So... Sao Paulo race weekend is next weekend. At this point, I (along with all of you) should be jumping for joy because we'll actually have something to talk about after spending months grasping at straws of conversational topics. There's one hitch in this scenario: I'm not jumping for joy. It's not because I don't have the energy. On the contrary, I rarely lack it. No, dear readers, a legitimate reason exists. As one who follows multiple racing blogs, hangs around on the IndyCar Nation forum, and keeps up with the twittersphere, I have kept tabs over the off-season. Here's my list of reasons to not be excited:
1. Graham Rahal doesn't have a ride. Before I get cyber rotten tomatoes thrown at me for mentioning this again, hear me out. As a fan, I'm incredibly disappointed that he doesn't have a ride. However, I refuse to jump on the bandwagon that blames teams for not picking him up. He did have an offer and decided it wasn't in his best interests. As much as I'd like to see him race, he knows his situation and the climate of the IICS better than we do. Remember, he's on the inside and we're not. Also, I won't join in with the crowd that deems him the savior of the IICS. He's not. I will, however, contend that he is the future because he is young and feasibly has a long racing career in front of him. At this point, I reside in the "let's wait and see what will happen" camp.
Now, for the most pronounced reason. 2. Fans won't let this be a new season. What, you may ask me? Have you lost your mind, Catie? That post-tonal analysis (music theory concept that I'm NOT a fan of) must be impairing your reasoning skills! Well, not quite. Here's the thing: season predictions are made and complaint after complaint about how things were last year surface. You know, the usual, "red cars will dominate again" and "it'll be between two teams again." To be honest, that's a terrible outlook. I don't care whether or not it's true; it's still terrible. Yes, with spec cars, everything is likely to be a repeat performance. If that's how you think, you might as well call this IICS 2009, part 2. Well, it's not. We have new drivers, different rides, many personnel changes, and while the overall outcome might not look too different, a whole new set up possibilities awaits. Consider all the positive announcements that were made over the off-season. Fresh faces are becoming involved in the series, whether as drivers or leadership. Changes like that are exciting. In spite of that, the way fans talk, the IICS is dead and we may as well give up hope that we'll ever be something special. The real problem is that the IndyCar Nation is a very skeptical core fan base. It's knowledgeable in the history of the sport and understands the role politics between owners and the sanctioning body has played in changing the course of the sport.
It's time to let each season grow to its best potential without piling the ghosts of past seasons on it. 2010 is its own season. Sure, the past has its influence and should. I can't say this well, but a quote from "My Big Fat Greek Wedding" does. In a bit of advice given to Toula by her brother, Nick, he says, "Don't let the past dictate who you are, but let it be part of who you will become." We have a rich history that should be celebrated (and usually is quite eloquently by George Philips at Oilpressure) and keep things in perspective (with a lot of help and humor courtesy of Roy Hobbson at The Silent Pagoda). At the same time, we need to let the future be itself. The past will continue to be a part of the IICS, but it needs to grow and change too. That's where the fans come in. We tend to hold on to the past so much that we hinder the progress of the future. So cut it out, will ya?
No comments:
Post a Comment