Mark Taylor

[runshaw]

I am wondering where Mark Taylor has got to since he raced in IRL. Does anbody know? I know he didn't have the best year in the IRL in 2004 after his infinti pro series championship winning campaign, but he is still a good driver. He was a race winner in British Formula Ford and F3 which is no mean feat. If he got back in the IRL im sure he'd be up there.

[luke]

IMV he was good, was unfair when he got sacked from Panther as aledgely he crashed to much well Scheckter didn't finish his 13 last year I don't think.

Anyway he would be better than a few of the drivers who took part in the Indy 500 this year.

[GP Racer]

I can't really defend Mark, although I'd like to.

He was unfortunately very accident prone, and not to quick either, and he was in decent equipment on a decent team. Yes, Scheckter has alot of crashes to, but he is damn quick at times. And luke, if you mean he would have been better than Foyt IV, who you were pretty hard on in that other thread, I don't think so myself. Foyt is in terrible equipment on a terrible team, two problems Mark didn't face. I saw nothing in Mark to make me believe that he would have been a star here.

I wish things had worked out for Mark, because I am a fan of all the drivers that come through the MIPS program. As for what he's doing, all I know is he went back to England and got married, but other than that, I don't know...

[luke]

Originally Posted by GP Racer

I can't really defend Mark, although I'd like to.

He was unfortunately very accident prone, and not to quick either, and he was in decent equipment on a decent team. Yes, Scheckter has alot of crashes to, but he is damn quick at times. And luke, if you mean he would have been better than Foyt IV, who you were pretty hard on in that other thread, I don't think so myself.

Each to their own, maybe I'm taking favourtism into it, don't mean to, maybe we both are?
But GP Racer, I don't believe being harsh on Foyt IV, infact I feel I didn't say anything bad about him, but if you believe I did, with respect could you please show me a quote of me being harsh towards him? I thought I was only bringing out facts and he has been racing 3 seasons now.

And yes I do think he would be better than Foyt, nothing personal.

Luke.

And don't forget Panther had previously had a lot of good fortune especially in the Hornish days, but recently especially '04 they couldn't find any.

[Mackmot]

I can defend Mark, he a very dedicated driver who ran with a not a very good team at the start. He had some bad luck but showed a lot of promise. He moved to another team who were underfunded and had some good results because the whole team worked together better. And by the end of the season he finished higher in the championship than his ex team mate in IRL and Vauxhall Junior. At the start of this year though he had had enough when he had to try and raise $2m just to get the contract to hire Honda engines, ie they would have to pay for the hire and rebuilds on top of that.

He has been very disheartened by motorsport and threatened to quit even turning down drives in ALMS. I just hope either he comes round and just takes a year or two of with his dear wife and then restarts racing again or I can put something together to see him return to motorsport with me.

[GP Racer]

Originally Posted by luke

But GP Racer, I don't believe being harsh on Foyt IV, infact I feel I didn't say anything bad about him, but if you believe I did, with respect could you please show me a quote of me being harsh towards him?

And don't forget Panther had previously had a lot of good fortune especially in the Hornish days, but recently especially '04 they couldn't find any.

I guess harsh might be the wrong word luke, but you did say he should be replaced! That's somewhat harsh, don't you think?

I just want to see what Foyt IV can do in a decent car before I really pass judgement on him. Mark did have a decent car, and unfortunately wasn't able to produce much. Panther didn't have good fortune for alot of reasons, one is that they crashed to often, (and still do!) but speed has never been an issue.

Like I said, I root for all the MIPS drivers including both Mark and AJ. I do wish Mark had made it here, and I do hope that AJ still can to...

[Kicking-back]

As Mackmot has pointed out - Taylor scored more points than Scheckter last year

[jock25]

Taylor looked out of his depth in 2004. It is just that the 500 made the Foyt's look REALLY out of their depth.

[luke]

To be fair to Foyt IV, he was doing well untill the 500, and I thought he had matured as a driver and would pull in some good results...but when you make mistakes like that can be aviodable and was even told by his spotter, there was a driver on the lead lap passing him or in shape to, and makes you wonder especially as it was a rookie mistake by a driver that has three seasons experience.

I personaly feel he was pulled up into the IRL to quickly, sure he was the Infiniti Pro Series Champion, but he's only 21, and at the time 3 seasons ago he was even younger in his late teens.
I know his age doesn't have much to do with it but he only has ten years racing experience and it wasn't really in top line championships.

Luke.

[luke]

Now back to Mark - I reckon he had a lot more potential then what he showed, perhaps Panther didn't see what they saw in Hornish or even Scheckter in Mark.

Dan wheldon was never the best rookie in his first races infact I seem to recall he crashed to much and made to many mistakes but when he was put in a team like Andretti / Green he unleased what perhaps Andretti had seen in him, just think what would have happened if Andretti had't of brought him into the team.

And before I make a final judgment on Mark you have to take in what could have happened if he was in a winning race team, well that had luck.

A shame he couldn't have got a ride with Access along with Greg Ray, but at the end of the day it was never going to be in a top team.

