Thoughts about Scott Speed?

Maybe he was named after the company "kkk" (german manufacturer of turbos chargers) Think of the endorsement deals!

 

Kasey Kahne---sounds like a pron star name.

 

Its only his first year. Not like he has been racing in this series for years. I think people are being way to hard on him. He's not horrible and I think he has been doing decent with the package he has. I don't believe his interviewers are that horrible as well...but thats just my opinion.

 

I agree with dork, stupid, and particularly, asshat. He just doesn't come across as very bright. As for the health problems, he was already the Red Bull choice before that occurred. So yes, kudos to him for fighting to get his health back, but that doesn't excuse his arrogance and ignorance. When Red Bull and Danny Sullivan announced the driver to F1 program several years ago they made a point that their selection was going to exhibit a charisma and presence in public appearances, a knack for business, and techincal understanding and racecraft all in addition to the ability to turn quick laps around a given circuit. What were they thinking when they selected SS? If I recall, they had 16 semi-finalists. Were the others all that horrid that SS was the last man standing? I don't remember who else was in the frame but it would be interesting to review the names at this point in time.

I do hope we see Marco in Europe soon. I think he's got what it takes.

Cheers

 

http://www.f1racing.net/en/news.php?newsID=122431

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Speed shuns F1 ambassador role
28 June 2006
American Scott Speed says it doesn't matter to him one way or the other if F1 is popular in the US as he prepares for his home Grand Prix this weekend at Indianapolis. Speed is the first American driver in F1 since Michael Andretti in 1993.


"It would be great if F1 became more popular in America, but personally, for me it doesn't matter," Speed told the BBC. "It's not something that puts more pressure on me. I'm in F1 because I know it's the pinnacle of motor sport. I know that it's the top and it's been my ream since I was a kid in karting."
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I think he is in F1 not because it's the pinnacle of motor sport, but because he is American and Red Bull wants to appeal to American public.

 

David Coulthard's presence, Kimi's skill, Fernando Alonso's enthusiasm, Michael Schumacher's business acumen, Juan Pablo Montoya's temperment. Is this the "yardstick" we are measuring Scott Speed by? Maybe that yardstick doesn't exist.

I might be setting low expectations but is he better than the half dozen or so others who have passed through F1 teams over the last two years? Ide, Kartekeyan (sp?), Sato, etc? Does he show improvement race over race? I tend to think that he does.

 

I just met Mr. Speed a couple hrs ago on the Indy circle.
He was easilly accessable to the fans and took time to chat with several of us and signed some things. I listened in on several media interviews and it was pretty nice, just like a guy from a local Indiana dirt track who likes to drive, except when he says "for sure" all the time like the 2nd language guys. I hope he does well this week.

 

One thing is for sure. There isn't a single person on this forum that he couldn't wipe any track on this planet with our ass if he wanted to in that Red Bull. Seriously, who here thinks they could get within 45 seconds of his slowest time anywhere in the same car?

 

That's really not the point. You could say that about any F1 driver.

He doesn't have to beat us (which of course he would manage to). He has to beat the other 21 guys AND he should come across in interviews at least as likeable to make his sponsors happy.

I was thrilled to see him go to F1 and was looking forward to it. Until I heard him in the interviews. First off he is way too optimistic/unrealistic about what he and his POS car can achieve. Second hearing him complaining about traffic in qualifying is ridiculous and not the reason he doesn't do better (again a car/driver issue). Finally that statement about "heads will roll" was so ridiculous, that it really turned me off. Who the hell does he think he is? He should be kissing Red Bull/Mateschitz/his team every day for the grace of letting him drive in his rookie season. Oh and calling DC names doesn't help either.

 

I'm with you Tommy; he had to be damn good to get the ride he has and to get as far as he has this season. Its like when I used to find people laughing at the performance of the Minardis. They may have been back markers but they were faster than anything we could build !

 

He was not the fastest when he was with Skip Barber, finished 2nd to Grant Maiman in the National Championship, Grant has significantly more talent, faster and is certainly more fun to be around!

I have met Scott and the "attitude" he displays is his true self, I think he may have the worlds smallest fan club...

