The BJ Falcon Zone on EFR

This will be BJFZ's new home since the old BJFZ on EFR went to the crappers. Also, I will be putting newer videos on either Dailymotion or Blip.tv because of a ginormous amount of spats that have occured on YouTube lately concerning he-who-must-not-be-mentioned-here.

Without delay, let me give a few pointers about the TMMC round of Wisconsin, and I believe there are some strange happening here.

First, why give Adrian Devereux the 30 second Active Time Penalty if the bump with Chris Johannes was NOT FRIGGIN' intentional?! Alan Hodges, teammate and owner, got slapped big-time when he bumped fenders with Mike Whitmore, in whom I am now pleased to say he learned his lesson from that daft bonzai move at Daytona a couple of weeks ago. Mike is now back on track and so is Team Saar USA.

I am getting huge impressions with Ethan Everett. He's got the talent and the speed under his behest, but a lot of unaccounted incidents have prevented him from really displaying that talent. Peter Keyes noticed Everett's talented driving, and when the new 2011 rules package came, Keyes suggested Everett to drive for Saar's sister partnership, that's as if you want to call it that, the RicK Milligan team.

Packer Carroll is getting some of his Ohio redemption back finishing in the top ten for the Volpi team in Alexis Rainsford's car. For new fans unfamiliar to the 2011 TMMC rules package, anytime the primary driver leaves the team, the points that the secondary driver adds will add to the departed primary. So with Packer's top ten, he not only gets points, but he adds to Rainsford's Championship points bank. For now, she will keep the lead, but only if Adrian Devereux's Active Time Penalty appeal is overruled by the TMMC court of appeals. If Adrian's ATP appeal stands and he wins the arguement, he'll take Rainsford's top hooch and lead. Keep in mind, Rainsford was the champion in 2010, and Devereux was merely 10 points behind when taking Rookie of the Year honors. But if Adrian wins the appeal, Mike Whitmore, the de facto winner, must hand the victory over to Devereux. If the appeal is lost, Whitmore will keep the victory and they're may be some points snacked away. Probably not by a whole lot, but enough to put a bite on Adrian's bid for the Cup.

These are just only rumors, and they're running rampant at the Ocean Team Lenard brigade. Sources close to OTL say that there are plans to leave TMMC for the American Stock Car Championship, run by former TMMC racer, Garth McCallister, Senior. If this is true, Lenard loses a valueble asset and OTL's departure will open doors for another team to take it's place.

Another rumor is running rampant at Katzev, and it's in regards to its sponsor Arotel and Yuliya Nosova. Sources close to them state that Arotel is not pleased with the constant inconsistency of the Katzev manufacturer, and rumors float that Yuliya may leave and take Arotel with her. Could she end up back with her former ex-Jeff Cesnik Racing teammates? Will she be in a Tolyati perhaps? A Fortner? Or could she end up starting her own team? It's unclear now, but by season's end, you'll understand why Yuliya won't be back with Katzev. Could this be due to the preferential treatment that Lance Andrews touched on briefly last season? One thing's for sure that the car sure looks and feels unreliable as of the mileage department. The powertrain department is lacking as well. Does Katzev feel that Yuliya doesn't fit the qualifications that they set up before the 2011 season began? Who knows.
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=Program Notice=
BJFZ will continue to broadcast live from Dawgfather's Bar and Grille from 4 to 7 PM on SABH Sports Radio. Be sure to tune in!

*Calls in* Hey BJ its the Dawg....hope u got a spot open at the desk bud Im gonna be chiming in after the race at dwyer and talk about everything including my injuries so keep the seat warm Ill be there in a bit

The hot seat awaits you, Dawg.

Im down for that

The fact that I have not got, or have ever had, an agent I've never been approached by anyone outside of wales for some form of interview, I would like to throw my name down on the table if there should be one.

Fell free to stop in sykes its my grill bud

Technology disadvantages are key concerns for the TMMC paddock. None is everso apparent than what Lance Andrews opined. From the old EFR Race and Press Releases vault:

Cynon wrote:Former TM Master Cup series driver Lance Andrews stated during qualifying for the Round of Germany that future TM Master Cup series cars could become overly complicated unless officialdom steps in. Andrews, who currently works with Channel 44's coverage of the TM Master Cup series, has normally been a proponent of technological advances in TM Master Cup series racing.

"The problem I see is that with the current designs, the cars are way too fast for a car this size and probably not safe enough on this track. I hope that something is done before next season, or we could have some of the most ridiculous looking cars in the history of the sport." Andrews said.

"I've heard a lot of teams talking about getting around the splitter rule by re-introducing a type of front end that I haven't seen in about 15 or 16 years to generate more downforce on the road courses and short ovals.

"I'm not sure how many connections the manufacturers want between their Master Cup cars and their road cars. I can imagine Peter Keyes and the Munson Brothers will be up in arms if road relevance drops. I can guess that some of the privateers, like for instance Volpi or Katzev might not care as much or even be proponents of that, because if anything, I think what the teams might come up with for 2012 could seriously damage the connections the manufacturers have with their road cars.

Andrews also addressed the question of which manufacturers wouldn't mind running cars with minimal road relevance.

"I don't think Inglesby or Gessler care about running cars identical to their road cars, otherwise Gessler would have ran their car under a different name and Inglesby wouldn't run the Flashback. I personally don't want to see winglets and fins and whatever you see in German Supercars pop up on these cars, because it would be ridiculous on ovals."

Billy Fortner, who runs Fortner Motorsports and owns Billy Fortner, Inc., told The Racing Channel the following:

"I personally don't want Fortner to change to these kinds of cars with minimal road relevance. I want Fortner's race cars with maximum road relevance because that's what people will associate the race car with the road car in the showroom. If this happens, I may have to take Fortner down a level, like Lights or something. I may just end up leaving Fortner in ARLA, and the lower leagues to keep the road relevance alive. Doing these kinds of changes ruin the identity. Why change the identity to make cars more safer? Why not just apply crush panels in the present designs or something like that?

