Robert Ballou-Wilmot
 

Robert got together with Hunter in the feature. I believe Hunter got pretty tight and that's what caused him to take a ride. Ballou was not at fault with the accident. Seeing Ballou win a feature at Terre Haute
with his own car and a open trailer brought back memories from the
"Good Old Days" April 22.
Best Regards,
John:32:

Re: Robert Ballou-Wilmot
 

John..Were U at Wilmount? I am not here to bash any one, and I am not a driver. But from my years of being involved with racing, this is my openion of the accident and I saw it from the start to the end. Hunter was running the cushion and had been doing so from the start of the race. Bollue had already given him one slide job and it was a good one with no contact. Hunter got back around Balloue and was ahead again entering one the next lap. At this point Balloue knew Hunter committed to the cushion because he was following him and it is his responsibility to give him racing room on the top. That never happen and he slid into him and from that it caused Hunters car to flip. A driver only has a split second to make a decision as to where wants to go and I think it was just the wrong move at that moment which ended with the contact of Hunters car. Nothing to do with Hunters car being tight. That is the way I say it and that is my openion. Did Robert deserve to be put on probation. That is not our call as fans and almost everyone has an openion. Every driver in that position will have to work it out with the sactioning body....Phil Poor:22:

The only thing tight about hunters car was trying to get the motor out of the bent car. What race were you watchin?

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Re: Robert Ballou-Wilmot
 

Two of the most shameful statements someone who considers themselves a race car driver can make:

"It's just one of them racin deals"

Originally spoken by millionaire race car drivers, driving for millionaire owners with multi million dollar sponsors. They trash a car on Sunday (there's or anyone else's) and there's a new waiting back at the shop. They never had to pay for a new right rear tire or sit out a week because they didn't have the money to fix what broke.

A "racin deal: is when a car breaks in front of you and you hit it. A racin deal is when a part on your car breaks and you crash.

A "racin' deal" IS NOT when you have control of an operating car and you hit someone else who is control of an operating car, causing that person to crash.

The other statement: "He could have lifted"

Both statements most often said by someone who does not have the class to man-up and say "I messed up and I'm sorry"

I also agree with Phil.

Mike Jonas

Re: Robert Ballou-Wilmot
 

First of all I want to THANK all the USAC guys that towed to Wisconsin. Normally we have to go to INDY to see you. Your efforts were greatly appreciated.
About the crash the way we saw it was the classic slide job gone bad. Yes Hunter was on top and Robert plain didn't get the slider done. I don't know if this is first run in with the officials but doing something to stop abusive driving is ok. I worked on many a wrecked race car for over 20 years. Sometimes it's your drivers fault and other times someone wrecks you. In the old days someone would have ended up with a black eye.

I agree "it was a racing deal" is a poor excuse for a mistake. Man up and take your lumps.
Again thanks for coming to Wisconsin I hope your back:8:

Paul Kuyawa
High Groove Media Service

Is there any video of this event?

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Re: Robert Ballou-Wilmot
 

Isn't that your job??

Oh...wait.....never mind.

:D

Look I'm not a huge fan of Ballou but I read what his FB said and he didn't say either of those things you're quoting. If you're going to dress him down at least get his words right. He didn't never say hunter could have or should have lifted and he didn't say it was a racing deal. He did say these things happen sometimes you're the giver sometime the taker and that's a fact as long as there's sliders in racing there's gonna be ones that don't work. I think it's a bad deal for all drivers if they start penalizing you for them especially middle of season. Like I said Ballou don't have a ton of people that gonna stick up for him and I ain't doing that either but let's say this was DD who did the bad slide job and was on probation hell there'd be a mob after USAC head. I'd be one of em! But it wrong to quote him for stuff he never said. And the first bad slider that happens in sprint week (and you know there'll be some) don't complain when half the guys are on probation and worried about whT that means. Because now they punished one they got to punish every bad slider

Greg

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You don't have this problem with dd he don't have a reputation of rough driving and didn't usac just sit cottle for the night I mean there not picking on ballou

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They parked Cottle for going down to tmez pit and fighting not anything to do with driving. I've seen DD pull some sliders he couldn't make - that's what I mean I've seen every one of them at one time or another make a bad slide job. actually at sun prairie DD flat drove over a guy - granted the guy was slow but it was enough the announcer commented on it maybe he's in trouble too and I just haven't heard?

