Veloce Raptor

El grande bummer

flatsics

That's racing.
Happens all the time.

ProCoach

Shouldn't have happened to this one... Especially leading points in a competitive series, after a race win and in the middle of the season.

Three strikes against that team's decision making execution...

sbelles

Yes, it seems very odd. Perhaps tempers flared a bit given the circumstances.

Veloce Raptor

I would bet $5 it is about money & who pays to re-tub the car.

flatsics

WERD

Cup Tubs don't grow on trees.

GuyIncognito

probably.



as Peter mentioned though, not having insurance on a program like that, in a series like that, seems a bit silly (assuming it wasn't there).

net effect: a great talent and potential championship contender (not to mention PR boon to the series) is out of a ride. no bueno.

flatsics

It's all about the money.

http://sports.nationalpost.com/2012/...-follow-money/

Seth Thomas

I agree it shouldn't happen to someone who brings a win and a points lead in the championship to a team. On the flip side we both know most of the time deals like this usually are started by some kind of a money issue. It doesn't mean it is on her end either. Could be the team as a whole is running low on funds this season, they could have taken her money and used it to fund a weekend in Vegas on coke, hookers and other debauchery or they were tired of being beaten by a girl.

In the end it sucks to see this happening to someone as fast as Ashley has been this year. Hopefully we will see her more around the paddock this year.

Veloce Raptor

Often there is a large deductible even with insurance...and sometimes insurance at pro events at tracks like Mosport is so prohibitively expensive that teams will roll the dice and opt out.

Pure speculation on my part, and there are always AT LEAST two sides to every story...but to pull the plug on the series leader--especially the first female, who has drawn huge numbers of new eyeballs to the sport--seems odd.

Or, as Seth says, it might all be about hookers & blow & debauchery

GuyIncognito

yeah I'm sure for that car, in that series, at that track, insurance was probably something like $10k for the race with a $20-25k deductible (slightly educated guess).

yes there's a dearth of logic in this move. I know the money has to come from somewhere, but you'd think Hertz, Porsche, Yokohama, etc would be stepping up to keep her in the fight.

if I win the powerball I'm going to start funding some of these kids. after I make a fool of myself in a P2 car of course

mcongleton

With regards to insurance the Team (when they own the cars) usually has the relationship with the Insurance company. The team I drove for, RSR Motorsports in Grand Am, offered per race insurance for $5,000 for the MINI's and Honda's. It did not matter what track you ran at, the premium was the same. If I recall, the deductable was minimal something like $1k. I never opted for the insurance but others on the team did and do at each race. I only balled up a car once and had a bill that was over $12K, but many parts for the repair were provided by the factory so it could have been worse. I guess in the long run I came out ahead not having insurance, it is a risk one takes.

I would think the premium for a Cup would be quite a bit higher than $5,000 but I am not sure. Add that to a support bill of $25K-$30K per race weekend and the cost to run IMSA Challenge get's very $$.

Mark

ninjacoco

Sucks all the way around. I hate to see awesome talent get knocked out of a series over a gott dang money issue.

jdistefa

Given the biblical quotes on the Effort cars, that would be a fantastically ironic turn of events. Nonetheless, IMHO, a good use of money

ProCoach

No first hand knowledge, but teams as much as drivers run low on money...