I personally get what Lance is saying. And I agree. Something has to be done with this, or I may have to take evasive measures."

OOC: Not got a clue if this is supposed to be a "Live" thing (ie via skype) but how do you do these Interviews?

I don't have Skype like I did before. So, I'll have to figure out how that can be done.

OOC: if its a basic type-able Q&A then thats no problem

-music cue hits-

Overvoice: Live from Dawgfather's Bar and Grille, this is The BJ Falcon Zone on The Racing Channel. And now, the Falconator is in the house. Please welcome your host, BJ Falcon!

-crowd cheers and chants-

And we welcome you to The BJ Falcon Zone here at Dawgfather's Bar and Grille, and boy we have a crowd on hand tonight! Shane Lake's in the house! Got the music crankin', oh boy. You'll be living like a rock star when you come to this place. In our first segment, we will talk live with the winner of the TM Master Cup Series Round of Ohio winner, and the inaugural champion of the 2010 Independent's Trophy, Michael Sykes of the #45 Bill Barclay Racing STS. We'll also get word from the Dawgfather himself, Shane Lake, on what is happening in ARLA and get your phone calls and e-mails at the final segment of our show.

Earlier, I've made a pre-show note about TMMC changing body styles and why people aren't so keen on the changes. The styles just don't look right. I mean, why change the cars to look like German DTM cars? Why would you? If you want to know more about the article, you can visit TheBJFalconZone.com (OOC: the article on the body styles are three posts above this one.)

First and foremost, I shall now welcome our first guest here on The BJ Falcon Zone. He, as I mentioned, is the 2010 TM Master Cup Series Independent's Trophy champion from ADX Racing, and is currently driving the #45 car for Bill Barclay Racing. He just recently won the TMMC Round of Ohio. Ladies and gentlemen, welcome Michael Sykes from Wales!

(OOC: The following were questions and answers via PM between me and Michael Sykes)

-Michael Sykes enters the stage, crowd cheers and chants-

BJF: Welcome to the show! How's America?

MS: Well, It's not my first time here, I'm used to it, its....well.....It's American.......there's nothing like it. The influences may be spreading to my homelands but this is the fresh stuff right here haha.

BJF: True. Now, before we get to your achievements, we'll start with a brief background of yourself. For those who don't know you, let's first begin with when you were born.

MS: I was born, technically, in Swansea General Hospital.

BJF: So, roughly twenty-five, thirty years? Something to that effect? Anyways, we'll find that little tidbit out later. So where abouts from Wales were you born?

MS: Port Tennant, Its a small place but it was part of the greater Swansea Area, It was a big industrial port during its "great" days but now its still a small town connected to Swansea just like any other city.

BJF: Where are you currently residing?

MS: When in Wales, and galavanting around Europe, Home is in Cardiff Bay. Its all new, Its all posh, and its not far from anywhere I need to go to. I've managed to land an appartment quite close to the Indy Speedway when I'm taking part in the "American" Based TM races.

BJF: Obviously you have some family influence. Any relatives in motorsports?

MS: Not really, an "Uncle" of sorts, you know we all have "uncles", Jack "Uncle Mogs" Morgannwg was the man that usually travelled with me and my dad when I started Karting. And theres Ashley, my son, he's finished his school and has started Karting recently.

BJF: Wow! That's awesome! I can't wait to see how Ashley does with karting. Good luck to him. And your uncle is very supportive, as I so understand. Now, when we first met before the airtime of the show, you shared with me an intriguing story about how your career stemmed from your father who worked for the Wales Police Force and all the jazzy things that occured in that time. When did you first begin racing?

MS: It all grew out of what my father had gone through, he was in the South Wales Police force, Superintendant Lloyd Sykes, if South Wales was america he Would probably be called "Cheif", he was embroiled in a major scandal, the short of it is he was sacked, but fought a case against this which ended up with him recieving a hefty compentation, and that is how I ended up Karting. Lloyd funded what Mogs had to do to build and run a Kart, 5 years well spent.

BJF: Who did you aspire to become?

MS: At the time of Karting I never really looked to becoming a big-name in, say, Formula A, it was probably not the best way for me to learn "how to drive on the road", father being a cop and all that, I kinda knew I had to behave on public roads, If anything the aspiration was to make sure I could do what I did in a Kart well, and then whatever I would land up driving, to do that well as well.

BJF: Last question before our first break: Who do you idolize the most?

MS: Lance Andrews, simple as, Lance was the British Racing legend, when I was Karting he was just dynamite behind the wheel of a Touring Car, and again it was something I thought I'd NEVER get a chance to do, he was on TV almost every Saturday afternoon, mostly behind the wheel of an Inglesby Nevada, you never got those cars over here did ya? It was a typically British car with an American Frontier sounding name, but It was a "poster" car over here. And they were the Touring Car of choice.

BJF: Okay. He's Michael Sykes, driver of the #45 Bill Barclay Racing team. When we come back, we'll have more on Sykesy as to why he is here in the TM Master Cup Series. Stay tuned! This is the BJ Falcon Zone on TRC.

(Part 2 is next)

(Part 2 of the interview with Michael Sykes)

-music cues-

Overvoice: This is The BJ Falcon Zone!

-crowd cheers and chants-

Welcome back to The BJ Falcon Zone. We're here with Michael Sykes of Wales who pilots the #45 STS Arrow for Bill Barclay Racing. Earlier before the break, we talked about his brief history and how he moved up to this point in time. But to the new folks who aren't as casual of a follower or are just beginning to get acquainted with with sport, let me ask you, Michael, this. Why TM Master Cup racing? What intrigues you about the sport?

MS: It was something I'd been wanting to do eventually.

There was a point in 2001 where the BTCC was not what I wanted to be in anymore, and wanted to keep earning my wages, at the same time there were several other BTCC runners wanting to have what TM had, but wanted to have a National Series to run in first, thats where the British Stock Car Cup started, which became British Thundercars. It didn't really last that long however, I had personal issues to deal with not long after one of my then team-mates won the Thundercars title, several of the others popped back to the BTCC, and some of them may or may not have popped over here once in a while.

