I couldn’t agree more and am always pleased to hear a young racer talking about the sport in this way. In all, Matos is as delighted as Wirth with his decision to pursue his career here in the USA.
“This series is looking healthier now and the United States is where I want to be,” Matos said. “I love living here. All my network connections are here and everything that I have today is because I came to the United States and raced here. I’m not sure that if I had gone to Europe that I would have been successful there because they don’t have the type of ladder series that there is here in the United States. So for sure, I made the right decision, and I’m planning to stay in the United States and race Champ cars.
“Of course,” Matos added, “if I had a chance to go to F1, I would never say no. In the end, I think F1 is the ultimate goal for a driver but I have Champ Car in my mind. That’s what I’m working for.”
It’s refreshing to hear these things from young drivers from both Europe and South America. Because of these factors and its brace of healthy street races Champ Car does have a future without the Indy 500. The fact is these kids don’t really care about Indy. They’ve grown up in a time when the Indy 500 has been damaged goods rather than the great race of old, and they’re also road racers who know the IRL and ovals are dangerous. Instead, they see Champ Car as a great and in some ways preferred option to
F1.
Rahal may be right that the reborn Mazda Atlantic series is a precursor to a brighter future for Champ Car. Meantime, the new formula has created some great open-wheel racing for all of us to enjoy and be proud of. And as Forsythe added: “What we’ve got to do is make sure the same thing that’s happening in Atlantic will happen next year in Champ Car.”
To read more of Gordon Kirby's 'The Way It Is' columns go to www.kirbywebbsite.com.
![Tim Bridgman in action at Long Beach [Pic credit: LAT USA]](http://pix.crash.net/thumbs/208102.jpg)
