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SunDancer 11-12-2004 06:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheLionKing
holy shit.....


I read that. This is a big score for Cosworth. Will Ford still be involve? It seems the connection is good for sponsorship and promotion. How will this play out?

SunDancer 11-12-2004 06:48 PM

I like to see ChampCar tweaker with it's point system.

TLK 11-13-2004 01:42 PM

IRL loses Chevrolet; Toyota concerned

November 8, 2004

By Bruce Martin
SportsTicker Contributing Editor

AVONDALE, Arizona (Ticker) Although it was not completely unexpected, GM Racing's decision to yank the Chevrolet brand from the Indy Racing League after the 2005 season has sent shock waves through the sport.

Chevy's departure from the IRL leaves the series in the hands of two Japanese engine manufacturers Toyota and Honda. Because its future depends solely on companies based in Japan, the IRL should stand for "Ichiban Racing League."

To make matters worse for the IRL, the future of the series is in control of two companies that have proven in the past that if a sanctioning body makes a decision that is unpopular, they could yank its participation.

That's what happened in 2001 when CART decided to change the engine formula against the wishes of Toyota and Honda. When both decided to leave CART, it left that series in a position to be a single-engine, spec formula.

Chevrolet decided that the combination of higher costs and increased competition didn't justify the lack of exposure its product has gotten in an ever-shrinking sport.

"This situation was one where the investment in the series did not meet our business objectives any more," said Doug Duchardt, director of GM Racing. "We had to make a tough decision on whether to continue.

"At the beginning of the IRL, there was a certain model we could use and we were successful at it. That worked for us. There's no secret that the costs have gone up and the TV ratings and attendance have been flat or down. You have to lay that out. It is what it is. We have to make a decision based on our business model."

Duchardt was promoted to his current role after Herb Fishel retired two years ago. Prior to that, Duchardt was in charge of the GM Racing NASCAR program, which caused concern that he was never really interested in the IRL in the first place.

Chevrolet made a valiant effort in 2003 when it was successful in getting the IRL to adopt the Gen IV engine built by Cosworth after the Gen III engine was nothing more than a high-speed boat anchor.

With Sam Hornish Jr. at Panther Racing, the Gen IV engine proved to be a fast answer to Toyota and Honda. Hornish nearly overcame his deficit in the standings and wasn't eliminated until he dropped out of the final race of the 2003 season.

Unfortunately for both Chevrolet and Toyota, neither engine company could compete against Honda in 2004. Toyota won the first and the last race of the season with Honda winning every contest in between.

Because of Chevrolet's decision to leave, Toyota executives say they may also leave after the 2006 season unless things change within the IRL.

"Chevrolet's departure is very bad for the series," Toyota Motorsports manager Lee White said. "You have open-wheel racing without an American manufacturer and the Indianapolis 500 without an American manufacturer. That's a pretty serious deal."

After giving the bad news to Tony George on Wednesday, Duchardt and GM officials informed teams that used the engine last year that it would leave after 2005 and that Panther Racing would be the primary team it backed next year.

"Panther will be with us next year, and we're both committed to winning," Duchardt said. "We're committed to give them the piece that will help them win. After the other teams have this information, we'll sit down with them and help them decide where they want to go from here."

White and Toyota are dissatisfied with the current state of the IRL. After getting pounded by Honda in 2004, White indicated serious changes have to be made to keep costs under control or they could also leave the sport.

"When we entered the series, we spent two years discussing engine rules, distribution rules, buying, leasing and we signed up for the same program as Chevrolet," White said. "Our level of support is approaching that of what it was in CART. I would say our enthusiasm doesn't match that what it was in CART but the cost is and that is a huge worry for the company."

White said Toyota continues to believe the IRL is the best answer to save an entire form of racing in the United States, but it is time to make some changes before it's too late.

"It's a difficult decision because we support Tony George and we support the series," White said. "Unfortunately, the series business model isn't what it was two years ago. We went to the IRL and embraced the Chevrolet business model. We had people signed up as engine builders, we were prepared to sell engines but no one wanted to buy them. The direction we are going in now is very troubling."

According to numbers derived from the Joyce Julius Sponsor's Report, the average television ratings for IRL races in 2002 was 1.2067. That figure dropped to 1.0250 in 2003 a drop of 15 percent.

Ratings dropped even further in 2004 with an average TV rating of 0.8625 a 16 percent dip from 2003. Included in that rating was a 0.1 for the IRL race televised by ESPN at California this past October, which may be the lowest IRL rating of all time.

Attendance actually has shown an increase for the IRL, but what brings that number up is Joyce Julius' presumption that 400,000 fans were at the Indianapolis 500 in 2002, 2003 and 2004. Even the Indianapolis Motor Speedway admitted there were tickets left for sale the day of the race in 2003 and 2004.

But, using the presumption of 400,000 fans at the Indy 500, average attendance was 67,832 in 2002, 70,702 in 2003 and 74,120 in 2004. The reason for increase can be directly attributed to the additional race in 2003 and 2004 at Twin-Ring Motegi in Japan, where 60,000 fans attended last year and 76,000 in 2004.

The problem with the IRL is no matter how many young, eager types it hires in sales, marketing and promotion, do the folks in the "red states" really want to buy its product?

If someone invents "Onion Gum" no matter how much is spent in sales, advertising and promotion, no matter how many double-truck ads are purchased in USA Today, does anyone really want to buy onion-flavored gum?

The IRL has become motorsports version of "Onion Gum."

"Despite a tough economy, the IndyCar Series enters 2005 in its strongest position yet in terms of its overall economic health, with sponsorship up, attendance showing growth, team sponsorships the highest in series history and the strongest driver talent line-up in series history," said Fred Nation, the executive vice president of communications for the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Corporation and the IRL.

"The 2005 season will be the second year of a six-year contract for U.S. television with ABC/ESPN that pays rights and production fees, as well as the strongest worldwide television package in U.S. racing."

According to Nation, "ABC/ESPN and the Indy Racing League are committed to growing the series and ratings through a joint promotional plan that is in place for 2005 using resources of all three parties."

White said he remains extremely concerned for the series of costs involved in what was supposed to be a cost-contained series.

"We entered the series under the idea that you could have one or two works teams that were allowed with our agreement in the IRL," White said. "Now, there isn't a team that comes and talks to us unless they want everything for free and cash. It has absolutely turned into a 100 percent manufacturer head-to-head combat and that is not a comfortable position for us.

"I can't imagine the series is very comfortable with that."

White said Honda's involvement and spending has raised the bar of competition in the IRL. Sources indicate Honda even entered into a wind-tunnel program with its teams to help improve the chassis used in the series for those teams running Honda.

By underwriting such an enormous cost, it has created a gap between Honda and the teams that use Honda and Chevrolet engines.

