Quotes of the Week

MARIO ANDRETTI, Legendary Formula One World Champion, 4-times Indy Car Champion, IROC Champion
"I almost cried," Andretti admitted. "I had a situation put together where a really comprehensive meeting was set to take place and it got derailed." Mario declined to say why the latest potential open-wheel summit never took place. But he did say that he is getting increasingly fed up with both sides' inability to see the need to move forward into the future as a single entity. "They are all in denial — that's the problem," related Andretti, who in addition to all his success in American open wheel racing won the 1967 Daytona 500 and the 1978 Formula 1 world championship. "They all have these little victories. Champ Car says things like 'The crowd was up 10 percent at Cleveland.' But give me a break. I was at Portland and the weekend was like going to a funeral. And it's the same thing on the other side. They keep thinking things are getting better. "That's what I fight all the time when I'm reasoning with them," Mario continued. "I'm like a broken record trying to make the point. Then they say they agree, but when it comes down to trying to negotiate through a little bit of give and take, some of the major issues are pulled off the table. "I got them to the altar more than once — I just can't get them to say 'I do.'"

TONY KANAAN, IRL driver, Andretti Green Racing
"You will have to ask Sam (Hornish Jr.) what happened on the track. He was the one who hit the Team 7-Eleven car from behind. After the race, I wasn't very happy and I got out of the car to talk to him. Sam's dad bumped me and I think that's totally wrong. When something happens on the track, we need to sort it out between ourselves and if we can't sort it out, Brian Barnhart needs to sort it out. Sam's dad can't bump me out of the way like that. I was not going to fight with Sam. I was not going to punch him. We were obviously both hot and were talking about what happened and his dad came in and bumped me." (Commenting on the post-race brawl in the pits at Watkins Glen involving Kanaan, Sam Hornish Sr. and Jr., and members of the Team Penske and Andretti Green Racing teams)

ROBIN MILLER, Motorsports Journalist, Veteran Open Wheel Expert
"Ms. Duno recently admitted she 'never imagined she’d be a race driver,' and, for the record, she’s not. A bad experiment that, thankfully, hasn’t resulted in any bodily injuries — yet. Milka is a nice lady, but so is Mari Hulman George and she doesn’t belong in an Indy car, either. The crew boasts a lot of good people — they just need a real driver. The IRL deserves an F for granting her a license."

PAUL TRACY, 2003 Champ Car World Series champion, Forsythe Championship Racing
"We need to keep driving the point home that there is no reward for racing and sooner or later you are going to lose your car or even your life," said Tracy. If you want to prove yourself behind the wheel, save it for the race track. I have a team around me preparing my car. If I get in an accident, there are doctors. Get involved in organized racing. (Street racing) will only cause pain and suffering down the line." (The Canadian race car champion has joined a three-year campaign aimed at putting an end to extreme driving on Ontario roads with the message that racing is uncool and leads to extreme consequences. These include hundreds of traffic-related deaths each year and thousands of injuries resulting in permanent disabilities.)

DARRELL WALTRIP, 3-time NASCAR Winston Cup Champion, TV Analyst
“I’d like to know what Teresa’s thinking about the future of DEI," Waltrip said. "I think she’s at a crossroads. Junior’s obviously leaving; I read where Menard said he’s thinking about moving so that basically leaves Martin (Truex Junior). They’re talking about having four cars and they have four numbers, but I only see potential for one car right now. I say this in all honesty," Waltrip added. “If I were in her shoes this might be the point where I might say ‘look I don’t need to own any racecars anymore. I just need to take care of Dale’s legacy, continue to work on the (Earnhardt) Foundation. Send Martin down to Richard Childress and let Childress have four teams and I’ll take care of the things that I have a passion about’."

RON DENNIS, Team Principal, McLaren Mercedes Formula One team
"I am massively hacked off by the whole thing. There still seems to be a strong desire to penalize McLaren for a set of circumstances which were completely out of its control. And it's a cloud I don't like living under. It overshadows everything, while I'm trying to do a professional job of protecting both drivers from it, the team and keeping them focused on their jobs, I can't do that for myself," he added. "I'm trying to impress that I'm massively upset by everything that's happened. Putting that aside, I am even more upset by the reaction of a whole range of people who've known this company and me for years but who are quite happy to dance on the grave, as it were. But it's life and you learn on a regular basis who your friends are and who actually walks the talk. (Referring to the unfolding Ferrari-McLaren spy scandal being called Stepneygate)

NIGEL STEPNEY, fired Race and Test Technical Manager, Ferrari Formula One team
"I have no idea how Mike Coughlan got the documents and I have no idea what exactly he is supposed to have. There have been high-speed car chases," Stepney revealed. "Ash [Stepney's fiancee] has been stalked at the house. There was tracking gear on my car. Someone was going to get hurt." He said his relationship with Ferrari began to "break down" following the departure of Brawn at the end of 2006. I began to feel like I was some sort of traitor, just because I no longer wanted to travel," Stepney said. "I was put in a position where it was difficult to do my job. "I started to look at other teams, and approached (Honda's) Nick Fry." Stepney admits meeting up with Coughlan before the pair met with Fry at Heathrow airport, and says up to four fellow Ferrari employees were also keen to form a "technical group" to take to another team.