Racer-X Needs Your Help!!!!

[DragonGT83]

Sorry I've been out, but I just read this, wtf. Hope things work out for you patrick, you were a great guy to meet and are an excellent driver. If things don't go your way don't give up is all I can say, you got plenty of potential to go again and you know I'll be here if you want sparring partners for practice. But really I'm lost for words for ya. I think in the best interests of sony, your case not being decided till after the fact may be the main reason you may not go, I'm signing the petition for ya and hoping for the best.

 

[IMMORTALPILOT]

Why he is not allowed to drive to silverstone??

 

[LancerEvo7]

Why he is not allowed to drive to silverstone??

Because his car doesn't float.

 

[iamsupernasty]

I hate that this has happened, and I feel terrible for Pat. It sure seems like when one thing goes bad, everything spirals out of control after it. Just know that whatever happens Pat, there will always be more opportunities.

As far as whether he should or shouldn't be allowed to compete, that's a tough one. Most of us don't know what really happened beyond the stories that we've been told, so it's hard to make a fair assessment. If indeed the terms were violated to the exact letter of the rules, then regardless of how awesome a guy Pat it it doesn't seem that fair that he should be allowed to compete. Rules are rules for a reason and shouldn't be assessed after-the-fact while taking other circumstances into account.

If however the rules in the terms are being manipulated and he's not exactly violating them to the exact letter, then I'd say it's time for Pat to Lawyer-up. A petition from us is one thing, but actual legal action is often enough to get Sonys attention. The problem there is that they likely simply wouldn't pick Patrick as the overall winner, even if he's the best, because they fear a media fire-storm. I'd say if Pat really wants a chance to win overall, his best bet would be to try again next year. But that's just my opinion of course.

 

[Oshawa-Joe]

A few good points I found....

According to Deputy Commonwealth's Attorney Darby Lowe, the parents of the threatened teens "had a great concern he not be convicted as a felon," she told Judge Paul Peatross in court June 8.
"He did not have a gun," said Lowe. "He did not take steps to get one. I feel strongly this young man with no criminal record be given treatment."


Judge Peatross noted to Crider, "You weren't intending to carry out the actions you said. If that weren't the case, I wouldn't accept this plea."


"I want him engaged in constructive activities, either at work or at school," ordered Peatross.



I believe competing at Silverstone would be a constructive activity.

 

[mcfizzle]

My thoughts on it are a petition to get him in this competition is a little over the top. We are talking about someone who threatened to kill people at a school. Whether he was just angry and exagerrating or serious, that needs to be taken as 100% serious. I applaud whoever it was that contacted school officials. Too often in our society it has not been and innocent people are the ones that pay the price. I work in a school district and have witnessed and reported threatening comments to school officials one time in the past. I didn't think the kid was 100% serious but at the same time I couldn't live with myself if he had been and I did nothing. And before people become upset about that, the school officials pulled him from class and after questioning determined there was not threat.

I also understand the support from members here, he became friends with some of you, and we only see and want the best in and for our friends. I do, however, wonder what the reaction would be if you found out he was a felon for threatening the lives of others before you met him here or at SDCC? But if Patrick truly is a good person like most of you say then it's unfortunate that he put himself in this situation, but that is exactly who did it, himself. I applaud him for trying to rebuild his life, it sounds like he really is working hard at it. I hope things work out for him and I wish him the best, maybe he can become someone who helps kids in similar situations as he. I just don't think Silverstone is or should be in the picture for him.

 

[Biffy]

From what I've seen, only Jordan and McFizzle have made constructive points as to why Patrick shouldn't/won't be able to take part in the finals, and it does make sense. I mean, to friends, a death threat can mean nothing and usually doesn't, but when it's someone who doesn't know the guy, then things can easily blow out of proportion. I myself remember when someone in my high school was excluded because they wrote that one of the head of years should die on Facebook. He didn't seriously mean it and I know he didn't, but it was still a foolish thing to do and resulted in all sorts of crap, including the threat of police action. Similar case here - I can tell by the story of how things have panned out that he isn't a threat to society, he just had a moment where life got the better of him, happens to all of us at least once, but Nissan and Sony will obviously not want to get involved, because it's bad for the reputation. I find the cynical, judgemental nonsense that others are spouting to be very reminiscent of envy though. It seems some people saw mention of discretionary action and immediately thought *criminal* and have gone on a vendetta towards someone they don't even know. This is a petition, not a debate, if you really don't agree with it, then don't sign and don't post looking for a reaction! Personally, it is simple imo. Has he been threatening people all his life? Has he actually attempted to carry out his threat? From what I've read, his personality doesn't reflect the threats he has made. This is possibly a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity (please tell me how something you've worked towards for several months isn't constructive?), and to miss out because of a troubled moment in your life is just really unfortunate and should not be punished, but unfortunately the law (and the world) doesn't work like that. The fact that this punishment is based on something that was said online is very flimsy though, you can't tell whether someone is joking, being sarcastic or being serious through a block of text.