"The problem is there is no mechanism within the structure of the organization to contain that," White said. "It makes it a very difficult problem unless you have full grandstands and really good TV ratings so that you can justify that type of expenditure."

White said renewing with the IRL is too far away to even consider, and the IRL has yet to consider a rules package for 2007 and beyond. White wants for a stock-based engine something Duchardt and Chevrolet have expressed interest in.

"Certainly we are disappointed in Chevrolet's stated intention to not return for the 2006 season," Nation said. "We understand that General Motors has its challenges both on and off the track. We do expect Chevrolet to review proposed changes to the engine package for 2007 once they are completed.

"It continues to be the IndyCar Series goal to draw the participation of major manufacturers. With two years of experience with Chevy, Honda and Toyota competing fiercely against each other, we are in active communication with all three as we formulate specifications and regulations for 2007 and beyond."

White said there hasn't been an initial meeting with the IRL regarding the engine specifications for 2007 and beyond. Joe Negri of GM Motorsports presented White with a worksheet of some proposals for the next generation engine, but there have been no talks with the IRL. "The first thing we have to do is get some people together to talk about it and it hasn't happened yet," White said of the IRL. "We haven't decided to leave. We are committed to the program through 2006. I'd hate to say we are in any position to dictate, but certainly I'm extremely concerned for the series. "We could have left and everything would have been fine. Honda could have left and it would have been fine. But the fact Chevrolet left is a very, very serious problem for the IRL. The IRL doesn't have the strength, in-house, to protect the engine manufacturers' from themselves."


SunDancer 11-13-2004 05:57 PM

IRL keeps getting the black-eye. Love it!

TLK 11-15-2004 12:25 AM

look at what I was notified of earlier today....

Quote:

MEDIA TELECONFERENCE ALERT

The following alert is to inform the media of a teleconference with Champ Car World Series co-owner Kevin Kalkhoven concerning the status of Cosworth Racing

What: Media teleconference concerning the impending sale of Cosworth Racing

Who: Champ Car World Series and PKV Racing co-owner Kevin Kalkhoven

When: Monday, November 15. 12 p.m. Eastern. The teleconference will run no longer than one hour.

How: Media should dial 1-800-795-1259 to participate. International media are requested to dial 1-785-832-1508. When prompted for a password, use 7MEDIA

There will be an audio-quality replay of this teleconference available through November 22. The call can be accessed by dialing 1-800-938-0996. International callers dial 402-220-1540

TLK 11-15-2004 12:26 AM

I just have to say.... you almost heard it here first.....

SunDancer 11-15-2004 10:54 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheLionKing
I just have to say.... you almost heard it here first.....


keep me posted..

TLK 11-15-2004 11:30 AM

FORD COMPLETE COSWORTH SALE
Last Updated: Monday, 15, November, 2004, 15:15
F1 engine suppliers Cosworth have been taken over by the owners of the ChampCar racing series.

Ford confirmed the sale of the engine builders to Kevin Kalkhoven and Gerald Forsythe on the day that they also sold the Jaguar F1 team to Red Bull.

Ford vice-president Richard Parry-Jones said: "I …am reassured that we have sold our F1 businesses to new owners who have long histories in the sport and want to take these great companies forward.

"Kevin and Gerry are very successful businessmen, have a long history in the sport and a clear vision for how they wish to take Cosworth forward. I am pleased to announce this outcome."


Cosworth will supply two Formula 1 teams next season – the new Red Bull outfit and Minardi.

Jordan, who have used Cosworth engines for the past two seasons, are switching to Toyota.

Kalkhoven said: “We are strongly committed to continuing the great F1 tradition at Cosworth and take that very successful heritage into the future.”


SunDancer 11-16-2004 07:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheLionKing
FORD COMPLETE COSWORTH SALE
Last Updated: Monday, 15, November, 2004, 15:15
F1 engine suppliers Cosworth have been taken over by the owners of the ChampCar racing series.

Ford confirmed the sale of the engine builders to Kevin Kalkhoven and Gerald Forsythe on the day that they also sold the Jaguar F1 team to Red Bull.

Ford vice-president Richard Parry-Jones said: "I …am reassured that we have sold our F1 businesses to new owners who have long histories in the sport and want to take these great companies forward.

"Kevin and Gerry are very successful businessmen, have a long history in the sport and a clear vision for how they wish to take Cosworth forward. I am pleased to announce this outcome."


Cosworth will supply two Formula 1 teams next season – the new Red Bull outfit and Minardi.

Jordan, who have used Cosworth engines for the past two seasons, are switching to Toyota.

Kalkhoven said: “We are strongly committed to continuing the great F1 tradition at Cosworth and take that very successful heritage into the future.”



Sweet. So what does this does for CART, besides keep the engines in house? Also, what does it do to IRL, if anything? Also, Red Bull bought F1????

SunDancer 11-17-2004 01:31 PM

King,
What would you think of a race in Atlantic City?

SunDancer 11-20-2004 05:56 PM

Found this commentary on the Cosworth purchase insightful:

http://www.speedtv.com/commentary/13959/

Yesterday’s announcement that Kevin Kalkhoven and Gerald Forsythe have purchased Cosworth Racing from the Ford Motor Company (click here for story) is the latest blockbuster in a series of events reshaping the motorsports landscape in the United States, indeed, worldwide.

It was less than a year ago that Kalkhoven, Forsythe and Paul Gentilozzi, aka Open Wheel Racing Series, LLC (or, informally, the Three Amigos) abandoned their efforts to acquire Championship Auto Racing Teams lock, stock and barrel and instead rolled the dice on acquiring CART’s assets in bankruptcy court.

At the time, many observers thought Messrs. Forsythe, Gentilozzi and Kalkhoven were either a) daft, b) crooks or c) both. Eleven months and 14 Champ Car races later, it’s clear the correct answer was d) none of the above.

First, OWRS and its legal team ran rings around the Indy Racing League’s attempt to acquire CART’s assets. Next, they circled the wagons in the face of the 11th-hour defections of Team Rahal and Fernandez Racing to the IRL and, with the help of Carl Russo, secured a spot in the Champ Car World Series for Michel Jourdain Jr. Again confounding the skeptics, they managed to put 18 cars on the grid for the opening round of the season in Long Beach.

Most significant of all, when Roger Penske sent out feelers about a possible reconciliation between the warring factions of American open-wheel racing in May, the Three Amigos listened to what he had to say but declined to participate in a process which, history has shown, was destined to lead to a cul-de-sac.

“I’ve been involved in helping turn around several businesses,” commented Kalkhoven at the time. “If there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s not to repeat the mistakes of the past.”

A simplistic bromide? More like an epiphany. For although Kalkhoven may have been speaking about the energy- and resource-sapping efforts of past CART administrations to find common ground with the IRL, his words now sound like
a clarion call for a new approach to the business of motorsports.