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Re: Robert Ballou-Wilmot
 

I stand corrected:

Replace 'racin' deals' with "racing incident".

Replace 'he could have lifted' with "If he had lifted".

Same difference.

I remember a few years ago at eldora Robert gave Kevin studley the wheel and flipped him in a heat race when everybody was gonna make the show.

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I don't see it that way if you read the whole thing I don't think he trying to put blame on hunter and I took it as that was USAC words that it was an incident. Guess we can agree to disagree but I don't think your description fits what he said

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Re: Robert Ballou-Wilmot
 

To me it doesn't matter if it's a bullring or a half mile but i have always said that with 10 laps or less to go in the race the worse spot on the track to be is out front in the lead. :31:

Re: Robert Ballou-Wilmot
 

I believe Hunter sent Robert to the hospital a couple years ago with a bad slider and crashed Josh Spencer pretty good too.

So if hunter would have went to the hospital they would have been even?

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Re: Robert Ballou-Wilmot
 

I remember that as well, the scrap parts from that one bought me a sixer of Bud Light. Never thanked 'ol Bobby properly for that generous six pack.

Re: Robert Ballou-Wilmot
 

:deadhorse: :deadhorse: :deadhorse: :47: :47:

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Re: Robert Ballou-Wilmot
 

[QUOTE=Speedracer;287934]

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How would a "Quarter Midget Judge" call this pass? Something about the front wheel of the passing car and cockpit of the car being passed? Looked like a pass to me nothing like a slide job. After watching it one frame at a time the white car came in low and fast, the red car was holding his line, he may have pinched off the white car a tad 3/4 ways thru the turn. The white car got a little loose and contacted the left outside wheel of the red car, causing the red car to get loose thus pinching the white car , the white car climed the left rear tire of the red car and all H_E_L_L broke loose. This is what I would call racing hard and close. It's a shame we cain't race one frame at a time.

Honest Dad himself:6::6:

Re: Robert Ballou-Wilmot
 

kinda looked to me like ballou was holding his line, hunter slid in too quick, tried to turn away, slid the right rear into ballou. ballou didnt pich him nor do i think it was intentional from either parties.

Re: Robert Ballou-Wilmot
 

Did Robert know he was there? YES> In the perfect world he could have given a little more racing room. But all being said they were both racing hard and for the same part of the race track, and it's kinda of hard to turn or stop one of those things on a dime. No grounds for sanctions. Six inches would have made all the difference in the world. Good hard racing, the kind the crowd likes to watch. S-H-I-T- Happens.

Honest Dad himself:6::6::deadhorse:

Re: Robert Ballou-Wilmot
 

or....to play devils advocate...hunter shouldnt have gone in so hot expecting robert not to be there when he got there.....whoops!
"just one of them racin' deals"

Re: Robert Ballou-Wilmot
 

Between the bugs and dust, it was hard to say what happened.

Re: Robert Ballou-Wilmot
 

Yeh, The term QMA used was "charging" to "Blocking". An imaginary line was drawn across the track several feet before the turn. This was the line that changed the call from charging to blocking. If the passing driver was even with the cockpit before the line they had the line and the car being overtaken was supposed to give racing room. If they DID NOT give up the line it was called as "Blocking".

However, If the overtaking driver did not reach the cockpit until after the line had been reached, they would be charged with "Charging".

The camera angle makes it hard to tell when Hunter got up to Robert's cockpit. It looks to me like it was before the turn. If however it is like you saw it "Hunter did came in very very fast" and it was after that imaginary line before he got to Robert's cockpit he would be called "Charging". Either way they both lost the argument.

QMA has a lot of Bull in it but they do teach young kids how to race fast and safe and to show their fellow racers RESPECT on and off the race track. It's a shame they don't let the kid's run the whole show. It's easy for a kid to learn these things when they are young and if they learn it young they will race it for the rest of their career. Quarter Midgets are not 410 sprint cars but racing is racing and we shouldn't race open wheel cars the way they race stock cars.