 

[Oshawa-Joe]

An Academy is a school. GT Academy can lead to a career directly or indirectly. Either way it would be a positive experience. Pat failed to make the top 32 and what did he do? He worked even harder to achieve his goal of getting there.

There are two types of people. One type prefers to build things and help people....help people achieve, grow, believe and succeed. The other type prefers to tear things down, and wants to see people fail.

Which type are you?

 

[iMikeTheKing]

There are two types of people. One type prefers to build things and help people....help people achieve, grow, believe and succeed. The other type prefers to tear things down, and wants to see people fail.

Which type are you?

They should make that the new Nissan slogan.

I don't know Pat, never have talked to him before, but like everyone else he deserves the chance to get his dream. If he cannot participate at Silverstone this year, he should be able to automatically move to Silverstone next year.

 

[drift draft]

I feel bad for the guy, but agree with Jordan and the others that this seems to be the right thing to do. I dont know Patrick but everyone seem to think he is a great guy.

I read the articles posted about his situation, along with people debating whether or not gtp is a "social network"(in my opinion its not). He was instructed to stay off of facebook, but he IS on facebook. Maybe this was a factor in the decision?

As far as automatic advancement to silverstone next time? I dont think thats fair to other participants. I feel he should be eligible to qualify and earn his way back to silverstone.

I hope the best for him.

 

[paskowitz]

Wow this thread got ugly fast.

I heard back from my father's medical malpractice defense lawyer and he basically said in so many words that the contest holders can basically do whatever they want except disqualify someone who emphatically meats the rules they stated. There are certain rules for what contest rules you can write, but obviously that is not happening here.

There is always next year.

 

[GTPorsche]

Why he is not allowed to drive to silverstone??

The Atlantic Ocean won't allow it.

 

[VELOCI_2NR]

One of the problems with this whole deal is the way the threat Patrick made was handled. If you notice all the anecdotes that were told in the previous pages all ended with getting pulled out of class and determining if there was a real threat or just an empty threat. It was obvious there was no means for patrick to actually pull off said threat and no true motivation to do such. The fact that it was taken to a court in the first place was the first mistake. Instead of getting a slap on the wrist, he went straight to jail and tried as a criminal.

Threats are supposed to be taken with a judge of character, since no actually physical crime is committed and they way his situation was handled was way wrong. Had anyone else been in that situation, it would have not gone past the school psychologist. With that being the case, this is why taking away his dreams of Silverstone is so difficult for me to comprehend.

 

[Oshawa-Joe]

A few good points I found....

According to Deputy Commonwealth's Attorney Darby Lowe, the parents of the threatened teens "had a great concern he not be convicted as a felon," she told Judge Paul Peatross in court June 8.
"He did not have a gun," said Lowe. "He did not take steps to get one. I feel strongly this young man with no criminal record be given treatment."

Judge Peatross noted to Crider, "You weren't intending to carry out the actions you said. If that weren't the case, I wouldn't accept this plea."

"I want him engaged in constructive activities, either at work or at school," ordered Peatross.

I believe competing at Silverstone would be a constructive activity.

The judge didn't think he was intending to carry it out. Unfortunately the ball was already rolling.

 

[KingBestJr]

The problem i have with everyone saying oh he's ineligible is Sony/Nissan new about these before we even went to the place for the first day of competition. They talked to him the first night we got there and everything was fine. I dont see how they can say its ok let him compete then he makes it to silverstone and now they want to say he cant go. Just not right in my opinion, they should of not let him compete in National Finals to begin with if thats the case. But they did so he deserves it!!! I mean im the one he took the last spot through the qualifying round but it doesnt bother me i support him completely and will sign this petition quickly. Good Luck Pat you deserve to go!!

 

[Bennen13]

One of the problems with this whole deal is the way the threat Patrick made was handled. If you notice all the anecdotes that were told in the previous pages all ended with getting pulled out of class and determining if there was a real threat or just an empty threat. It was obvious there was no means for patrick to actually pull off said threat and no true motivation to do such. The fact that it was taken to a court in the first place was the first mistake. Instead of getting a slap on the wrist, he went straight to jail and tried as a criminal.