For if there’s one common thread running through auto racing from open wheel to stock cars, sports cars, rallying and drag racing it’s the double-edged sword of manufacturer involvement. Teams, drivers, sponsors, fans, tracks and series all benefit from the money spent by auto manufacturers on racing; all too often, those constituencies become addicted to the megabucks poured into the sport by those same auto manufacturers, only to crash and burn when they go cold turkey in the wake of the manufacturers’ strategic decisions to spend their dollars, yen, marks, francs, pounds and lire elsewhere.

The original Trans-Am? The original Can-Am? The Sports Prototype World Championship? IMSA? CART? WRC? Have I missed any? No doubt.

Only NASCAR and Formula 1 have managed manufacturer involvement to their benefit long term, primarily by becoming so big, so important that automakers have little choice but to get involved and stay involved if they are to be considered major players on the domestic and worldwide scenes, respectively. But as the events unfolding over the past 24 months have shown, even Formula 1 may have reached the limit of that particular model. Indeed, Cosworth came on the market precisely because Ford decided to sell its Jaguar team and withdraw from a Formula 1 environment that has long since ceased making financial sense.

Enter Forsythe and Kalkhoven with a new model. To wit, acquire the ability to produce your own engines. Not just any engines, but engines designed, manufactured, developed and maintained by one of the world’s foremost engineering firms. In one fell swoop Forsythe and Kalkhoven have gotten a handle on the hydra of escalating engine costs and technology for technology’s sake that have, ultimately, spelled the ruin of so many racing series in the past.

Manufacturer involvement? By all means, but manufacturer involvement contributing to the overall health of the series rather than lining the pockets of team owners and drivers while pursuing ever more esoteric technology that contributes little or nothing to the show.
The Champ Car field has changed a lot since this shot was taken in 2001, and manufacturer dollars are a big reason why (LAT photo)

Kalkhoven’s comments during yesterday’s announcement are revealing:

“Manufacturer support is, by definition, a two-edged sword,” he said. “The financial support that manufacturers bring is obviously significant; the financial support when it disappears as well we know in CART, now Champ Car, causes some significant heartburn.

“We worked through this and we’ve taken a very deliberate approach, which is we’ve worked with one manufacturer very successfully . . .our partners at Ford . . . in order to provide something that is increasingly important in motorsports, which is the fact that it is entertainment. We have to provide entertainment for our fans and that entertainment comes not just from seeing manufacturers compete with each other, but seeing close and competitive racing where the driver is the determining factor, not the manufacturer or the amount of money that they spend.

“And so what we’ve achieved in this year in Champ Car is a series where the driver is very much the king, where any driver, now that they all have very significantly the same package, can rise to the top. We’ve seen that clearly in the racing this year. When new teams can come in and rise to the top as we have seen with RuSPORT and A.J. Allmendinger.

“So what we have managed to do is, at least without the embarrassment of riches coming from the manufacturers in the way that it has in the past, is revert to what we think is important for the future which is to make motorsports entertainment, make it exciting, make it close, a lot of overtaking, a lot of incidents on track and not just have it dominated by money, but by the drivers.”

Kalkhoven stopped well short of saying the Champ Car World Series will be a one-engine-make series forever. Still, it’s clear the model developed with Ford – and for that matter, Bridgestone – in the past two seasons will carry Champ Car into the years ahead. In other words, working in partnership with manufacturers to strengthen the Champ Car World Series by investing money that might otherwise have been spent on unobtanium con rods, gumball tires and/or subsidies for drivers and teams on marketing their products and the series itself.

Only time will tell whether this model will work over the long haul. Will it really contribute to Ford’s bottom line? What happens if and when Ford decides to terminate its association with Champ Car? Will a Chevrolet or a Dodge be interested in assuming the manufacturer’s role in a Champ Car World Series so closely linked with Ford?

One thing is certain: when it comes to the role of auto manufacturers, Champ Car is not repeating the mistakes of the past.

TLK 11-29-2004 12:02 PM

just a heads-up..

Alex Zanardi will be on Letterman on December 3rd....

TLK 12-05-2004 11:47 PM

Quote:

Tony George Speaks Out on Future IRL Engines
Written by: Dan Carney Dearborn, Mich. – 12/3/2004

The Indy Racing League will announce its 2007 season rules for engines by mid-2005, said Indianapolis Motor Speedway president Tony George during his appearance at the Society of Automotive Engineers Motorsports Engineering Conference in Detroit .

With rumors swirling in the wake of General Motors’ announced departure from the IRL, George is discussing a new rules package with manufacturers designed to make supporting the series more appealing. At this point, all options are on the table, said George.

The IRL began with production-based engines, but as it has moved to pure race engines speeds have accelerated, prompting calls for a return to production-based engines. “Production engines are very good for road racing, but they are not as good for ovals,” opined George. But he added that the final decision could go either way, depending on what potential participants want.

“Production engines are something that we will look at and consider as part of the process,” George said. However, he noted, the danger of building a series around production engines is what to do if the manufacturers that build those engines pack up and go home? “If all the manufacturers pull out, we need something we can go racing with,” said George. Specialty racing engine builders like Cosworth and Ilmor could easily fill that gap, which is part of the appeal of purpose-built engines.

The IRL’s primary goals for the new engines are stability and cost containment, George said. Rules written with those goals in mind should make the series more attractive to manufacturers and teams alike. The IRL has had “one very productive meeting with one manufacturer” regarding participation in the series, and has another expressing interest in the series, but with whom he has not yet met, George added.


.

TLK 12-05-2004 11:48 PM

Quote:

AutoRacing1.com has learned that indeed for 2005 there will be four Champ Car races on CBS, two on NBC and the rest on CNBC. CNBC will also have a 1/2 hour qualifying show on Saturdays. Hopefully the deal will include mention of Champ Car during the financial portions of CNBC's broadcasts, which dominate weekday broadcasts. The tie-in between business and Champ Car could indeed be good news for the race series if someone is astute enough to make that happen.

.

TLK 12-19-2004 11:55 PM

With the holidays fast approaching and the off-season deal making at a fever pitch, we caught up with Champ Car co-owner Kevin Kalkhoven between buying holiday gifts, and working on his next deal, to talk about some of the key issues facing the sport today.
Now that the 2004 season is over are you satisfied with what you achieved given where Champ Car was back in January, i.e. bankruptcy?
"We are on or ahead of target, but am I completely satisfied? No, not completely," said Kalkhoven. "Television and officiating are areas I was not happy with and we are fixing them in 2005, and it will be even better in 2006. But considering where the series was on January 28th, I'd say we are doing remarkably well."

"Our top priorities for 2005 were having a better TV and production package, adding at least two more races to get the '05 schedule to 16, and building a more solid foundation for '06 and '07. That means a continuing development of the events we race at, and more evolution of our teams and our organization. You will also see us strengthen our ladder series. Look for a completely new format for the Atlantic series in 2006.

