Jag_Warrior
17th November 2007, 20:51
Clarke expressed considerable frustration in working with the IRL. "I feel like we're moving forward but it's taking millimeters at a time," he said. "But it is moving forward and we're trying to keep our optimism up. While I'm looking more forward to my ultimate retirement, I'm concerned about it because I have put a considerable effort on a daily basis into trying to make the IRL better and when I leave, I don't see them doing it on their own. I'm not trying to flatter myself, but it's a fact that somebody has got to keep beating on them to move forward."
He tried another tack before deciding to throw in the towel. "I did a complete 180 and downshifted a couple of gears and moved into what we call plan B, which was to achieve everything you would have with unification, but without it. I couldn't get the IRL to do it themselves, so I developed an entire plan and presented it to them in late September.
"The plan included a road map of everything they need to reinvent the IRL into a new open-wheel series that would achieve all of these things without unification. But I wore myself out doing it. I kept pushing myself because of the glimmer of hope I saw. I stepped it up and pushed even harder.
"It's because of that to a significant degree that I'm going the direction that I am," Clarke added somewhat dolefully. "I have nothing left. I'm very disappointed that I didn't get any further than I did. Hopefully, there will be some lasting good impact."
I certainly don't agree with every decision made by Clarke over the years. But I do think that the guy put his heart & soul into open wheel racing. And much like Dan Davis, he's been met with frustration and people who can't see the forest for the dying trees.
For the full article:
http://www.gordonkirby.com/categories/columns/theway/2007/the_way_it_is_no102.html
He tried another tack before deciding to throw in the towel. "I did a complete 180 and downshifted a couple of gears and moved into what we call plan B, which was to achieve everything you would have with unification, but without it. I couldn't get the IRL to do it themselves, so I developed an entire plan and presented it to them in late September.
"The plan included a road map of everything they need to reinvent the IRL into a new open-wheel series that would achieve all of these things without unification. But I wore myself out doing it. I kept pushing myself because of the glimmer of hope I saw. I stepped it up and pushed even harder.
"It's because of that to a significant degree that I'm going the direction that I am," Clarke added somewhat dolefully. "I have nothing left. I'm very disappointed that I didn't get any further than I did. Hopefully, there will be some lasting good impact."
I certainly don't agree with every decision made by Clarke over the years. But I do think that the guy put his heart & soul into open wheel racing. And much like Dan Davis, he's been met with frustration and people who can't see the forest for the dying trees.
For the full article:
http://www.gordonkirby.com/categories/columns/theway/2007/the_way_it_is_no102.html