Threats are supposed to be taken with a judge of character, since no actually physical crime is committed and they way his situation was handled was way wrong. Had anyone else been in that situation, it would have not gone past the school psychologist. With that being the case, this is why taking away his dreams of Silverstone is so difficult for me to comprehend.

Yep, his case has been nothing but an attempt to set an example to others.
Ted Nugent said in a televised interview that President Obama should be shot, but received absolutely nothing in terms of criminal punishment. I don't care what your political views are, but how is that not at least on par to this, much less far far worse. And being that he is a grown man with a pretty colorful past, and nothing was made of it, speaks volumes.

 

[VELOCI_2NR]

The problem i have with everyone saying oh he's ineligible is Sony/Nissan new about these before we even went to the place for the first day of competition. They talked to him the first night we got there and everything was fine. I dont see how they can say its ok let him compete then he makes it to silverstone and now they want to say he cant go. Just not right in my opinion, they should of not let him compete in National Finals to begin with if thats the case. But they did so he deserves it!!! I mean im the one he took the last spot through the qualifying round but it doesnt bother me i support him completely and will sign this petition quickly. Good Luck Pat you deserve to go!!

I am constantly confused with that. They had told him he was eligible with the knowledge of all this, since it was brought up immediately after he won racer-x. So they knew what had happened. The only thing I can think of is now they realize he is a threat to actually win the competition and if he did, they would not want the bad publicity for the two months in between the end of GT Academy and the expunging of his charges in November. Still, he should be allowed to go to Silverstone. It would have been easier for them just to eliminate him early in the competition. At least then he would have the chance to go and run the driving program. At this point, he gets nothing.

 

[KingBestJr]

I am constantly confused with that. They had told him he was eligible with the knowledge of all this, since it was brought up immediately after he won racer-x. So they knew what had happened. The only thing I can think of is now they realize he is a threat to actually win the competition and if he did, they would not want the bad publicity for the two months in between the end of GT Academy and the expunging of his charges in November. Still, he should be allowed to go to Silverstone. It would have been easier for them just to eliminate him early in the competition. At least then he would have the chance to go and run the driving program. At this point, he gets nothing.

I agree i was in the shuttle bus from airport and we picked up the Mike (nissan rep) and the sony guys and they found out about it then and that night they talked to Pat and let him compete knowing all of this, just horrible in my mind that they would let him go ahead and compete and then let him make it to silverstone and get his hopes up then shoot them down. Just not right. 👎

On the other hand if they really dont end up letting him compete i couldnt think of another guy who wanted it much more than TRC_Hunk. If you end up making it because of this good luck to you.

 

[CodeRedR51]

I am constantly confused with that. They had told him he was eligible with the knowledge of all this, since it was brought up immediately after he won racer-x. So they knew what had happened. The only thing I can think of is now they realize he is a threat to actually win the competition and if he did, they would not want the bad publicity for the two months in between the end of GT Academy and the expunging of his charges in November. Still, he should be allowed to go to Silverstone. It would have been easier for them just to eliminate him early in the competition. At least then he would have the chance to go and run the driving program. At this point, he gets nothing.

Wait, they knew?

 

[VELOCI_2NR]

Wait, they knew?

Yep.

 

[KingBestJr]

Wait, they knew?

Yes they knew when i got to San Diego and got on the Shuttle to go to hotel think there was 8 of us on bus had to stop and pick up Nissan and sony reps from finals place and then to hotel. They found out in Bus and they knew and talked to him before we ever started competing and let him compete so i dont see how this is right at all.

 

[hillracing]

I agree i was in the shuttle bus from airport and we picked up the Mike (nissan rep) and the sony guys and they found out about it then and that night they talked to Pat and let him compete knowing all of this, just horrible in my mind that they would let him go ahead and compete and then let him make it to silverstone and get his hopes up then shoot them down. Just not right. 👎

On the other hand if they really dont end up letting him compete i couldnt think of another guy who wanted it much more than TRC_Hunk. If you end up making it because of this good luck to you.

Just for the purpose of giving the data. On the night before the finals I was the one who found this and brought it to the organizers attention that night. Before anyone blames me for ruining his life realize this would have come up in the background check that they do after the finals anyways. Anyways because I thought he would be DQ'd and as second place in Racer X I'd get a chance I tracked down the organizers that night and talked to them about it to see what they wanted to do. They told me they told Pat he had the option to withdraw at that point with the knowledge that he might be DQ'd if he makes it. They said they gave him till 9am the next day to decide. It wasn't at least as they told me as black and white as they said he was qualified and then changing their mind. It sounded to me that they did some looking into it and that legally he could do finals but might not make it through the background check. Anyways there's a lot more that was said that night about this to me but out of respect for the people who said it and in the interest of just providing what I know about this I'll refrain from saying that.