Once everything outside of racing was resolved it was time to come back, I'd had enough money and contacts still in the sport to get everything going again, and the Independants Trophy was the ideal way to get back into the sport, 6 races, realatively cheap, and if your lucky, like I was, some good results and look what I've got now!!!

BJF: How would you compare your sportscar racing experience to TM Master Cup racing?

MS: When you say "Sportscar" I think I've not beein in that particular "film genre" long enough, but Ideally it's another way to drive as quickly as possible, in a car that has been shaped to run as quickly as possible, I hope I'm not making this a "schooltime at dawgfathers", but there's a reason why this current lot of TM cars look like they do, Penny , the missus, fired the most obvious question at me when I showed her the STS Arrow, "Where's the door handles?"....

...well to those that dont know of COURSE they're gonna say that, but the simple reason is the side of the car NEEDS to look like that, doorhandle free! Sportscars like the GTK-97, the one I drove when I was probably at my peak, It was hard work, as they all are, but the rewards for getting all that hard work done were magnificant, the only comparison I can give is when at Brno this year, turn 1, the braking was a hell of a lot earlier in the STS Arrow than it would have been in the Kos, in fact I probably only had to tap the brake as if I was swatting a fly, and then floor the throttle around in the Kos, the downforce was incredible, the Arrow, again like most of the TM field does not, I had to concentrate more with where I had the steering wheel at certain points of that turn.

The Mid 90s German Supercars however, mindblowing, they were doing things with those cars that only people who test supercolliders dare to dream of, It may have been too easy for me just being the "wheel turner and throttle and brake pusher", but I knew I had to be there for a while before it all caved in.

They've back with us of course but only "in name", they're just German Normalcars now. Essentially what I drove at Road Atlanta for the 12 hours, not the whole hog of course, was akin to what I drove in Germany, but with the old BTCC ethic. In a way the BTCC car I first drove in 1989 is not far from what I've been driving in TM lately.

BJF: Obviously a much different dynamic, too, considering the driving styles and how drivers such as yourself apply them. Fortner Motorsports first experimented with drag racing, for example, and they've been awesome over the years, but then throw them in TMMC, and the dynamics change dramatically. You definitely have to have a car good enough to get you wins and championships, in which, speaking of wins and championships, we're going to cover your accolades and popularity in this sport in which you achieved a lot in racing since your move to TM Master Cup. Would you like to share briefly some of the achievements?

MS: Well I certainly didn't expect the awards at the end of the season, and I dont mean that in a bad way, Popularity helps in a Sport like this and I'd like to thank those fans who may or may not be American for giving me such recognition at the end of last season, I believe there was one award I was voted for as a "replacement driver", I stood in for Matt Taylor at Decatur at the end of the 2010 season, I'd like to sneakily claim that one for all my efforts elsewhere that season, not just for being a replacement.

BJF: You actually did very well at Decatur. Your abilities landed you here at Bill Barclay Racing, and I'm sure he's impressed with your results thusfar. In regards to the Independant's Trophy, what are your impressions about the TM Master Cup Series adding this category in?

MS: Well I'd been aware of it when Lance decided to depart the British racing scene, those were dark days you know, he was a national treasure and then he was gone! When I took over his Touring Car in 1990 the racing press were still trying to fathom "why did he" "why COULD he" in a way, so in an attempt to blot that all out in order to do well for myself, TM somehow subliminally drew my attention.

Now I'm here taking part there is not a lot of difference from other series, the drivers vary, the circuits vary, the cars, in a way vary too. I wouldn't dare say any of it is "easy", far from it, lot of hard work going on, as with all other championships, with the Independants trophy, as I highlighted on earlier, a great way to get started in the series, not because I won it first time out, but it doesnt force you into doing the whole thing, it's like one of those samples you get in the mail, if you like it you carry on, if you dont, you dont, simple as that. There may be an even easier option this year, with the three "open" rounds that dont really count towards anything other than their "prestige", the "BIG NAME" races, Karjala, Indy, Decatur, but I think there's a greater chance of failing miserably and getting the wrong sort of attention.

BJF: Just like what we talked about earlier with your sports car experience and how the move to TMMC really changed the dynamics of things. You don't get as much pressure from the big teams, but the expectations to perform well are still prelevant. One small mistake can cost 'ya big time. It's one thing to garner attention in person alone, but's it's another when you're behind the wheel, and from your results in the 2010 season, they've shown really well, and that makes for better prospects. Let's now look at your worst moment and your best moment, whichever comes first.

MS: I'm gonna start with the worst moment, Daytona this year, I'd retired from several races but they were bound to happen sooner or later, but even though I'd finished 14th at Daytona, it was down to the sheer idiocy from some drivers, I'm not gonna name names, and I'm not going to rile anyone for the sake of it, but what happened at Daytona has indirectly threatened my career, The bad examples that were set, my sponsors, my WELSH sponsors had to act, the coverage that was supposedly being broadcast in highlight form at a time to be seen by all in my homeland would not happen once they saw how awful the race was, and in a way I agree with them, it was awful. The sponsors now look set to pull out at the end of the season, and I knew that I had to do something to prove people "in charge" wrong...

...and thats where my best moment kicks in, of course its going to be the ohio win, unfortunately during practice I wasnt feeling well, I wasnt feeling well sicne Karjala actually, which is another reason to be amazed at my finishing position at Daytona, so I was slow in practice, and then on qualifying day I woke up that morning a hell of a lot better, took a deep breath and said "TO WORK!!!" prove the beaureaucrats wrong, prove that this is not about crashing and arguing and is about the R word that we all know and love.

Pole position, was expecting a top 10 at least, but was absolutely delighted, as were the team, nobody expected me to do well on ovals, even though I spent my years in the early 2000s on tracks like Rockingham in Britain, Mallory Park...Hello?!?!? Short-Track!?!?