[BootsOntheSide]

Panther certainly sacked the wrong driver - the way Mark then finished above Tomas, despite being a rookie and havign missed a race and changed team mid-season. Indeed, it's a shame they weren't able to keep Bell on this year, as he also outperformed Tomas despite lacking experience in the series. I can understand Mark's frustration that no drive has appeared this year, and that his name already seems to be forgotten by those in the game. Hopefully he will return to some form of racing before long.

[Tim Northcutt]

Originally Posted by Mackmot

I can defend Mark, he a very dedicated driver who ran with a not a very good team at the start. He had some bad luck but showed a lot of promise. He moved to another team who were underfunded and had some good results because the whole team worked together better. And by the end of the season he finished higher in the championship than his ex team mate in IRL and Vauxhall Junior. At the start of this year though he had had enough when he had to try and raise $2m just to get the contract to hire Honda engines, ie they would have to pay for the hire and rebuilds on top of that.

He has been very disheartened by motorsport and threatened to quit even turning down drives in ALMS. I just hope either he comes round and just takes a year or two of with his dear wife and then restarts racing again or I can put something together to see him return to motorsport with me.

But he could have done the ALMS for a lot cheaper....

I know...I've costed out waht it woudl take to run an ALMS team...a prototype...for a full season.....

Expect an e-mail or PM from me at some point in the near future, Mackmot....
I'm up to my eyeballs in some other projects right now, but...

If Mark would ever want to get in the ALMS I think I might know of a few people who could help on the sponsor/$$$ side to get him there...

[GP Racer]

Originally Posted by BootsOntheSide

Panther certainly sacked the wrong driver - the way Mark then finished above Tomas, despite being a rookie and havign missed a race and changed team mid-season. Indeed, it's a shame they weren't able to keep Bell on this year, as he also outperformed Tomas despite lacking experience in the series. I can understand Mark's frustration that no drive has appeared this year, and that his name already seems to be forgotten by those in the game. Hopefully he will return to some form of racing before long.

I think in the end, both Mark and Townsend were far steadier driver's than Tomas is, but Tomas can show sparks of brilliance at time's that almost nobody in the IRL can. He is just damn quick! So I think Panther is being patient - maybe to patient! - with Tomas, waiting for him to have that perfect season, and really put it all together, and win the championship here.

Nobody has been able to take a Chevy to the front like Tomas has been able to, but he is dogged by bad luck like I've never seen before, some of his own making no doubt, but alot not. I do have to wonder if Panther can afford to keep him though if he continues to crash. He really need's to run fast and clean the rest of this season to keep that seat I think...

[Down F0rce]

Mark looked very racy at times when he was in Access. Shame they're no more.

[luke]

And if I remember rightly in his first IRL race in 2004 at Homestead, he qualified 6th.
And had a good top 7 result at Nashville that year in the Access car.

[Mackmot]

Tim, Mark turned down a drive in ALMS (ie no money). He would be wanted in all sorts of championships if he was so disheartened by his experience.

[N I Tram]

Was the Access team inherently any better-prepared than Foyt? It certainly wasn't as well-funded, the only obvious advantage was the Honda engines. AJIV doens't compare well to Taylor - there's no way he could cope under the circumstances Mark had when he joined Access mid-season having just been fired by another team.

[Tim Northcutt]

The Access crew was quite experienced and talented...they made the best out of very little $$$...it is a shame, bcause they had the personnel talent in their crew of mechanics and engineers, but didn't have the $$$ to show their best potential as a team....

I thought they did well laast year for operating on a shoestring....

[runshaw]

Mark qualified 3rd for a race with Access didn't he? If they are not one of the top teams, it just shows how good Mark is that he can run at the front in a ch'ship as competitve as the IRL.

[Tim Northcutt]

Originally Posted by Mackmot

Tim, Mark turned down a drive in ALMS (ie no money). He would be wanted in all sorts of championships if he was so disheartened by his experience.

What I was thinking about would be some funding contacts he might bring to the table????

Or are you referring to the team having no money period???

Just want to understand this one...

[Tim Northcutt]

Originally Posted by runshaw

Mark qualified 3rd for a race with Access didn't he? If they are not one of the top teams, it just shows how good Mark is that he can run at the front in a ch'ship as competitve as the IRL.

Personally, I think it was probably a combination of mark and the team members...It was my understanding that Greg Ray's problem was not the talent of the personnel...but the problem was funding...period...

His people on the team were solid...but you can't run a race program on vapors...

As team Owner's sig says (genrally, anyway): "Money is the fuel of any race team"...or at least something pretty close to that....

Without it, I don't car how good you are, you will struggle to succeed....

[drdisque]

speaking of recent drivers that are nowhere to be heard of these days, anyone know what Nick Firestone or Rick Treadway are up to?

[BootsOntheSide]

Access was probably superior to Foyt in every area except bank balance - and that can ultiamtely be the most significant factor. Some of the results Acees put together, bothw ith Mark and Greg at the wheel, really belied their lack of money, and it's such a shame that they're no more.