"We hope to have the cable portion of our 2005 TV package finalized in about two weeks. In addition to the USA we will have a comprehensive international TV coverage. Besides the Eurosport deal in Europe, which is huge, we will have TV deals in Canada, Mexico, Latin America and of course Asia," smiled Kalkhoven.

On the subject of new race venues, there have been rumors about possible races in Argentina, Brazil, China, the Czech Republic and even LeMans. How real are any of these?

"Literally as we speak a bill is on the floor of Argentina's assembly," said Kalkhoven. "That deal is the closest to happening. We are also looking at Brazil and another venue in Asia, but I prefer not to be more specific at this time."

All indications were that Ford was going to re-up with Champ Car, and possibly take a more active role, but things have gone rather silent in recent weeks.

"I am very confident that Ford will continue the relationship and possibly increase their role with Champ Car. Ford has been great and the deal will be announced when it is ready," said Kalkhoven.

What about sponsorship for the series, is a title sponsor coming on board?

"We expect to make a number of new sponsor announcements in the coming months. Whether we have a title sponsor I can't say right now," said Kalkhoven.

The topic of Formula One came up. At one time Kalkhoven was going to start a F1 team and instead he became a Champ Car team owner, which led to the purchase of Champ Car. Kalkhoven was quick to point out that it's nearly impossible to be a privateer in F1 with the current structure. "The FIA is trying to change that because the costs are outrageous," said Kalkhoven. Manufacturers are spending hundreds of millions of dollars a year. You can run a two-car Champ Car team for $10 to $12 million per year and that makes a lot more sense."

So what's Bernie really like we asked? "Bernie is the smartest manager in motor racing, period," said Kalkhoven. "We have been in touch and there are no barriers between Bernie and Champ Car. He has not hindered our efforts to expand globally at all."

With the Concorde Agreement stating a maximum of 16-races per year, does a 19-race (soon to be 20) F1 schedule surprise Kalkhoven? If they can do 19-races, how many can Champ Car eventually do?

"As you know, Champ Car did 19 in 2003, but that is very difficult, especially when you are globe hopping," said Kalkhoven. "There are a lot of people complaining in F1 about the schedule and I think eventually you will see the number of races reduced. I think that for now Bernie is simply trying to lock up as many venues as possible for long-term contracts to thwart the efforts of the GPWC."


"I am completely confident we will have at least 18 cars on the grid in '05 and possibly more"
Kevin Kalkhoven

Speaking of numbers, a number of existing teams have yet to announce sponsorship deals for 2005. Things are awfully quiet and people are starting to wonder. "I am completely confident we will have at least 18 cars on the grid in '05 and possibly more. We have been approached by a number of new team owners and we hope to have some announcements early in the new year."
Part of the hesitation has been whether Champ Car will have all new equipment in 2006 and whether it pays to buy the old stuff now. "There are plenty of Lolas and Reynards around, which are perfect for new team owners who want to gain experience in our series in year one and year two. We have decided to keep the existing package through the 2006 season. Look for an all-new car/engine combo in 2007," said Kalkhoven.
Kevin Kalkhoven and his partners are venture capitalists, as such they are always looking for a return on their investment. Did he buy Champ Car because he's a sportsman and wanted to preserve the series or is this strictly a business opportunity?
"I would not have bought Champ Car had it not had significant business opportunities. We are about to start year two of our five year plan. Would we sell out after that? No, the most successful business ventures are the ones you can ride for the longest time," stated Kalkhoven.
"I have turned around a number of companies in my career. There were only two times that I had any doubt whether we could be successful with Champ Car. Of course there was some doubt during the bankruptcy proceedings in January and then when Fernandez and Rahal announced their 11th hour departures we had to scramble. Yes, we still have some issues to work through, but once we got past those two major hurdles we became pretty confident."

Take out your crystal ball and tell us what you see for Champ Car in five years time.



"I believe Champ Car will be America's interpretation of Grand Prix racing showcasing American racing, i.e. more of a muscle car approach vs. the European finesse approach. That means no driver aids, a good combination of tracks, and maintaining a close level of racing with no one team completely dominating"
Kevin Kalkhoven

"I believe Champ Car will be America's interpretation of Grand Prix racing showcasing American racing, i.e. more of a muscle car approach vs. the European finesse approach. That means no driver aids, a good combination of tracks, and maintaining a close level of racing with no one team completely dominating.
"The key to our success is not engine manufacturer money but sponsor money. We have to have the product and geography that sponsors want. It has to be economically feasible for them. Manufacturers spending engine money is not the way to success. San Jose and Silicon Valley are very important to our sponsors as are markets in the Pacific Rim and North and South America that are not currently dominated by F1 and NASCAR."

NASCAR is sometimes described as a religion. With NASCAR getting stronger by the day, is the USA indeed a NASCAR-only nation?

"The USA market is a very important market for Champ Car and we will maintain a significant presence there," said Kalkhoven. "We will never gain the TV ratings NASCAR does, at least not short-term, but we can provide significant business opportunities for our sponsors in key markets and grow our TV ratings to respectable numbers. At the end of the day, for our sponsors who increasingly sell product worldwide, the cumulative TV ratings globally are more important than just the USA ratings, and far higher I might add."

In many respects a sport's popularity is directly proportional to the popularity of its athletes. NASCAR is a prime example. We hear the excuse that Champ Car simply does not have enough American drivers, that the young Americans are all going to NASCAR, hence Champ Car's popularity in the USA has waned. How do you respond to that?

"We must have a continuity of drivers. To do that we need to strengthen our series to the point where drivers want to be in Champ Car and our teams can pay them the salary they deserve," said Kalkhoven. "Right now drivers can earn the most money in F1 and NASCAR so naturally that is the first choice for many."

The question on many peoples minds is whether any new engine manufacturers have expressed a 'real' interest in joining Champ Car. "Yes," said Kalkhoven, "but I can't comment further at this time. I can tell you that we will have a maximum of two chassis suppliers when we roll out the new car, and possibly even one. And on the tire front, we have no plans to open the series up to a tire war. It creates excess speeds, requires more test days, results in tires that create marbles (single line racing) and increases costs. We will stay a single tire series for the foreseeable future."

NASCAR has 43-car grids, more than double Champ Car. From our perspective an 18-car grid is far short of what the series needs to develop a sizable following because each driver brings in new fans. "As far as what's the right number for Champ Car, I would like to see about 24 to 26," said Kalkhoven. "It's impractical to have 43 open wheel cars on a grid, the 26 number existed for many years."

Short-term Cosworth is the sole supplier of engines for Champ Car. What is Cosworth's role long-term with Champ Car, particularly if car manufacturers choose to enter the series?