Raceday then, I knew that If I kept it on the track, I'd do well, but in NO way, not in my wildest, would I get the win, I'm fortunate to have enough people behind the scenes and in the pitlane to keep that car at the front as it was in Ohio, there were enough drivers there on the day who would have finished ahead of me, but fate conspires against whoever it/she feels like. Tony Durbin could have hit me if he wanted to, It would not have suprised me, but he must have been in a position not to show up TM in the same light as it did in Daytona and I still respect him for that.

BJF: Certainly. Finally, I know this is up in the air but what are your future TM Master Cup plans?

MS: Well it depends on sponsorship again, much like it did at the end of the 2010 season, Ideally I'd like to get a two car team going, dont let that mean you can write "SYKES PLANS TEAM FOR 2012" I'm dreaming here, Two Car team, and such is the flack of the "Un-American" TM that some teams are planning to defect over, which is ludicrous, I'd want to give an American Driver a chance in the second car. You hear that press! Dont go writing that pap!

BJF: That's for sure. Well, we wish you the best in the second half and hopefuilly see you again in Victory Circle at Quincy!

-Michael Sykes shakes hands with BJ Falcon, waves bye and departs stage-

That's Michael Sykes ladies and gentlemen! Look for the black 45 at Quincy! Coming up, Shane Lake's in the 'da house! He's going to give his insights on what is happening in ARLA and some other do-dads running around! Don't go anywhere! We're comin' right back at 'ya from Dawgfather's Bar and Grille when The BJ Falcon Zone returns! Stay with us!

(OOC: Dawgfather, you'll be up next in the second segment in the next post so prepare yourself! )

ight man im good

-music cues-

Overvoice: This is the BJ Falcon Zone on the Racing Channel.

-crowd noise-

If I can't find one that's livin' life like a rock star, I'm so lost. But, never do I worry because next up, he drives the #155 Jaguar Racing team in ARLA, but there's some pretty shaky stuff going on over there. But when he isn't behind the wheel, he's here at the bar and grill livin' it up like the rock star he is and he's the man that put this all together for us. I mean, look at this! This place is like heaven! The best eats, coldest drinks on the house, can it get any better than this?! Fans, I welcome you my man of the hour, Mr. Shane "The DAWGFATHER" Lake!

(OOC: Dawg, you're up bud.)

*Walks out slowly* thanks BJ its great to be here at my spot and watching a great race

*sits down with the headset on* This place be buzzin huh? I know Ive caused a bit of a buzz so let me clear it up right here and right now. Yeah I was racing hurt and didnt tell either Jaguar Racing OR ARLA but its not in the rulebook to disclose what ya do in your off time OR if ya get hurt and I figured it wouldnt hamper the team..well atleast any worse than where it was. Turns out the idiot Bell did alot for us in that aspect. But thats beside the point. Jaguar wants to light me up for not telling them or for the fact that it might seem like Im bashing them week in and week out when all Im doing is trying to motivate the team to perfom better than what it has been? I mean REALLY? They asked me to stay on and sponsor all 3 cars and I get treated like this? And lets add to the fact Ive emailed the team time and time again willing to help out and develop new things for all the cars to make them even better and i got no responce. Its unreal how we can go from a contender last season to an also ran this year. Now its not like I wont have a ride for Waltham no matter what but Id rather be in the 155 but if Jag wants to get rid of me thats their call...Ill just pull all my backing from them and throw it over to the team I run with. What can I say I wanna make sure Im racing.

Well, I felt that way when Kyle Fortner was acting like a looped up drunk wanting to run everything, but then when things don't go smoothly, he makes it such a big deal to himself that it's such a bad rap on our name. I think the last time that happened was when I was in a similar situation you were in. I was at Le Mans in 2004 when my car, which was a customer Audi, lost control, and I went flying into the woods. I never told Rockies Racing, Inc., a team I drove for in the Delta Cup Series, or the Intercontinental Motor Sports of America about my injuries, and they even stated to me that it is not protocol to disclose what you do away from the IMSA. If they really wanted to know what I was doing, they could've simply asked me in private rather than get all hissy that I didn't tell them, well, except for the Audi team I drove, I had to, because they were concerned. I was pretty well shunned by RRI, and I never drove for them since the crash. If I recall, the crash at Le Mans was so huge. I had a bruised hip. Couldn't even put my weight on it. It hurt so bad. By the following race after Le Mans, I was cleared to start in mid-field with a special carbon-fiber casting on my hip so that it wouldn't be uncomfortable when I'm driving.

That's just so lame, Shane, that the Jaguar Racing guys are treating you as if you're nothing. That's just hear-say. I mean, what are they, man? Some former tabloid writers-turned-race-team-members or something? Think about it. They're saying you don't own the 155, right? But, you do have some claim on it. That's given. If these Jags keep haggling you, I'll get a ride out there for 'ya. And you can have total ownership, we'll provide the gear for your team. If another team wants you in case you escape Jag, that's fine, too. There's plenty of options to look at.

Well Falcon I appreceate that and i will keep that idea in mind thats for sure! I wanna stick with Jag since they gave me a ride to help me put my name on the map and that team but if things go south Ill be glad to race for someone who appreceates what I can do. And to those who say that Holden is outshining me and Im too stubbon to relize it...Holden has done an awesome job in that 165 car and Im proud of him. I tok the dude under my wing and taught him alot so Im not worried about him out shining me.

*teller walks into bar* YO FALCON INTERVIEW ME I IS SO AWESOME AND COOL. Bartender, a shot and a beer.

Things should work out, Shane. I'm confident Jag will get past this hiccup.

*five seconds later*

*turns and looks towards Teller* So, let me guess. You wanna come up to the hot seat, too? Alright. Don't do anything silly on your way up here.

BJ Falcon wrote:Things should work out, Shane. I'm confident Jag will get past this hiccup.

*five seconds later*

*turns and looks towards Teller* So, let me guess. You wanna come up to the hot seat, too? Alright. Don't do anything silly on your way up here.

*walks in, sits in hotseat* Glad to be here, Falcon.

So, what's been up with you, lately, Jason?

