WHAT WERE THEY THINKING?

 

MILLVILLE, N.J. – Let’s just get straight to the point, courtesy of reporter Jason Mazda and the Press Of Atlantic City:

“Driver Max Angelelli said the economy and the new cars are poor excuses, though. He blamed Grand-Am management, and specifically director of competition Dave Spitzer, who was not at the track Friday and was unavailable for comment.

“’I feel like he is responsible for this,’ the always outspoken Angelelli said. ‘Before he came on board (in March 2008), we had 15, 20 DPs. Now he's on board, and we have eight. It's a coincidence, or he's doing something bad. My opinion, it's not a coincidence, because the economy was bad and now it's recovering, and we can see other championships growing. We can see IndyCar growing. We can see part of the (American Le Mans Series) growing. But we're losing cars.’”

Think th-th-th-th-that’s all folks? Hah!

Same reporter; same publication; different mouth:

“His team owner, Wayne Taylor, said one of the big problems is a rule limiting most teams to only five sets of tires for an entire weekend. Since three sets are generally needed for a race, it often leads to teams skipping practice sessions because they don't have enough tires. But designated teams with either new drivers or "pro-ams" - for whom driving is a second career - get an extra set, and thus more track time.

“’It's not really exciting when you spend all this money and all this effort on the track and on the cars, and you're sitting in the pit lane (unable to practice),’ Taylor said. ‘I'm just sick of it. Really, it's just ridiculous.’”

“’It makes no sense whatsoever. It is just absurd. And I just don't know how much more one can go and sell something when before you get to the racetrack you know you can't even get out to run.’”

REALLY, THEY AIN”T DUMMIES

Beyond the once high-octane world in which they live, Max Angelelli and Wayne Taylor are enmeshed in business ventures throughout the world, driver management (Penske Racing’s Ryan Briscoe among those represented) and are a closely knit “family” all but lacking common “bloodlines.”

For the most part, Angelelli has been Ricky and Jordan Taylor’s mentor, both having access to the thoughts and talents of not just one “great,” but two when father Wayne Taylor is considered.

It’s little wonder the two already are forces with which to be reckoned.

IS BREAKING UP HARD TO DO . . .

. . . or just appears so?

For months rumors have swirled that Taylor , who has denied such, would take his SunTrust sponsorship and undertake IndyCar racing, which Taylor Racing already has to some extent, having embraced the Indy “Light” series.

So, then, like lovers having seen different lights at the end of their tunnel of love, Taylor and Angelelli have actually addressed the same subject, they’ve just taken different tacks.

It’s kind of interesting to note, however, that for all of Angelelli’s criticism of Grand-Am’s David Spitzer, he could likewise have criticized his business partner, as well as hisownself, for Spitzer being there in the first place.

Yes, Spitzer is qualified, but who hasn’t seen qualified people – from race car drivers to engineers – otherwise lack a job largely owed to who they don’t know?

Taylor, Angelelli and Spitzer were first an item when they teamed on the Cadillac prototype program, where Spitzer served in a variety of functions, all upper-management level. They evidently liked him just fine, then, and afterward, when Spitzer scored the Grand-Am job after Taylor put his name in nomination.

Yet, by the end of Spitzer’s first season that support was fast dwindling.

Where and how this’ll all play out isn’t now known, of course.

Later,

DC