One comment I have to say even though I did say I would stay out of this I feel I have to say. Those who are defending Pat I admire that you are standing up for your friend but have to say you aren't looking at the whole picture. The fact is he decided to compete knowing he had this on his record. He did commit the crime even if it was justified. Rules are rules and without them games don't really exist. I'll be honest once I found out he was going to be allowed to compete in the finals I hoped he would be found in compliance with the rules because otherwise he wasted an opportunity that would have been mine otherwise. I'm sure you don't care but it's a valid point. On top of that do you really think Nissan and Sony want someone with a background that's questionable as their sponsored driver?

Listen I firmly hope that Pat's life gets better for him. He went through some rough times it seems. I firmly believe that people are basically good and didn't see anything with Pat to change that view. However I firmly believe in personal responsibility and from that view Pat is not a victim of anyone. He wrote the threat. He violated the law. He entered the finals knowing his qualifications were in question and most likely knew the same for Racer X.

For those who think I'm a whiny loser I know why I lost and it wasn't because of Pat. I simply wasn't good enough this year to pull it off. I don't blame anyone but myself and that's why I'm focused on next year and will come back to win next year. The only reason I'm even posting is because there's a few things I've been reading that simply aren't true. Those of you who are his friends you might look at the way you respond to posts you don't agree with because it's just rude. The first post in this thread asked for opinions either way on if he should go. If you didn't want that you shouldn't have asked.

 

[CodeRedR51]

Well I was going to quote Sphinx's post about not posting in here if you don't plan on supporting the cause, but it's gone.

 

[hillracing]

Well I was going to quote Sphinx's post about not posting in here if you don't plan on supporting the cause, but it's gone.

It appears some of the original posts were changed because it originally said to post your opinion. Guess when it didn't match the op opinion they changed it. Hmmm

 

[KingBestJr]

Hill i will tell you right now the sony and nissan reps knew nothing about this until they were on the bus with us far after the racer x competition. They found out on the bus with a few of us finalist from the post or whatever that you had posted while we were on the bus. And no matter what they might have told him that night at the hotel there is no way for you to know for sure, the only person who sincerly knows is Pat. Either way no matter what they told him if there was any chance they were thinking of not letting him do it if he made it to silverstone they period shouldnt have let him compete to begin with. And if i want to be completely true i wish there would of been no racer x to begin with it took away from the 32 that actually made it. Which like i said earlier i ended up being the odd one out. But i did nothing or said nothing bad or made excuses all i did was support everyone including Pat. I really dont see why you seem to have to keep saying stuff about Pat now its pointless in your regard once Pat got to compete it was over for you. So for you to keep going on about it sounds like someone being a sore loser. IMO.

 

[CodeRedR51]

So for you to keep going on about it sounds like someone being a sore loser. IMO.

👍

 

[VELOCI_2NR]

Just for the purpose of giving the data. On the night before the finals I was the one who found this and brought it to the organizers attention that night. Before anyone blames me for ruining his life realize this would have come up in the background check that they do after the finals anyways. Anyways because I thought he would be DQ'd and as second place in Racer X I'd get a chance I tracked down the organizers that night and talked to them about it to see what they wanted to do. They told me they told Pat he had the option to withdraw at that point with the knowledge that he might be DQ'd if he makes it. They said they gave him till 9am the next day to decide. It wasn't at least as they told me as black and white as they said he was qualified and then changing their mind. It sounded to me that they did some looking into it and that legally he could do finals but might not make it through the background check. Anyways there's a lot more that was said that night about this to me but out of respect for the people who said it and in the interest of just providing what I know about this I'll refrain from saying that.

One comment I have to say even though I did say I would stay out of this I feel I have to say. Those who are defending Pat I admire that you are standing up for your friend but have to say you aren't looking at the whole picture. The fact is he decided to compete knowing he had this on his record. He did commit the crime even if it was justified. Rules are rules and without them games don't really exist. I'll be honest once I found out he was going to be allowed to compete in the finals I hoped he would be found in compliance with the rules because otherwise he wasted an opportunity that would have been mine otherwise. I'm sure you don't care but it's a valid point. On top of that do you really think Nissan and Sony want someone with a background that's questionable as their sponsored driver?

Listen I firmly hope that Pat's life gets better for him. He went through some rough times it seems. I firmly believe that people are basically good and didn't see anything with Pat to change that view. However I firmly believe in personal responsibility and from that view Pat is not a victim of anyone. He wrote the threat. He violated the law. He entered the finals knowing his qualifications were in question and most likely knew the same for Racer X.