BJ Falcon wrote:So, what's been up with you, lately, Jason?

"

Not too much, we failed to qualify for the 120 laps of Dwyer, cause some jerk wrecked us. Other than that, and the emotional scars i still suffer from time to time, i'm fine. How's about you Falcon?

Oh, I'm just plugging away with the show. The Fortner team's starting to show some muscle in TMMC, that for which I'm pleased with our results. I think this is our second top five to date since Ross Peterson's last race to date at Karjala last season in our inaugural TMMC model.

I think it's a good think Fortner skipped Dwyer. I would not want to have got into the path of this idiot. I'd be pretty pissed about it, to say the least.

BJ Falcon wrote:Oh, I'm just plugging away with the show. The Fortner team's starting to show some muscle in TMMC, that for which I'm pleased with our results. I think this is our second top five to date since Ross Peterson's last race to date at Karjala last season in our inaugural TMMC model.

I think it's a good think Fortner skipped Dwyer. I would not want to have got into the path of this idiot. I'd be pretty pissed about it, to say the least.

Believe me, this idiot would've gotten his tires slashed if it wasn't an ARLA race. If it was a street race (and i used to do that stuff back when i was in high school), he would've had to pay for new tires. I don't do that anymore though due to legal reasons. I really like the Fortner models, they've always interested me. Hell, if i managed to get into the TMMC, i'd definitely drive for you guys

Jason, I don't mean to interrupt but I just got word over the wire that Shane Lake is apparently leaving Jaguar Racing and that there are some offers being made as we speak to house Shane in for a ride for the remainder of the 2011 ARLA Elite Series season. I guess that riff got too wide and too deep for Shane. Several offers are being sent to Lake, but I will not speak of who is sending these offers to him because he is browsing through them currently. We will hear from Shane what his selection is when we first get the report, but for now, Shane is out of Jag and is seeking a ride, FAST!

BJ Falcon wrote:Jason, I don't mean to interrupt but I just got word over the wire that Shane Lake is apparently leaving Jaguar Racing and that there are some offers being made as we speak to house Shane in for a ride for the remainder of the 2011 ARLA Elite Series season. I guess that riff got too wide and too deep for Shane. Several offers are being sent to Lake, but I will not speak of who is sending these offers to him because he is browsing through them currently. We will hear from Shane what his selection is when we first get the report, but for now, Shane is out of Jag and is seeking a ride, FAST!

OH SNAP SON LAKE LOST HIS RIDE?!!?!?!?!? GODSPEED, SHANE. GET DAT RIDE MAN!

If I can make a suggestion, could the people on EFR send in "emails" to the show? Just like a posting or a PM?

I appologize for this answer coming so late, but all EFR members are free to send "emails" to BJFZ.

Now, there is something that I like to bring to everyone's attention. As of late, there's been some rifting going on. None everso apparent than at Fortner Motorsports. There have been some comments made that "Fortner is just looking for attention". There have some other questionable and somewhat rude comments that shouldn't have come about.

Let me clue you in on what took place:

- First, Fortner was involved in numerous spats with owners regarding the incident of the four-car hauler breaking down as it went to Indianapolis. Fortner made a statement appologizing to the teams that were expecting their cars to make it there for Friday's tech inspection prior to the races commencing at the Indy Motor Speedway. Fortner has taken full responsibility of all faults forementioned.

- Secondly, what exactly is the meaning behind "rage quitting"? I don't quite get that logic, especially when such subject was thrown out to the EFR universe in the Twitter Feed page by Dan Leckliter. When I think of "rage quitting", that term leaves me to assume that it's simply throwing a fit and taking things too seriously. Now, quite prominantly, Kyle Fortner was well known for rage quitting because he just took things too serious when in all seriousness, all he could have done was not worry about the small things that can keep Fortner from moving forward. Sadly, I've done far worse. I should've just kept my mouth shut and just enjoy the ride for once. All the little dramas that happened behind the scenes were a culmination of my lack of responsibilty as a team owner, well, except for Fortner Team Asia. That's a different story.

I now realize how faulty I was. If only I had just given the VSCC, ARLA Street Stocks, Thunder Trucks, and Elite Series teams the chance to grow the Fortner brand and let them have a shot at racing, then these incidents would never have occurred.

(OOC: If I wasn't taking things so seriously, what took place wouldn't have taken place to begin with. It's got a lot to do with some things on my own time away from EFR. One, I am planning to make my way into an apartment in November's due time, not sure when, though. Two, I have a digital media business going and I need to tend to that first before I do anyone's requests. Thanks everyone for your understanding in regards to what is happening. )

*busts onto the stage* Huge news...as broken on twitter I will be racing the remainder fo the season for Pearson/Sweeney Motorsports in the #82D Dawgfathers Bar and Grill ride

Ah. There you have it, folks. You just heard it from the Dawg himself. He's going to PSM and we wish him luck, hopefully better luck at that, in getting some good runs there.

*goes on stage* ya know BJ im still waiting to hear from Fortner on 2012 my friend....ive got a good offer right now as it is sitting on my desk...we need to talk after the show

OOC: PM me, Dawg about the Fortner deal.

The BJ Falcon Zone on Dailymotion
Episode 1: Turbulent Troubles at Fortner

(It's my first one on Dailymotion since I decided to move there.)

Fortner CRL management: Bolder - no nonsense, no B.S.

Could this be Fortner's cure for the ailing management department? We here at the BJ Falcon Zone presume this is. We've conquered one issue among a few more yet to go so far as far as Fortner's abysmal management department is concerned.

A group of people just now forming what will be Fortner's Continental Racing League management team got together in a closed-door meeting at Fortner headquarters yesterday and they've found the man they believe will right Fortner's rudder and steer it back on course.

Chad Bolder is Fortner's CRL program manager with six years of managerial experience. He is a keen leader as been noted by his peers, and he is a serious player when he steps foot into sports management. Bolder is 48 years of age from Eugene, Oregon with a bachelor's degree in sports management and minors in computer science and historical literature from the University of Oregon. He served in the military as top-notch flight instructor, then a master drill sargeant. His no-nonsense no-B.S. approach is well regarded among his superiors and his peers.