"Cosworth has to stand on its own two feet. Champ Car must turn a profit and provide entertainment. We would not exclude any manufacturer for the benefit of Cosworth, so yes, in the right situation we will allow multiple manufacturers to compete, but whatever we do we will not allow engine costs to dictate our series," said Kalkhoven

Some people are highly critical that Champ Car is becoming an urban street circuit series and lament over the fact that Champ Car is throwing its heritage right out the door with the dropping of each natural terrain road course. What will it take to get the Road Americas of the world back on the schedule?

"Promotion," snaps Kalkhoven. "It's very simple. Promoters who are active with their promotion will be successful. Motor racing exists because of sponsors and fans. In markets where our promoters really promote we have sponsors and fans."

Speaking of natural terrain road courses, Mexico has one of the best. Champ Car's popularity in Mexico is a direct result of their biggest name drivers being in the series. With Fernandez gone, Dominguez talking about F1 and Jourdain talking to NASCAR, Champ Car must protect their interests in Mexico.

"A lot of people are talking. We will wait and see who will be on the grid come Long Beach. We are confident. I am paranoid about events in every single country we are in - Canada, the USA, Mexico, Australia, etc. It's important that we safeguard our best venues."

The Long Beach Champ Car contract expires after the 2005 event. Many in the IRL have told AutoRacing1.com that they will be in Long Beach in 2006. That appears to be the next big battle with Tony George. Could Champ Car indeed lose its signature event to its arch-rival and if so, can it survive the negative media that will result?



"We have already been approached to hold another street race in the LA area or Las Vegas on the same day if that were to happen (become an IRL race), and we will"
Kevin Kalkhoven

"There is a possibility that we could," said Kalkhoven, "but we have already been approached to hold another street race in the LA area or Las Vegas on the same day if that were to happen, and we will. I also believe that the Long Beach City Council is 100% behind us, and if there is a change they will not be behind the event and support will wane."
Besides San Jose, which was recently announced, are there other new USA markets that are on the horizon for Champ Car? "Absolutely, just wait and see," winked Kalkhoven.

What do you say to the many Champ Car fans out there who still worry about the future of the sport they love?

"I can understand their concern, I really do," stated Kalkhoven. A lot of people don't know me and my partners and the passion that we have for this. We are backing this 24 hours a day. With that said, I get a bunch of emails from around the world that indicates to me more and more people are believing in what we are doing. Just give us time my friend. Give us time."

The author can be contacted at [email protected]

SunDancer 12-20-2004 01:06 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheLionKing
With the holidays fast approaching and the off-season deal making at a fever pitch, we caught up with Champ Car co-owner Kevin Kalkhoven between buying holiday gifts, and working on his next deal, to talk about some of the key issues facing the sport today.
Now that the 2004 season is over are you satisfied with what you achieved given where Champ Car was back in January, i.e. bankruptcy?
"We are on or ahead of target, but am I completely satisfied? No, not completely," said Kalkhoven. "Television and officiating are areas I was not happy with and we are fixing them in 2005, and it will be even better in 2006. But considering where the series was on January 28th, I'd say we are doing remarkably well."

"Our top priorities for 2005 were having a better TV and production package, adding at least two more races to get the '05 schedule to 16, and building a more solid foundation for '06 and '07. That means a continuing development of the events we race at, and more evolution of our teams and our organization. You will also see us strengthen our ladder series. Look for a completely new format for the Atlantic series in 2006.

"We hope to have the cable portion of our 2005 TV package finalized in about two weeks. In addition to the USA we will have a comprehensive international TV coverage. Besides the Eurosport deal in Europe, which is huge, we will have TV deals in Canada, Mexico, Latin America and of course Asia," smiled Kalkhoven.

On the subject of new race venues, there have been rumors about possible races in Argentina, Brazil, China, the Czech Republic and even LeMans. How real are any of these?

"Literally as we speak a bill is on the floor of Argentina's assembly," said Kalkhoven. "That deal is the closest to happening. We are also looking at Brazil and another venue in Asia, but I prefer not to be more specific at this time."

All indications were that Ford was going to re-up with Champ Car, and possibly take a more active role, but things have gone rather silent in recent weeks.

"I am very confident that Ford will continue the relationship and possibly increase their role with Champ Car. Ford has been great and the deal will be announced when it is ready," said Kalkhoven.

What about sponsorship for the series, is a title sponsor coming on board?

"We expect to make a number of new sponsor announcements in the coming months. Whether we have a title sponsor I can't say right now," said Kalkhoven.

The topic of Formula One came up. At one time Kalkhoven was going to start a F1 team and instead he became a Champ Car team owner, which led to the purchase of Champ Car. Kalkhoven was quick to point out that it's nearly impossible to be a privateer in F1 with the current structure. "The FIA is trying to change that because the costs are outrageous," said Kalkhoven. Manufacturers are spending hundreds of millions of dollars a year. You can run a two-car Champ Car team for $10 to $12 million per year and that makes a lot more sense."

So what's Bernie really like we asked? "Bernie is the smartest manager in motor racing, period," said Kalkhoven. "We have been in touch and there are no barriers between Bernie and Champ Car. He has not hindered our efforts to expand globally at all."

With the Concorde Agreement stating a maximum of 16-races per year, does a 19-race (soon to be 20) F1 schedule surprise Kalkhoven? If they can do 19-races, how many can Champ Car eventually do?

"As you know, Champ Car did 19 in 2003, but that is very difficult, especially when you are globe hopping," said Kalkhoven. "There are a lot of people complaining in F1 about the schedule and I think eventually you will see the number of races reduced. I think that for now Bernie is simply trying to lock up as many venues as possible for long-term contracts to thwart the efforts of the GPWC."


"I am completely confident we will have at least 18 cars on the grid in '05 and possibly more"
Kevin Kalkhoven

Speaking of numbers, a number of existing teams have yet to announce sponsorship deals for 2005. Things are awfully quiet and people are starting to wonder. "I am completely confident we will have at least 18 cars on the grid in '05 and possibly more. We have been approached by a number of new team owners and we hope to have some announcements early in the new year."
Part of the hesitation has been whether Champ Car will have all new equipment in 2006 and whether it pays to buy the old stuff now. "There are plenty of Lolas and Reynards around, which are perfect for new team owners who want to gain experience in our series in year one and year two. We have decided to keep the existing package through the 2006 season. Look for an all-new car/engine combo in 2007," said Kalkhoven.
Kevin Kalkhoven and his partners are venture capitalists, as such they are always looking for a return on their investment. Did he buy Champ Car because he's a sportsman and wanted to preserve the series or is this strictly a business opportunity?
"I would not have bought Champ Car had it not had significant business opportunities. We are about to start year two of our five year plan. Would we sell out after that? No, the most successful business ventures are the ones you can ride for the longest time," stated Kalkhoven.
"I have turned around a number of companies in my career. There were only two times that I had any doubt whether we could be successful with Champ Car. Of course there was some doubt during the bankruptcy proceedings in January and then when Fernandez and Rahal announced their 11th hour departures we had to scramble. Yes, we still have some issues to work through, but once we got past those two major hurdles we became pretty confident."

