Well, you can't put someone else in that seat. If Milka goes, then Citgo goes. If Citgo goes then they lose both Dale Coyne cars (you'll notice the other car doesn't have proper sponsorship - Citgo is paying for the entire team at this point). Is losing 2 cars, and a team which has been around since the 80s just to park Milka? I don't think so.
It was quite evident at Long Beach that they aren't even setting up the car now. Over the bumps the car was vibrating violently, and the gear ratios sounded completely different to every other car there. She is usually 4-6 seconds off the pace, depending on the track, but now they are turning up with a car with no proper setup, so she is never going to anywhere near anyone. It's now at the stage where she is only there to fund the team.
On the question of her being dangerous, which has been raised a lot, no, she isn't. Half of the IndyCar grid has ran in sportscars, and they coped with cars even slower than that. If sportscar drivers can cope with cars that are a ridiculous amount of the pace (see ALMS at Lime Rock, with LMP1 and the GT Challenge class gap) then why can't IndyCar drivers cope with her?
I do agree it's a silly situation, and what really bugs me is how IRL parked Stantton Barrett for being rubbish, and asked Marty Roth to find a proper driver, rather than driving his cars himself (to which he had a hissy fit and packed up the team and left), and now they leave Milka alone. But on the flip side I understand why it's being done. Nobody has any money, and every car is important now. Milka brings the ability to run 1 more legitmate car, and 1 more 'field filler', if you like.
She should go back to sportscars, but I guess it is up to Citgo. As long as when they turn up on ovals she isn't 10 seconds down, I don't really see the safety issue. It's just an issue of losing cars being worth it to get her out.
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