"We sincerely believe that Chad is the answer to Fortner's troubles in TMMC and ARLA. We're going off on the right path with Chad being our CRL program manager." says Fortner's CRL management team.

The Fortner CRL team indicated that they will vouch to put Chad Bolder at the top position of the company in hopes to repeal current owner, Billy Fortner, out of the position, but many prognosticators are not sure if this move will work.

"I have been aware of this displeasing behavior Mr. Fortner and his staff are exhibiting. I was recommended by BJ Falcon to be the CRL program manager. I was keenly aware of the abysmal behavior exhibited by the Fortner staff last season. My approach to these situations if I was in Billy's shoes are to first, and foremost, never fogetting Fortner's prime purpose here in the EFR world. Secondly, run their programs like they ought to be run without all the trash talk and B.S." Bolder says.

"I'm not about the B.S. I'm about being a capable leader. I will show these abysmal managers at Fortner that I will do far more than what they ever could do on their one finger. In other words, I am presever. When something goes wrong in management, I am on the quick to correct any problems pending. In my six years of being a sports manager, I have not complained about ANYTHING, especially in times when things aren't going so well. I take every little bad thing as simply a bump in the road and move on, which is something Mr. Fortner and his staff aren't understanding."

When asked about the body package changes in TM Master Cup and ARLA, he indicates:

"I'm not really familiar with these cars, but it's to my knowledge that Fortner doesn't like the changes done to the TM Master Cup body package. They also were mad that their chassis didn't get approved for ARLA competetion in 2012. "

"I'm not so sure what their logic behind slamming the doors on TMMC, ARLA, VSCC and PCC Cup Series was all about, but I can tell you one thing. That one thing is simply this: the management is downright poor in leadership skills. Kyle Fortner nearly killed the company, forced Mr. Falcon to own the company at will, and, to be quite honest with you, Billy Fortner is not doing any better over there."

Bolder vouched his potential candidacy as Fortner's newest owner:

"For once and for all, it is time to wipe the slate clean, clean house and start fresh again! Race fans are going to see a new fresh face of Fortner Motorsports that they've never seen before. As I said before, I am not about the B.S. I am not about a frickin' soap opera, nor ever be involved in one. Especially if it's a soap opera like this that garners such negative feedback from the garage area. I don't think Fortner's making too many friends being selfish, and just downright rude. Their harboring grudges amongst themselves. That's not how a team is supposed to run. Why is it that Fortner's this get-penalized-leave-series-now race team? First and foremost, a penalty is a penalty is a penalty. It is simply a disciplinary method and a learning tool to teach Fortner Motorsports the important lessons of their mistakes and to apply these things in future operations. These penalties are to serve as a reminder that if Fortner does these things once more, no other league is going to accept them. From a religious standpoint, if Fortner can only do what is right, one league among others will accept them. If they don't, they reject them. Simple as that. Fortner Motorsports is a great company, and I have high regard for their work, but when I go look at their management department, oh! It's anything but great. It's atrocious."

"As Fortner's company owner-at-large, I will devote everything of myself to helping FMS become a successful company, the way Arthur Fortner, the founder, wanted it to be. I will do what is right, neccessary, and within legal reasoning. I will hold people under my stead to account for their actions. And to set the record straight, I am not a 'rage quitter'. When things don't go right, you gotta keep fighting until it does go right. You continue to press on even when things are tight. You got to. If you don't, you lose. Pretty much simple as that can be, right? It is my hope that with this great opportunity at hand for me, I will bring Fortner back to full prominence here in the EFR world."

Bolder sets the stage to repeal Billy Fortner

Not a full 24 hours has passed since our last update, and already, the former master drill sargeant and company owner-at-large, Chad Bolder, is on the charge to repeal Billy Fortner and his staff at Fortner Motorsports. It's an amazing turn of developments in such little time.

"It's time to clean house and get Fortner Motorsports back on track." says Bolder. At 8:00 AM this morning, Bolder and his Fortner CRL management team got together in another closed-door meeting to plan their first stage of repealing Billy Fortner and his staff. Another closed-door meeting with Bolder and company officials is set to commence later this afternoon. This is the beginning of a tremendous transformation from Fortner's get-penalized-once-quit-enitre-series attitude to a fresher run-with-it attitude.

"It's about time Fortner gets a wake-up call for once." says Serena Bacherro, one of Fortner's one-off drivers in ARLA and TMMC.

BJ Falcon - setting it straight

I first want to set this record straight. Okay, I have been known for little spat episodes, if you will, but I've done my best to not complain about little insignificant things. It turns out that Billy Fortner isn't doing that very thing. He's just like Kyle. And what's so sad about this episode is this: when Kyle was fired, the management team under him forced me to run the company at will. Uh, really? That's not really the way to go. See? You don't see Tom Delgado running MRD at will, do 'ya? No. You don't see Peter Keyes of Team Saar USA run the team at will, do 'ya? Again. No. You don't see Jim More of Great Lakes Motorsports running the team at will, do 'ya? Once more, N. O. Now you see why they've turned on Fortner. And I did that very thing when I first heard about the issue at Fortner Team Asia when Kasuke Suma was kicked out. That's when I planted my foot down and went "enough is enough". It's time Fortner busts out of their shell and start becoming the company driven on success, leadership, and discipline.

The first step is certainly a huge undertaking. As not a lot of you Zoners (fans or listeners of BJFZ) know, I recommended Chad Bolder to the top ownership position. He is a very effective leader. He's a former master drill sargeant in the Marine Corps. I am very convinced that Chad will provide that Moon Slap that Fortner everso deserves rightfully so for this chaos that has spread like wildfire over the span of now three weeks.