Take out your crystal ball and tell us what you see for Champ Car in five years time.



"I believe Champ Car will be America's interpretation of Grand Prix racing showcasing American racing, i.e. more of a muscle car approach vs. the European finesse approach. That means no driver aids, a good combination of tracks, and maintaining a close level of racing with no one team completely dominating"
Kevin Kalkhoven

"I believe Champ Car will be America's interpretation of Grand Prix racing showcasing American racing, i.e. more of a muscle car approach vs. the European finesse approach. That means no driver aids, a good combination of tracks, and maintaining a close level of racing with no one team completely dominating.
"The key to our success is not engine manufacturer money but sponsor money. We have to have the product and geography that sponsors want. It has to be economically feasible for them. Manufacturers spending engine money is not the way to success. San Jose and Silicon Valley are very important to our sponsors as are markets in the Pacific Rim and North and South America that are not currently dominated by F1 and NASCAR."

NASCAR is sometimes described as a religion. With NASCAR getting stronger by the day, is the USA indeed a NASCAR-only nation?

"The USA market is a very important market for Champ Car and we will maintain a significant presence there," said Kalkhoven. "We will never gain the TV ratings NASCAR does, at least not short-term, but we can provide significant business opportunities for our sponsors in key markets and grow our TV ratings to respectable numbers. At the end of the day, for our sponsors who increasingly sell product worldwide, the cumulative TV ratings globally are more important than just the USA ratings, and far higher I might add."

In many respects a sport's popularity is directly proportional to the popularity of its athletes. NASCAR is a prime example. We hear the excuse that Champ Car simply does not have enough American drivers, that the young Americans are all going to NASCAR, hence Champ Car's popularity in the USA has waned. How do you respond to that?

"We must have a continuity of drivers. To do that we need to strengthen our series to the point where drivers want to be in Champ Car and our teams can pay them the salary they deserve," said Kalkhoven. "Right now drivers can earn the most money in F1 and NASCAR so naturally that is the first choice for many."

The question on many peoples minds is whether any new engine manufacturers have expressed a 'real' interest in joining Champ Car. "Yes," said Kalkhoven, "but I can't comment further at this time. I can tell you that we will have a maximum of two chassis suppliers when we roll out the new car, and possibly even one. And on the tire front, we have no plans to open the series up to a tire war. It creates excess speeds, requires more test days, results in tires that create marbles (single line racing) and increases costs. We will stay a single tire series for the foreseeable future."

NASCAR has 43-car grids, more than double Champ Car. From our perspective an 18-car grid is far short of what the series needs to develop a sizable following because each driver brings in new fans. "As far as what's the right number for Champ Car, I would like to see about 24 to 26," said Kalkhoven. "It's impractical to have 43 open wheel cars on a grid, the 26 number existed for many years."

Short-term Cosworth is the sole supplier of engines for Champ Car. What is Cosworth's role long-term with Champ Car, particularly if car manufacturers choose to enter the series?

"Cosworth has to stand on its own two feet. Champ Car must turn a profit and provide entertainment. We would not exclude any manufacturer for the benefit of Cosworth, so yes, in the right situation we will allow multiple manufacturers to compete, but whatever we do we will not allow engine costs to dictate our series," said Kalkhoven

Some people are highly critical that Champ Car is becoming an urban street circuit series and lament over the fact that Champ Car is throwing its heritage right out the door with the dropping of each natural terrain road course. What will it take to get the Road Americas of the world back on the schedule?

"Promotion," snaps Kalkhoven. "It's very simple. Promoters who are active with their promotion will be successful. Motor racing exists because of sponsors and fans. In markets where our promoters really promote we have sponsors and fans."

Speaking of natural terrain road courses, Mexico has one of the best. Champ Car's popularity in Mexico is a direct result of their biggest name drivers being in the series. With Fernandez gone, Dominguez talking about F1 and Jourdain talking to NASCAR, Champ Car must protect their interests in Mexico.

"A lot of people are talking. We will wait and see who will be on the grid come Long Beach. We are confident. I am paranoid about events in every single country we are in - Canada, the USA, Mexico, Australia, etc. It's important that we safeguard our best venues."

The Long Beach Champ Car contract expires after the 2005 event. Many in the IRL have told AutoRacing1.com that they will be in Long Beach in 2006. That appears to be the next big battle with Tony George. Could Champ Car indeed lose its signature event to its arch-rival and if so, can it survive the negative media that will result?



"We have already been approached to hold another street race in the LA area or Las Vegas on the same day if that were to happen (become an IRL race), and we will"
Kevin Kalkhoven

"There is a possibility that we could," said Kalkhoven, "but we have already been approached to hold another street race in the LA area or Las Vegas on the same day if that were to happen, and we will. I also believe that the Long Beach City Council is 100% behind us, and if there is a change they will not be behind the event and support will wane."
Besides San Jose, which was recently announced, are there other new USA markets that are on the horizon for Champ Car? "Absolutely, just wait and see," winked Kalkhoven.

What do you say to the many Champ Car fans out there who still worry about the future of the sport they love?

"I can understand their concern, I really do," stated Kalkhoven. A lot of people don't know me and my partners and the passion that we have for this. We are backing this 24 hours a day. With that said, I get a bunch of emails from around the world that indicates to me more and more people are believing in what we are doing. Just give us time my friend. Give us time."

The author can be contacted at [email protected]



Nice..Seems that he's not too concern about Long Beach. What are your thoughs about the article?

TLK 12-21-2004 11:32 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SunDancer
Nice..Seems that he's not too concern about Long Beach. What are your thoughs about the article?


I like a lot of what was said, but will be happier when I actually see some of it coming to fruition. I'll put together a longer response when I have some more time.

TLK 12-21-2004 11:32 AM

From SpeedTV.com:

Car-Count Blues
Written by: Cassio Cortes
Irvine, Calif. – 12/21/2004

Dwindling fields are no novelty in American motorsport, especially whereas open-wheel racing is concerned. These days, having a “2” ahead of your car-count figure means reasons to celebrate, a celebration that so far, heading into the holidays, is still on hold.

In the open-wheel civil war, car-count measures have usually favored the Indy Racing League in the past few years, albeit under insinuations from the Champ Car field that the IRL itself might be partially funding some entries. Whether that ever was true or not, it certainly doesn’t seem to be happening now.

Tony George’s league is scheduled to kick off at Homestead on March 6th - not much more than two months from now. And yet currently the IRL can count on about 18 IndyCars to line up for that Miami grid, a number its loyalists could mock as “Champ Car territory.”

