Quotes of the Week
"Justin Wilson's crew, sponsored by McDonald's, is being called 'the Happy Meal team' now that four members, including Wilson, have become (or will become) fathers by midseason." Curt Cavin, Motorsports Journalist, Indianapolis Star
“There was a lot of action, definitely a lot of yellows. We benefited from being in the front, for sure. This was a typical Richmond race, very difficult and very long. At one point I looked and it was Lap 245 and I wondered if it was five laps from the end. It was a tough race." When asked about his comments in Victory Lane that he won this race for his son, Tony said: "He was going to be a year old, and if he understands about racing, he was going to say, 'Dad, you suck.' Now I can say, 'Son, when you were nine months old, I won a race for you.' Definitely I was worried that he was going to come to understand about racing and that he's going to say like my wife does all the time: 'Why didn't you win?' I just wanted to win this week." Tony Kanaan, IndyCar driver, Andretti Green Racing, winner of the Richmond race
"The nine cautions set a record for this race at the Richmond International Raceway. Tony Kanaan was the winner, but the best driving might have been done by the pace car. After all, 102 of the 300 laps were driven under caution. In the plus column, that did save considerable fuel. Score one for the IRL over the oil companies." Paul Woods, Motorsports Journalist, Richmond Times-Dispatch
"I would hope that I've earned the respect of the drivers; it's something I've worked hard for. I've always made sure that when I've been in a situation that's not ideal that I cut slack around me and made sure that I did that because it would come back (to me). I've always tried to play fair. I have the respect of my teammates and that, to be honest, is the only thing important to me." Danica Patrick, IRL driver, Andretti Green Racing, commenting on a statement by Scott Dixon after the Iowa race in which he said Danica was a "menace."
"I would say some of these young guys don't seem to know what's happening around or behind them, which is almost as important as what's happening in front of them. It's either in you or it's not. We can all learn from our mistakes, I suppose, but with some of them it's going to be bloody expensive until they do." David Coulthard, Formula 1 driver, Red Bull-Renault
"There's a lot of crap coming out. That's what they [reporters] do: build you up and then break you down, but they can't break me. Regardless of what's written in the papers, I will go back to the workshop, push with the team, focus on the next race and hit 'em hard. There is nothing you can do that can distract me." Lewis Hamilton, Formula 1 driver, McLaren-Mercedes
"You can ask questions about the consistency with which penalties are applied. A lot of people – and not McLaren personnel – are saying that the FIA are more interested in finding faults at McLaren than at other teams." Sir Jackie Stewart, three times Formula One World Champion
"Yes, you are right. I had got him [Max Mosley] so many votes. Yes, I made the difference. I don't deny it. The vote of confidence was a democratic process and once he has won the vote I think it is unfair to question his future as the FIA President. The very countries which say they are the torch-bearers of democracy seem to be doing just the opposite. If anyone can convince me that he has done wrong to motorsport or during his tenure his decisions have hurt Formula 1 or rallying then we have a case. But not over his personal and private affairs. In fact in one of my speeches I have referred to it as a 'terrorist attack on one's personal life'." Mohammad Bin Sulayem, UAE's representative at the FIA, commenting that he was largely responsible for Max Mosley's recent victory in a vote of confidence by the FIA General Assembly