I must admit this. To Barton Sandy, Vijay Pushada and Lucas Sweeny, don't come blaming me for this mess that occured, but rather, understand that it's gonna get cleaned up. And in the process of placing Chad Bolder at the top of the ladder with his leadership experience. The man is a simple, straight-forward thinking leader. He doesn't take too lightly to little dramas and B.S. He doesn't yell at people when asking them to perform a task, even though, he's done that in Marine Corps, but he doesn't transfer this blunt-drill-sargeant attitude to his business. If you fool with this guy, though, he'd have no problem putting on the drill-sargeant mentality and force you to do what is right. Other than that, he's a highly regarded leader, and I have a lot of respect for this man. I have full confidence that Chad will lead Fortner into full prominence in the EFR world.

Bolder one step closer to repealing Fortner

Just as Chad Bolder and his colleagues at Fortner headquarters were planning their first assignment to repeal Billy Fortner off the top ownership position, they get a quick lead. Bolder has filed a motion of repeal to the head management team of Fortner Motorsports. The stipulation in this motion is that Fortner's head staff along with Billy Fortner have 48 hours to vacate the premises. Once Fortner and his colleagues leave, Bolder will soon be Fortner's third owner, and will assemble his staff. Bolder says he has a full lineup of colleagues at the ready. The takeover is almost complete. We'll see how this goes and hopefully, this will keep Fortner in the thick of things, except for TMMC and ARLA since they've bailed out already thanks to their grumbling about the bogus hauler story, body style changes, and penalties incurred. Soon, when the takeover is complete, you will see a fresh face of Fortner Motorsports come to life.

Bolder: Repealing process in place

The moment has arrived. Chad Bolder, Fortner's owner-at-large, is mounting the charge to repeal Billy Fortner and his staff at Fortner Motorsports. It the beginning of Fortner's transformation from a get-penalized-once-quit-entire-series attitude to a no-B.S. attitude.

"These people here have exhibited a selfish attitude over the past several months, not just three weeks in a row. It's been that way since the beginning." says Bolder. Billy Fortner's staff is currently on the chopping block and the listed individuals are the following:

- Michael Hanson - Director of Motorsports
- Steve Eddison - Fortner's Director of Public Relations
- Harry Abramoff - Fortner's Director of Employee Relations
- Kyle Fortner - ARLA Program Manager
- Six assistant managers of Fortner Motorsports (names withheld)
- Kenchi Matsuzuki - Manager of Fortner Team Asia
- Ami Hasami - Fortner Team Asia Director of Media Relations
- Four assistant managers of Fortner Team Asia (names withheld)

The takeover at the Managment department will not affect the Engineering and Design, and the Research and Development teams.

"The individuals we targeted exhibited similar behaviors as Mr. Fortner. They exhibited similar attitudes of get-penalized-once-quit-entire-series. They displayed poor judgement, poorly assesed the hauler situation by actually planning to fake the breakdown of the hauler itself, then proceeded to place blame on the driver, when in fact, it was Fortner's fault to begin with." says Bolder. "Then comes the ARLA issue with the approved chassis. My assesment of this is simple: Fortner could simply use one of the approved chassis. The reason Fortner is not on the list is due to what transpired within the last couple of weeks, but also due to ARLA cutting down costs of maintenance and manufacturing to better expand the brand." Bolder continues. "So, in essence, Fortner bails out of PCC Cup, VSCC, ARLA, and TMMC due to little dramas and B.S. This is the first step in cleaning this act up."

Kyle Fortner first to be exiled from Fortner

Chad Bolder's mission to repeal Billy Fortner and his staff is starting to fruit. Kyle Fortner was the first to be exiled by Bolder's staff. Two of Fortner's assistant managers were the next to leave. The repealing process will continue until all of Billy Fortner's staff are removed.

Remaining Fortner, Fortner Team Asia managers, and assistant managers successfully repealed, Bolder named as Fortner's interim owner

Chad Bolder's bold plan to repeal Billy Fortner, his top level staff, along with Fortner Team Asia colleagues has paid off. The remaining staff from Fortner and Fortner Team Asia were replaced. But a dilema rears its head. Who will take their respective positions? Simple. Chad Bolder implemented his top level staff, many of which are very successful managers themselves. Two are from Bolder's flight instruction days, and one from Bolder's Marine days.

The individuals named to Bolder's top level staff are:
Steve McNish - Director of Motorsports
Jeff Redding - Director of Public Relations
Eddy Makar - Director of Employee Relations

After press time, we at the BJ Falcon Zone were told that four more directors were named to Bolder's staff. Two were from Fortner's staff but decided to choose Chad Bolder.

Assistant managers:
Kevin Kox
Martin Leopold
Wyatt Murphy
J.T. Hayes
Candace Johnstone

Bolder also named newer Fortner Team Asia colleagues:

Ironically enough, the man FTA kicked out for poor performances in the PCC Cup Series was chosen by Chad Bolder to be its new manager, and the man named is the ex-Fortner Team Asia driver, Kasuke Suma, which gave pundits a bit of a laugh, but quickly put aside differences.

Under Suma's wing are the following:
Aruto Ryu - Director of Media Relations

After press time, The BJ Falcon Zone was made aware of three other directors named by Suma and Bolder.

Assistant managers:
Keichi Mizuiro
Kaname Yomoto
Fujio Suzuki
Kenji Isuzu

Billy Fortner gave his last words before departing Fortner Motorsports headquarters.

"First of all, I truly appologize for this atorcity that has beplagued our company. I take full responsibility for these actions, and therefore, will take permanent absense from Fortner Motorsports. It is my sincere hope that Chad Bolder and his staff will continue to bring Fortner Motorsports success in the near future. I bid Mr. Bolder and his staff the best of success in his interim season here at Fortner Motorsports. I also give out my sincere wishes to Fortner Team Asia now managed by former PCC Cup Series driver, Kasuke Suma. Just remember one thing, you can't learn anything unless you F up. Thanks everyone for the opportunity at hand. Once again, Chad Bolder, good luck to you, and Welcome to Our World! Welcome to Fortner Motorsports!" as Fortner departed, and shook hands with Bolder's new staff.