So far, newly appointed IRL President Brian Barnhart relies on the return of the four Andretti Green cars, with defending champion and runner-up Tony Kanaan and Dan Wheldon being again joined by Dario Franchitti and Bryan Herta with Honda power, the same engine that will propel Rahal-Letterman’s expanded three-car assault, led by Indy 500 winner Buddy Rice, newcomer Danica Patrick and Brazilian Vitor Meira.

The Honda field will be further strengthened by rookie-of-the-year Kosuke Matsuura on Adrian Fernandez’s team - and that’s where things begin to get iffy. In spite of his multiple-winning season, Fernandez has lost his longtime backers Tecate and Telmex, which accounted for over 80 percent of his budget.

The Mexican is still fighting to continue as the IRL’s only owner/driver, but as of now, things look like he’ll be forced to sticking to ownership roles - “My priority is to do what is best for the team,” he stated, hinting that subsidizing his own driving career in 2005 is not among his plans. The downturn of the Mexican economy also hurts Fernandez’s perspectives.

At least his operation hasn’t gone to the great scrapyard in the sky, in the way Tom Kelley’s has. The misfortune of ones may be the joy of others, as the death of Kelley Racing put free agent Scott Sharp in the market with Delphi backing, and the 1996 series co-champion may land on Fernandez’s squad, which would then be able to retain its two-car status. The buyers of Kelley Racing’s assets, a consortium known as Playa del Racing, have been silent enough to suggest the new squad has drowned before reaching dry land.

Jumping over the fence to the Toyota side, Roger Penske and Chip Ganassi will bring back its Castroneves/Hornish and Dixon/Manning duos respectively. Chip has tested Toyota protégé Ryan Briscoe, and although the possibilities of a stateside move by the Australian seem high, no ink has been laid down yet. Toyota’s major addition is Eddie Cheever’s Red Bull-backed two-car team, where Patrick Carpentier is the only confirmed driver. Alex Barron’s chances to remain with the team are high, but Red Bull favorite Scott Speed has also tested and could either land the second RBCR seat or run a partial schedule, with Cheever adding a third car at selected events - perhaps restricted to Speed’s forte, road courses.

There’s no doubt Chevrolet’s withdrawal from the series is the main reason the IRL car count is hurting. The General has committed to only its traditional Pennzoil-backed Panther Racing entry, again to be steered by Tomas Scheckter. There’s still a possibility Chevy will supply a second Panther car, a seat that, in case it does materialize, would be up for grabs between Ed Carpenter and German Andre Lotterer, who’ll test for the team next week. Both are likely to have to bring money to secure the ride, which can also still go for its ‘04 owner, Townsend Bell.

Are you still keeping count? That’s 16-18 confirmed cars, dedicated to focusing on 2005.

Those still fighting as 2004 dawns include sponsorless Mo Nunn Racing, A.J. Foyt Enterprises, Patrick Racing, Access Motorsports and Dreyer & Reinbold Racing.

Of those, the worst situation is by far Patrick’s. The veteran owner’s Chevy-powered operation is essentially closed, and could only be rescued by, literally, a Christmas miracle.

D&R also suffered a major blow with Chevrolet’s exit, but Japanese-American Roger Yasukawa has substantial Honda backing that could land on the team, whose 2004 driver Felipe Giaffone is also still in the hunt to stay in the series, trying to garner sponsorship from Brazilian companies.

Greg Ray’s Access outfit sailed through stormy waters this season, and also needs a major sponsor cash infusion to stay afloat.

Mo Nunn’s relationship with Honda means his team’s survival possibilities are high, albeit the same cannot be said of his wife Kathryn’s Infiniti Pro Series operation.

Ditto for A.J. Foyt, whose pedigree name is a big asset to the league. Grandson A.J. Foyt IV will likely be back, but don’t expect Foyt to show up at the IRL’s newly added road courses - streets of St. Petesburg, Infineon/Sears Point and Watkins Glen.

Still, IRL president Brian Barnhart remains optimistic: “If you put down 18 or 19 that are pretty firm and the ones that are trying to finalize things, you could go as high as 23 or 24 cars," he told the Indy Star. "Usually it ends up being halfway in that range, and 21 or 22 seems to be consistent with where we've been the past couple of years."

Consistency with the past couple of years is what Champ Car is shaping up to achieve, albeit in the case of the Kevin Kalkhoven/Gerry Forsythe/Paul Gentilozzi-owned league, that is not a good thing.

Even boosted by Kalkhoven and Forsythe’s Cosworth acquisition in the off-season, 14 seems to be the most reasonable number of assured 2005 cars so far, with six or so still in the frame to come to a best-case scenario of circa 20 rides. Ford’s monopoly may spare Champ Car teams from engine woes, but still, the only officially confirmed lineups for 2005 are RuSPORT’s Justin Wilson/A.J. Allmendinger pairing, Alex Tagliani coming back with Rocketsports, and Jimmy Vasser making what could be his last driving year at PKV Racing.

Newman/Haas has Sebastien Bourdais and Bruno Junqueira under contract, and wants to run 2002 champion Cristiano Da Matta “if sponsorship is found” (a phrase often heard from team owners' mouths these days). Whether Da Matta’s addition would mean a three-car effort from Paul Newman and Carl Haas or a threat to Junqueira’s seat remains unclear. The only certainty is Bourdais’ return to defend the Vanderbilt Cup.

2003 champions Forsythe ran three cars this season, but with Carpentier already canned, sure things are Rodolfo Lavin’s Corona-backed continuity and another year for Champ Car’s biggest star, Paul Tracy. Gerry Forsythe has tested several drivers in the off-season (including Toyota Atlantic standouts Andrew Ranger and Alex Figge), and maintains he could run “as much as four cars” in 2005, but that appears unlikely at the moment.

PKV’s biggest hiring so far has been new team director Jim McGee, an indication that Kalkhoven seems through with his team’s also-ran status. The second PKV seat will be filled purely on merit, and the squad has tested two-time Atlantics runner-up Ryan Dalziel and 2003 F3000 champ Bjorn Wirdheim. One of the two should get the nod, with Dalziel perhaps holding a slight edge over the Swede. That leaves Roberto Gonzalez and his Nextel Mexico sponsorship in the market, and where could the Mexican land is anybody’s guess.

Dale Coyne, Walker Racing and Conquest Racing are all in need of dough, and thus are strong possibilities for Gonzalez. Coyne will run one car for Gaston Mazzacane with sponsorship from Argentina, and has also staged several tests for his second seat, which could still be held by Oriol Servia, the man who brought a podium for the team after eight years.