Honest Dad himself:6::6:

Re: Robert Ballou-Wilmot
 

WOW!!!!!! Just saw the video of Wilmont and can not believe there is a debate over what happened? I know there is some top row goggle wearing race fan that will argue just for the sake of arguing, BUT REALLY!!!!! There is no way there is a debate over what happened!!!!!!Watch the video and ....... well just watch the video.... camera angle is not a factor when your running the same line lap after lap and someone sticks their RR in your left side nerf bar. Pretty much looks like Hunter got:34:!!!!!!

Cameras never lie. However, We shouldnt even be talking about this either. The race was awesome between KT and Stanbrough with cottle charging and were talking about something that ruins the whole race. Its over nothing we can do about it and hopefully we all learned something from it and race against each other the next night. Move on from the situation

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I just watched it and I saw it in person also - I will say hunter wasn't running the same line lap after lap. I have some video edit software on my mac and I slowed it down and watched frame by frame - you can see at about 6.19.11 that Ballou has hunter cleared by several inches meaning you can see the track between the two so I can see where he said he thought he cleared him. Then at like 6.19.22 Ballou moves up and catches hunter with a tire it looks like in the nerf bar but when I slowed it down it shows the whole bar not that it makes much of a difference. Just looks like classic slide gone bad - you can see in the frame where Ballou had him cleared and then in the next couple where he goes to pull away and hunter is there. I didn't see nothing intentional and it didn't really look avoidable either it just looked like a bad timing hard racing thing. Especially when you slow down the previous frames/laps hunter moves up from the bottom to the top back to the middle to pass Ballou in 2 then back to the top in 3 - the same scenario could have happened the corner earlier except it was just luck it didn't. The camera guy missed they had already traded three clean sliders before this deal - I don't see anything intentional and really don't when I slow it down - and I can see where it looked like a clean pass there is several several frames where Ballou had him cleared by several inches by the time he moves up there would have been no way to miss him he would have taken out Windom if he tried to dodge hunter by driving down in front if him - just hard racing. I wish I could figure out how to convert the frame by frame shots and I'd post them but I can't figure it out. I guess what im saying is idk how usac could say it was avoidable after I slowed it down I hate it for hunter I hope he rebounds with a solid sprint week. On another note Thomas jr looked amazing I bet that kid gets a sprint week win

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Idk why it's putting the dumb smiley faces in I'm trying to type in the video times/frames stupid phone

I grew up in a race shop, attend the races since I was very young and have worked for several professional racing series and been on pit crews as well and one thing throughout my life and my experiences is I learned there is always a thing called RESPECT. Those simple words mean that no matter if you like a driver, are a driver, a pit crew member, a crew chief, a car owner, a sponsor or an official- there is a way to conduct yourself in every situation.

This past weekend I had the sincere pleasure to work with Robert & Sacha Ballou and their entire team.

I witnessed something that I have not seen in any of the series I have worked for nor am associated with on Saturday nigth at the Wilmot Raceway. A USAC offical came down to the Ballou Motorsports pit area in front of fans that were there to visit with Robert and a potential sponsor when this official mentioned loudly he was on probation.

I don't want to state who should have done what in that A-main event but I do want to state that the entire way this 6 race probation has been handled is beyond frusting and has shown several children that watch this happen on Saturday night and heard it announced in the drivers meeting on Sunday night- bullying.

I believe in being professional, and there is a way to handle situations and the way this situation has been handled and what has been said to Robert, his wife and team is in apporaite and should be appealed and USAC should be ashamed. I know several people that are not in support of this serious now due to the conduct of officals and the "rules made up along the way or the way they see fit"-and now may choose to support a different more professional series.

To Robert & Sacha Ballou and your entire team- as a witness to this spectacle and the entire situation- I want you to know that by no means is this acceptable and should not be tolerated by any of you, your sponsors and fans.

