[jdull99]

Video???

[DAD]

Originally Posted by Ddckm72 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! Posted via Mobile Device

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

[Slydejob]

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.

[quicktime3]

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.

[DAD]

Originally Posted by quicktime3 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.

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

[quicktime3]

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

Posted via Mobile Device

[DAD]

I See Said the Blind Man!!!

Honest Dad himself

[Pat O'Connor Fan]

Originally Posted by Ddckm72 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 series 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. Posted via Mobile Device

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.

[c47]

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.

[huskermudd]

Originally Posted by spicoli I stand corrected: Replace 'racin' deals' with "racing incident". Replace 'he could have lifted' with "If he had lifted". Same difference.

Now this sounds like sammy swindell