and the Indy 500."

[ChicagocrewIRL]

When being asked about which of his accomplishments he rated highest he replied "Winning the F1 world championship and the Indy 500."

Seems to me there was a time when Formula 1 drivers didn't think running ovals were too dangerous ... back when they had balls.

[Komahawk]

I guess it was a different millenium...

[Toe_Knee_Jorge]

the great Roberto Guerrero also did some F 1

[Mark in Oshawa]

I think Nigel would trade an Indy win for his Championship, but I will not say that for sure, and I am sure he appreciated his victory for it wasn't a walkover.

[Phoenixent]

the great Roberto Guerrero also did some F 1

I would say Roberto Guerrero was good but definitely not Great. He had his moments during his career that he was real good. But he does not rank up there with Al Unser Sr., Rick Mears, Mario Andretti, Al Unser Jr., Emerson Fittipaldi, Danny Sullivan and Michael Andretti. Those were his contemporaries at the time and he was no were close except 1987 before his wreck. After that year he was never the same plus being on under financed teams just made it worse.

As a person Roberto far exceeded a lot of his contemporaries. He is truly a Great person with the fans on or off the track.

[Komahawk]

I think Nigel would trade an Indy win for his Championship, but I will not say that for sure, and I am sure he appreciated his victory for it wasn't a walkover.

IMO his '93 season was Mansell at his best ever.

[Mark in Oshawa]

The really unusual thing about Nige's championship was his strength of finishes on the ovals. He ran better on ovals statistically than he did on the road courses, proving once and for all the myth that ovals were some mysterious, magical track that took years to master. Ovals are intersting, and require people to think differently on how they see corners, how they adjust the car, and how they race other cars, but they are not requiring of vast years of experience to master.

Nigel proved in 93 that he was a racer, but it also proved he strength of CART and the concept of the series. The fact he didn't win going away proved that F1 drivers don't walk on water too......

[Alexamateo]

The really unusual thing about Nige's championship was his strength of finishes on the ovals. He ran better on ovals statistically than he did on the road courses, proving once and for all the myth that ovals were some mysterious, magical track that took years to master. Ovals are intersting, and require people to think differently on how they see corners, how they adjust the car, and how they race other cars, but they are not requiring of vast years of experience to master.



It's certainly easier for a road course master to also master the ovals, than it is for an oval master to master the road courses. The record proves that out time and time again.

[Bob Riebe]

It's certainly easier for a road course master to also master the ovals, than it is for an oval master to master the road courses. The record proves that out time and time again.
Road courses show who has better co-ordinated hand-eye movement.

That does not show as much on ovals; whereas Indy, old Ontario and Pocono would be different, and more like a road course.
Ovals show who has cajones.
Bob

[weeflyonthewall]

Just curious.... and this is probably pure opinion from everyone who responds... but did Formula 1 World Champion Nigel Mansell come to North American Open-wheel racing to win Indianapolis or to win the CART Championship ???

To many fans and drivers the Indy 500 is just another race but is considered the holy grail of oval races, Monaco being the holy grail of street races. A lot has changed since the early 90's. TG's big mistake was putting an Indy win as a higher achievement than a drivers championship. That's a negative rub with many drivers, teams and fans. It took Andretti, Ganassi, Rahal and Penske almost 10 years to but in. Then it was on their terms, not Tony's.
What's more important, an IRL championship or the Borg Warner?