The sponsor that walked away after he heard what was said cost not only Robert's team money but USAC money too because no-one knew how much they wanted to spend or in which way and now that moment has passed. I believe in being fair-professional and engaging in policies and procedures and that is exactly what should have been done and going forward should be the top priority- FRANKLY I BELIEVE THIS TO BE THE BIGGER ISSUE HERE THEN WHO DID WHAT TO WHO!

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Re: Robert Ballou-Wilmot
 

YOu can try to find video some where?

Re: Robert Ballou-Wilmot
 

Video???

Re: Robert Ballou-Wilmot
 

If what you say is true. The USAC official should be looking for another job today. Rule #1 A person in authority shall never dress down another person in public. That is why they have that $100,000.00 trailer. Very Very unprofessional, at least an apology would be in order
and I wouldn't blame Robert had he punched him in the nose, that action is out of order.

Honest Dad himself:6::6:

Re: Robert Ballou-Wilmot
 

Those pictures show clearly Ballou had hunter cleared all the way up till they touched. In every shot until the last one you can see that Ballou is cleared hunter and hunter had to see him and Ballou would not have seen hunter until the last one. I think if anything this shows charging like the one guy said and there's no way Ballou could have avoided that if he turned at the last second he would have spun out and crashed either Stanbrough or Windom. When you look at those still shots from that video you can see the camera doesn't lie, I think usac owes Ballou an apology. No way that was intentional and looking at each shot Ballou had the spot and no way to think hunter would be there, looks like a unfortunate circumstance of hard racing.

Re: Robert Ballou-Wilmot
 

Seriously? Respect? Professionalism? Yeah, I'd say the lack of those two things are why Robert is not in good graces. Maybe this was the "grow up" sign that Ballou desperately needs. That video only confirmed a silly move. Cleared? You're not clear until you slide up in front of someone. That move was doomed when he threw it in at full-speed with no hope of sticking. There's nothing to analyze after that - it was just a matter of how hard the impact would be at that point.

Re: Robert Ballou-Wilmot
 

Am I looking at the right video. Robert is a "growed" up boy and can take care of himself. All I saw was two very racy drivers fighting over the same piece of the race track, wasn't no body at fault, If Robert was in the red car he was probably a little more in the right than the white car, but all the white car did was stick it in the hole and it didn't quite fit.

How about that USAC official and his coments?

Honest Dad himself:6::6:

Wrong video. That's from a few years ago.

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Re: Robert Ballou-Wilmot
 

I See Said the Blind Man!!!:10::11;

Honest Dad himself:6::6:

Re: Robert Ballou-Wilmot
 

Like a store's security guard - give 'em a little authority and they cannot wait to use it, and the more people who see this guy show his ass, the happier he foolishly becomes.
I attended my first USAC race in 1957. I was a USAC member off-and-on for many, many years. It wasn't until the 1970s that I began seeing just how unprofessional their officials were becoming. With some nice exceptions, it has been downhill ever since.

Re: Robert Ballou-Wilmot
 

besides the way usac handled informing ballou of the "probation".......heres what i saw in the video......ballou turned hard going into one right in the slick spot. at that point, he was "along for the ride" till he got a bite.....which he didnt and slid ip with hunter on the outside.
IMO.....(after watching the video a few times)....hunter made no attempt to move up or even steer around ballou......he gassed it up, the car went straight (the direction the wheels were pointed) and launched over ballous right rear.
i have watched guys try to pinch the bottom a thousand times and it worked....this time it didnt cause it was SOOO slick down there that ballou just slid up.....IMO....that WASNT a slider gone bad, it was a car that didnt stick and slid up into another car.
a slider would have been off the bottom and out to the middle of the turn, not off the bottom and STRAIGHT up the track.

and really, if they wanted to penalize ballou, why not do the same to hines for kinda losing it and taking himself and gardner out in the heat? or leary for getting loose and trying to stick his nose under gardner off 4 in the same heat?

this all comes down to a "judgement call" and, IMO, since ballou tends to drive pretty hard , he is probably going to be at the top of the list of guys they are watching......but lately, i have seen others offering up similar moves and no one bats an eye.

Re: Robert Ballou-Wilmot
 

Now this sounds like sammy swindell