Exploring the most critical challenges facing racing today, a celebrated panel of motorsports figures, representing the racing industry’s vast spectrum of knowledge, gathered for the 11th Annual Industry Roundtable on Wednesday, December 5, 2007, at the Orange County Convention Center. There were some surprises, too.
Moderated by TV Race Commentator and Crew Chief Jeff Hammond—in his fourth year leading the discussion—the Industry Roundtable’s topics varied greatly. The panel discussed topics such as racing legal issues, the karting market, sanctioning body rules, spec engines and spec race parts, safety, racing economics, the state of open wheel racing, rules violations in racing, rule enforcement, race track promotion, the Australian racing market, Tony Stewart’s many race business ventures, and the idea of green fuels in racing.
A very special surprise for the 600-plus in attendance, legendary race engine builder Robert Yates arrived midway through the forum. Yates also spoke about fuels at Wednesday morning’s AETC prior to the Roundtable. Yates told those in attendance at the Industry Roundtable that he would like to see high compression fuels such as diesel used more in racing. “The 40 years I’ve been in racing have been wonderful and I think change is what has made it wonderful,” he said.
Another surprise, at one point during the event, Herb Fishel, former head of General Motors Racing, stood up and made insightful comments which drew applause from the audience.
This year’s panel of motorsports figures consisted of Bill Saunders, managing partner of the Hall of Fame Racing team in the NASCAR Nextel Cup Series; Robin Miller, motorsports journalist—SPEED; Danny Gracia, technical director for the NHRA; Brett Frood, chief operating officer of Tony Stewart’s True Speed Enterprises; Ron Harrop, founder of Harrop Engineering in Australia and technical director for Tasman Motorsport in the V8 Supercar Series; Paul Zalud, president of the Snap-On Stars of Karting Presented by IndyCar Series; Bill Schlieper, owner of Pro Power Racing—Championship Off-Road and Dirt Late Model race engine builder; Scooter Brothers, director of R&D/part-owner of Competition Cams and part-organizer of AETC; Ken McGuire, attorney expert in motorsports legal Issues and modified racer.
The tone of the event was often free-wheeling and lighthearted. Hammond began the proceedings with the following quip: “Many of you might be asking why we have a lawyer on the panel here today. It’s because we have Robin Miller here today.”
The outspoken racing journalist, Miller, didn’t disappoint. When asked if the IndyCar Series and the Champ Car Series would ever join together as one, Miller responded, “I’ll be opening presents Christmas Day at Tony George’s house before they ever get together,” referring to his well-known feud with the Indianapolis Motor Speedway owner.
“I was impressed with the way they really stood up and said what they thought,” Charlie Henry, of Challenger Consulting, Farmington Hills, Michigan, a first-timer at the Roundtable, said about the panel. “NASCAR, in particular, took a lot of hits, and some of the other organizations did as well. The crate engine was brought up, which I thought was very important. It doesn’t seem like anybody has really resolved it. There were some very interesting comments. There was more insight than actually I thought there would be. I thought it would be a bunch of arguments and a bunch of bench racing, and stuff like that. They were very professional and they were very serious about resolving things or at least getting issues out to the point where people will start thinking about them. Perhaps by starting the thought process that way, these things will actually come about. I’m impressed and I will be back.”
Smokey Yunick, one of racing’s all-time legendary engine builders, created this unique forum to get frank answers to direct questions concerning the most critical challenges facing motorsports today. It’s billed as the best discussion of the state of racing you’ll hear all year.
The event was free of charge for registered attendees to the 20th PRI Trade Show.