 

My point is that living well is the best revenge. You think he really cares what a bunch of wannabes like us thinks about him. I wouldn't. You can't please everyone.
He will get better, faster and mature in time. Big deal, it's his first season.

 

He better give a damn what us foot soldiers think, after all we should buy all his and his sponsors' merchandise. Was it Villeneuve or Button who got sacked after deliberately missing a VIP session with a sponsor in Monaco? We're not VIPs, but we all have a choice in buying RedBull or not.

 

his driving skills are one thing. and those, so far, have been ok given the equipment and experience.
but the presentation and composure and marketability are questionable. and this is what is bothering us. most of the comments so far are from americans. and given the demographic of this board, most of us are either well educated or very savvy, or both. so when the first american in f1 appears after a long hiatus for our country in f1, we want to be proud of him.

can we be proud of his driving result? well not yet. it might come, but so far in that rarified world of f1 drivers he is only middling. but things could change.

can we be proud of him as a person and a representative of our country? a more complex issue, but i would still say 'not yet'.
i want him to be successful and likeable and worthy of respect. but his interviews have not been good. his comments in and out of the car show him to be (so far) a relatively undeducated and unpolished young man. dont get me wrong, i am not looking for him to be just another sponsor's dream parroting bland praise of all his teammates etc. i would like him to be frank, outspoken, and mature. he needs to grow up and give adult interviews from now on.

and quite frankly, i think it is incomprehensible that you can be involved in a sport/industry and NOT know the general history of that sport/industry. to not know fangio, is an automatic signal to me that this fellow does not have the intellectual curiousity to find out about his sport. and this is disappointing.

i wish him much success. but he better start performing on the track and start doing some reading (and not comic books) soon, or he will find himself without a ride anywhere. an industry appropriate name will only get you so far......

 

Your right BUT I wouldn't exactly be shaking in my boots at what the US market thought at this time. Worry about overseas. Worry about getting better on the track, worry about getting cought with another girl in Italy.

I would start worring about the US and Fchat when we get more than the 127 fans we now have over here.

 

The current wave of new drivers probably drove their first race on a computer - with no attraction to the sport other than the experience at hand. I too find it amazing that a current driver wouldn't know who Fangio is but I need to accept that today's drivers have different influences, values, and priorities.

 

Now could somebody please tell me who this Fangio guy is you're all babbling about?

 

I truly think that Scott Speed is an experiment to see how well F1 can be marketed in the US. We as Americans just don't expect for him to compete in F1, but to be competitive. With all the chatter last season about him, we thought we would see him on the podium a few times already this season. I don't expect much from him for the rest of the season, however, next year I would like to see some top five finishes. What does seem strange, is when he is interviewed, it seems like he has been "coached" on what to say, and how to say it. I often wonder if "Speed" is his real name, or is it all part of a marketing sceme. For me, I would love to see an all American entry into F1( cars,engineers,crew,team boss,owner, etc) with a facility here in the states, creating jobs, boosting someone's local economy. If your gonna do it, do it right!

 

Quite the opposite with me: I didn't and don't expect him on the podium, yet he talks as if that is only a few races away. THAT's what irks me. If he'd just acknowledge that he is a rookie in a POS car, that'd be perfectly fine with me and fit the picture. But all that raraa about getting points blablabla makes him look like a loon. Maybe DC told him, that this is the year...

In all fairness part of the irritation also stems from the guys from Speed. Varsha (whom I otherwise like a lot) uses any chance to toot Scott's horn as if he is the chose one. And btw: What is so great about Montego, that we have to mention that every time we mention Scott's name? He is from the US, California even. Fine, I get it. Can we move on please?

 

He sells used Maserati's in West Virginia.

 

LOL

Actually a few years back in Goodwood I had the honor of meeting his son. Yup, that's the kinda place Goodwood is.

 

He also ran moonshine and raced with the first black driver in NASCAR, Ike Turner.

I will go to Goodwood soon. Richard Petty will be there this year.

 

LOL

A friend of mine used to do moonshine racing against the cops in NY. Beating them across the Manhatten bridges.

Say hello to Richard, another one of my heroes. I visited his school this year and bowed my head to his hat at the Rock Cafe in Orlando.

Since we're on the subject of American racing legends (I knew I could make a connection back to Speed, thin as it might be).
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