Afterwards, Bolder remarks:
"Yes. It is here. We are here at Fortner and at last, the mess is cleaned up. We are ready to move forward with whatever is remaining. I am so ready to put Fortner Motorsports on the forefront of independent automobiles."

"Billy Fortner took it like a man when he left. It's pretty clear that it was over for him, but he just kinda shrugged it off and left with a smile, a handshake and a wink. Now, we put this episode to rest and focus our inentions on the remainder of the 2011 season and look forward to 2012."

YES!!!! Yes! Victory! Finally. After three straight weeks of soap opera madness at Fortner, it has been finally put to rest thanks to Chad Bolder riding it in like on the calvalry and thus begins the straightening of Fortner's crooked rudder. And I can put my rant on Fortner to rest. No more ranting on Fortner Motorsports. Yay! And I didn't say yay loosely, either.

2011: Not the year to remember

It has been said that when something goes, it cannot be taken back. Fortner Motorsports has exhibited that attitude. And for that, it led to a whole string of incidents leading up to Fortner's demise. I must take full responsibility for this. My impudent behavior led up to all this. This is not me saying sorry at all. Yes, I am sorry, but it's my fault, too. I've allowed this to come to fruit and received the ire of the garage area. Some said that Fortner's presense in the EFR canon is a cancer to the garage area, and unfortunately, I must dare say that is true. I thought bringing in Chad Bolder would help it, but I was totally in the wrong. It has come to the conclusion that a lot of teams who were supplied by Fortner, or were employees (i.e. drivers, crew membets, etc.) have suffered and had lost the ability to grow effectively. This is what happens when you have people who don't have a clue how to run a team properly. This is what happens when you have people who rage quit because of such trivial things like a bad race weekend or mechanical failures.

Have I lost my respect of the EFR canon? No. Are there lessons to learn from this? Absolutely. I respect the people who run ARLA, TMMC and Lights, PCC Cup Series, and a lot of others. However, I don't want them to think I'm starting a pitty party. Yeah. I've done that too many times. This isn't one of them.

To sum this up, with all things considered, did Fortner deserve to be ousted? I hate to say this, but, yes. I think Tony Durbin was right all along. Fortner was just a waste of grabastic junk. Does that mean that I'm leaving BJFZ because of the Fortner scandals? No. BJFZ isn't going anywhere. But here's the stipulation. In order for BJFZ to remain, I must come to the realization that I cannot be going out into the EFR canon looking like a controversial dickwad like I had. That's not who I'm supposed to be. I've pissed a lot of people off and to them, I say that I am at fault. 100% I am at fault. All things considered, this is what I wanted to point out and I hope other people who watch this post learns from this and doesn't go down the route Fortner went. I wish the rest of the teams best of success as the 2011 EFR canon racing season winds down.

BJFZ Dedication to Great Lakes Motorsports Plane Tragedy

Billy Fortner: I am no stranger when it comes to tragedy. Neither is the GLM team. Jim More is a great owner who I dearly respect a lot. He's helped put me on the right path during my HAILS season. I feel as if I lost a part of me for those who passed. I've been through a lot. I've made a lot of mistakes including the Fortner mishaps, but this is nothing compared to the grief I feel about the plane crash. I wish the very best for Jim and the GLM team. I just can't believe that this would happen at this time of great prominance for this team in the ARLA series.

BJ Falcon: The tragedy has left a deepening hole in the world of racing. We have lost dear friends that are considered family to us. They are like our brothers, our sisters, our dear members of our extended family. Jim More has always wanted to excell greatly in auto racing. This is a tough road More will travel, but this tragedy will serve as a lesson to never give up, never quit, and never turn back from a race. Jim More is all about excellence, dedication, and passion. Jim is a very passionate owner who knows what's best for his team and expect nothing but the best. Jim and his Great Lakes Motorsports team have suffered a great loss when their charter plane carrying seven souls onboard crashed. My deepest thoughts and sympathies go out to the Jim More families and to the employees of Great Lakes Motorsports.

John Silver: I am at a loss. No words can describe this atrocity. Nothing. No word. No sentence. No paragraph. I can only imagine what must be going through Great Lakes Motorsports right at the moment as they put the pieces together and strive to stay on course in this time of dire transition. Lest we forget. I wish them the best.

Serena Bacherro: I love racing, I love being around with people who know where my passion lies. But when tragedy strikes, I break down and my emotions flood me over. I honestly cannot put this into words how I feel about this loss. Great Lakes Motorsports lost a lot of valueble people, people the team depends upon, people who understood GLM's mission, and took it to heart. My prayers go out to Jim More, his family and his employees families' of this tragic plane crash. En silencio, yo recuerdo.

Tragedy at Brazil



This was the final TM Junior Series trophy that was handed to Scott Hamilton, who was killed on lap 32 of the TMMC semi-final race at Brazil when his Xenos was struck by the airborne Gessler of Avery Holtzman after it was sent ricocheting into the inside wall and back on to oncoming traffic before being struck first by Jacques Bouvier and collecting Carlos Donzelo and Yamino Tenchi, the second round's race winner.

Personally, no word or emotion can describe how much I feel about this tragedy. Sad as it is, I want this to serve as a lesson to future drivers that this is the price you pay anytime you strap yourself in a race car. I want this to serve as a lesson to the TMMC officials who clearly were not thinking in the best interest of the series itself to call the race off. Okay, sure. They didn't know the condition of Hamilton when he was at the infield hospital before transporting him off the track facility to a more well-equipped hospital. I get that. The race was amazing right down to the end. But if the officials have to go this far, I don't know how they could ever do this. I mean, I heard Adrian cry out "Call this race off." But the officials didn't.

Nevertheless, congratulations are in store for Alan Hodges and Palmer Stiles, the 2011 Independent's Trophy champion.

In closing, we are all going to miss Scott and his presence on the track. I wish everyone the very best in this time of tragic transition.

To reference a quote in real life, why does Marty Robins sign off with "Until we meet again"? Because "good bye" is always so final.



Good bye, Scott Hamilton.