For those who think I'm a whiny loser I know why I lost and it wasn't because of Pat. I simply wasn't good enough this year to pull it off. I don't blame anyone but myself and that's why I'm focused on next year and will come back to win next year. The only reason I'm even posting is because there's a few things I've been reading that simply aren't true. Those of you who are his friends you might look at the way you respond to posts you don't agree with because it's just rude. The first post in this thread asked for opinions either way on if he should go. If you didn't want that you shouldn't have asked.

If that's what they told you, then they had considered this for a while, but I had heard no hesitance in Pats explanation of the conversation he had that night with the Sony and Nissan reps. Maybe they misconveyed their explanation or Pat misinterpreted it, or they thought he was good to go under rules and regs at that point.

Yes I am friends with Patrick, but I honestly thought it was a bit screwed up to allow him to run in finals and pass on to Silverstone and now only receive knowledge that he is ineligible. You see why I posted this thread now, right?

I am fine with hearing the opinions of the matter, because some people have some very good points to add to the conversation and shed light on new directions. The personal attacks toward opposing viewpoints isn't great, but is almost expected on an online discussion forum with strong stances on views.

It's great to see the influx of support from fellow GTPers and racers alike, but please stop flaming the opposing views, as they are welcome to their opinion. Intellectual, logical argumentation of specifics is fine, but please try not to attack the poster.

 

[GTP_CargoRatt]

After reading the new posts in this thread and seeing new information that I was not aware before, I would like to extend my apologies to anyone here whom I may have offended. Its not really my style to rage like that, seems I just got caught up in the moment. I'm sorry. I spoke without knowing the whole story which, as it looks to me, no one really knows except Pat himself. At this point with not really knowing what really transpired, I really have no opinion either way and since I was not involved in the finals, I'll just stay out of it. Again, my apologies for speaking without knowing the whole story first. Thats all I have to say. Peace.

 

[hillracing]

Hill i will tell you right now the sony and nissan reps knew nothing about this until they were on the bus with us far after the racer x competition. They found out on the bus with a few of us finalist from the post or whatever that you had posted while we were on the bus. And no matter what they might have told him that night at the hotel there is no way for you to know for sure, the only person who sincerly knows is Pat. Either way no matter what they told him if there was any chance they were thinking of not letting him do it if he made it to silverstone they period shouldnt have let him compete to begin with. And if i want to be completely true i wish there would of been no racer x to begin with it took away from the 32 that actually made it. Which like i said earlier i ended up being the odd one out. But i did nothing or said nothing bad or made excuses all i did was support everyone including Pat. I really dont see why you seem to have to keep saying stuff about Pat now its pointless in your regard once Pat got to compete it was over for you. So for you to keep going on about it sounds like someone being a sore loser. IMO.

I agree they shouldn't have let him compete but apparently they looked at the rules as they were written and legally they had to. As it was explained to me the way the rules are written all background checks are done after finals so in reality there could be multiple people not allowed to silverstone if they weren't qualified even if they were finalists. Because they couldn't do background checks before Racer X there were no rules that applied to that area for Racer X. They had run all this through their legal department that night apparently. If they hadn't let him compete they could have gotten sued because there were no qualifications to compete in the finals at all. You could violate all the qualification rules and compete at finals legally.

As far as calling me a sore loser. Really? Where did I attack Pat? Have I stated something that isn't true as I know it? If I am a sore loser it's because I've spent 17 years of my life trying to succeed in racing and may have missed a chance because of someone who wasn't qualified to compete for the grand prize. I can't believe you aren't upset being knocked out by someone not qualified to compete. Imagine if you can spending more than half your life and literally all your money, breaking your back (literally), starving, and everything else to reach a goal and missing it because someone broke the rules. Do you think you wouldn't be a "sore loser" at least a little? If not why would you try for 17 years? Having a passion for something means caring enough to be angry at not succeeding. Literally my only complaint with Pat is if he knew the rules he shouldn't have competed. That's it.

Jeez I feel like I'm back in high school reading this thread. King you're a poopy pants Just kidding.

 

[VELOCI_2NR]

Literally my only complaint with Pat is if he knew the rules he shouldn't have competed. That's it.

He competed, obviously knowing full well of his background, but it was a gray area with his situation, so do you really blame him for giving it a shot? He is allowed to leave the country, vote, and do everything else a convicted felon can't do, so he figured there was a good shot he could compete.

Apparently Nissan and Sony thinks otherwise, and since it is their gig, we can't really force any issue. The reason for this thread and the petition was to show support for Patrick and at least try, though unlikely, to sway the thoughts of the guys up top.

Next year, they will hopefully reword the rules to rid the problems that they faced this year with GT Academy.