rpm.espn.com: Comments on IRL drivers

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Monday, January 13
Updated: January 20, 2:01 PM ET

Comments on IRL drivers
ESPN.com

We spotlighted IRL drivers Felipe Giaffone, Sam Hornish Jr. and Tony Kanaan. Here are your thoughts on their '02 campaigns and prospects for next season:

Felipe Giaffone

The answer is: He and his team are the biggest sleeper in IndyCar for 2003. The question: Who is Felipe Giaffone and Mo Nunn Racing? Felipe has a cool-running style that suits him quite well for high-speed oval racing. Mo Nunn is the seasoned and brilliant engineer whose team should provide another dimension of depth to the growing IRL fields. Another top-five season in store, and winning Indy is not improbable (if Toyota holds up, that is).

David Zehr
Goshen, Ind.

I think Felipe is a great driver. I am a big Sam Hornish Jr. fan and I think Felipe is a great competitor.

Kenneth Carlson
Plano, Texas

This guy still doesn't get enough credit. He was great last season and should compete for a championship in 2003. Sure, there will be more competition with more CART drivers coming over, but Giaffone was second only to Hornish of the "native" IRL drivers. He should grab another top-five this year and with some luck could win a title.

Melissa Zaratosky
Roswell, N.M.

Felipe Giaffone is good but is he as good as Dario Franchitti and Michael Andretti? Al Unser Jr. will be better this season, too. Giaffone won't be able to finish as high as he did in 2002.

Zander Rosen
Sunnyvale, Calif.

Sam Hornish Jr.

Sam Hornish Jr. proved to the world last year that he was not a fluke. He defeated the greatest team in American open-wheel racing history straight up. Sam will pull off the threepeat next year -- he is an awesome driver -- and the 2003 Chevy engine has been through over 1,000 miles of testing so far. If he defeats Toyota, Honda, and all of the CART refugees, he will achieve legendary status. He truly is the best American racer no one knows about. By the end of 2003, everyone will know how good he and the IndyCar series really are!

Chris Estrada
Pascoag, R.I.

Sam will once again prove he is the man to beat. He is brave, but has the sense to keep it out of the wall in most races. He will be in the top three in points with Buddy Rice and Al Unser Jr.

Rob Brown
Fort Wayne, Ind.

I find Sam Hornish Jr. to be the most entertaining driver I have seen since watching Rick Mears in the '80s. He is aggressive from the start of the race to the finish and gives thrills throughout even if he does not have the best car on a given night, his style gives him a chance to win every race. It will be an extreme pleasure to get to watch him this summer as he wins his third straight title against the best competition in the world. Hopefully he will win a much deserved Indy 500 title to go along with his other titles. Drivers such as Hornish make the IRL the most exciting racing I have ever seen.

Christopher Schmidt
Indianapolis

Sam Hornish has patience and poise when driving a race car. He is always focused beyond the point of where his car is at on the track. Has terrific car control and ability for a 23-year-old. I feel his performance strengthens against stronger competition, and '03 should prove the IRL has an excellent series.

Ralph Marzulla
Greenwich, Conn.

I really doubt that Hornish will get his threepeat. He barely beat a pair of road racers in Castroneves and de Ferran, and did I forget the mention it was there first year in the series? In now their second year I think that Helio and Gil are the front runners for the title -- with the only competition coming from the CART defects minus Andretti. I think that Helio or Gil will win the title, and hopefully leave this joke of an open wheel series that counts on loads of downforce and low horsepower for a ride back in CART of F1. If they don't do that, then their future is basically dead as open wheel racers.

Chris Phipps
Columbia, Mo.

Tony Kanaan

Kanaan or any of the ex-CART drivers will win the championship. What more if road courses are introduced? Real driving involves late braking, right turns and accelerating off corners without spinning. That is why there are no real drivers in NASCAR.

H.C. Jover
Encino, Calif.

He was one of many who could have won the Indy 500. Indy takes a good driver, luck and good car. So I think this year will be about motors not drivers.

Craig Reynolds
Newport Beach, Calif.

Tony will never have the hands to drive in F1, he could probably never win consistently in CART, he is not Senna, Schumacher, Montoya, Zanardi or de Ferran so in IRL is where he belongs. I hope he remembers how to turn left, 'cause that's all he will do for the rest of his career.

Alfonso Rendon
Mexico

Tony has the speed and experience to win the ovals. Count on a first- or second-place finish. Kanaan was full of bad luck race after race with several mechanical problems, not even considering an extremely poor pit crew. Now that he has the backing of a well-funded experienced team, expect awesome results.

Andrew Zabransky
Toronto, Ontario

Kanaan should contend for the title in 2003 -- provided the team is up to speed with engine, chassis and crew development. Ample time has been had for them to prepare. A very solid driver whose record on ovals should suit him well for this series. Watch for another good run at Indy, but if the team is faltering through May, he might wish he was back in a Mo Nunn ride.

David Zehr
Goshen, Ind.

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