Conquest will carry Nelson Philippe for another year, while Walker still doesn’t have anything confirmed. 2004 driver Mario Haberfeld, former Atlantics runner-up Michael Valiante and Dutch DTM driver Christijan Albers all have an eye on Walker’s operation, which could make a quantum leap up the grid next year “if sponsorship is found” for a pair of Lola chassis.

Herdez Competition is history with the Mexican company’s decision to withdraw from the sport. Keith Wiggins’ outfit will be known as HVM, and is expected to run Mario Dominguez next year. A second car is still possible, with RuSPORT exile Michel Jourdain being the frontrunner for it, even sans his Gigante sponsorship.

Former Herdez driver Ryan Hunter-Reay was the only American to win this season, and is seen by the Champ Car honchos as an asset for the series. In case he is indeed forced out of HVM, the second seat at Rocketsports could be his ultimate destination.

In all, putting up the IRL’s 18 alongside Champ Car’s 14 cars, and the grand total of 32 isn’t enough to fill a single Indianapolis 500 field. Champ Car and IRL officials surely would like to blame “the economy, stupid,” but with economical indicators on the rise, that no longer may be the case.

New technical packages are on the horizon for both series in a couple of years’ time. The clock is ticking for a final opportunity to strengthen open-wheel racing in North America.

TLK 12-21-2004 11:34 AM

Kalkhoven & Forsythe Buy Pi Group

Written by: Cassio Cortes London, UK – 12/20/2004


Kalkhoven continues to extend his domains in the racing world (LAT Photo)




In an expected follow-up to their purchase of engine specialists Cosworth, Champ Car majority co-owners Kevin Kalkhoven and Gerry Forsythe have agreed to buy electronics arm Pi Group from Ford.

As part of Ford's decision to withdraw from Formula 1 at the end of the season, Pi Group was put up for sale alongside Cosworth and the Jaguar Racing team.

“This was a logical step for us following our recent acquisition of Cosworth. Electronics are increasingly important in motorsport and in the automotive industry. Pi Group will play an important part in our business plans going forward," stated Kalkhoven.

Pi Group has operations in the U.K. and stateside, where its base are located in Indianapolis, Detroit and Charlotte.

TLK 12-22-2004 12:14 AM


Sebastien Bourdais collected seven wins and eight poles (in four fewer events) chasing the first drivers’ title under the Champ Car banner. (Photo by LAT Photographic)


2004 Racing Wrap: Champ Car World Series

Promising Signs: For Champ Car, the future looks like a future

J.P. VETTRAINO
Published Date: 12/20/04
A year can make a big difference... or not much difference at all.

In 2003 Paul Tracy ended one era with an emphatic championship run, and fans and participants had fair reason to believe this series could not survive another season. This year Sebastien Bourdais just as forcefully launched a new era. Doubts about the short-term survivability of the road show previously known as CART, however, should finally be buried.

Tracy won seven races and six poles en route to the last CART championship; Bourdais collected seven wins and eight poles (in four fewer events) chasing the first drivers’ title under the Champ Car banner. Whether or not more changed in 2004 than stayed the same, a 25-year-old Frenchman born in the infield at Le Mans was clearly the class of the reformed Champ Car World Series.

Bourdais was a relative unknown when he came to America in 2003, hired by Newman-Haas Racing on the strength of his 2002 FIA F3000 championship and an impressive preseason test at Sebring. He won three races as a CART rookie and four more in the first seven races this season. He did so in the calculated, precise, deceptively fast style of such legends as Jackie Stewart and Alain Prost. Bourdais was at his best leading a race, metering his pace and never going faster than he had to.

Yet a different Bourdais appeared for the next seven races. This one pushed when he might have cruised, to the point of creating some of his own bad luck. Occasionally he had no choice but to push. In Denver Bourdais produced the most stirring drive of 2004, passing every car on the track after he fell from pole position to last during first-corner contact. His thoughts after the season finale in Mexico City, where he trounced the field when a top-10 finish would have clinched the champion­ship, might have defined the real “SeaBass.” The thinking man’s driver is a charger at heart.

“I knew that if I could get through [the first corner] without crashing, I could take it as easy as I wanted to,” Bourdais said. “But then it became a question of honor. I’m a racer, and I’m supposed to win races.”

Bruno Junqueira, Bourdais’ Newman-Haas teammate, finished second in the drivers’ standings for the third straight season. The bridesmaid won two races to Bourdais’ seven, and stayed in it to the finish, thanks to a new points system that rewards consistency as much as wins. Junqueira nonetheless avoided the late-season meltdown he experienced in 2003. He seemed more comfortable with himself and got stronger late in the year, managing what was arguably the best race of his career at the penultimate event in Australia. Newman-Haas hopes to add a third car next season, and with the return of 2002 champ Cristiano da Matta likely, the prospect of a Newman-Haas World Series title looms large in 2005.

Third in the 2004 standings, perhaps surprisingly, was Tracy’s Forsythe Racing teammate Patrick Carpentier. Carpentier had his best season yet, punctuated by a dominant Laguna Seca win, his second in two years. He will not have a third in a row: Surely troubled by the belief he played second fiddle to Tracy, Carpentier is IRL-bound to drive for Eddie Cheever. The French Canadian’s switch could do more to broaden that series’ appeal than did the arrival of Penske Racing or Ganassi or any of several teams.

Tracy won in Long Beach and Vancouver, and at times was the only driver fast enough to hang with Bourdais. But against two wins he had three DNFs, and three more finishes of 10th or lower. His 2004 season more closely resembled his first 13 years than his championship run in 2003, and he seemed to see the writing on the wall just past the halfway point in the season. “Right now everything [Bourdais] touches turns to gold,” Tracy said. “I had some of that last year, so maybe it’s his turn.”

There were six different race winners. Ryan Hunter-Reay was so much better than everyone else at Milwaukee that you’d be forgiven if you suspected his team of cheating. It didn’t, or at least it didn’t get caught. At Road America Alex Tagliani ended four long-suffering years with his first win, but his Rocket-sports team seemed to backslide a bit in its second season.

A.J. Allmendinger, a 21-year-old California boy with a good attitude and finely tuned backside, won rookie-of-the-year honors with the startup RuSport team. RuSport has signed Champ Car’s other hot new commodity, Justin Wilson, for 2005. This well-crafted operation could regularly challenge the Forsythes and Newman-Haas Racings of the Champ Car world in only its second season.

Champ Car’s transition has proven a boon for containing costs, and it hasn’t hurt the show. The remaining Reynard chassis were hopelessly outclassed by the Lolas and will be gone next season. Cosworth is now owned by two of the series’ co-owners, Gerald Forsythe and Kevin Kalkhoven, ensuring an engine supply indefinitely. Bridgestone returns as tire supplier and marketing partner, and Ford is expected to return as a sponsor.

There were at least 18 largely self-sustaining entries from the first race through the last. Few beyond Champ Car’s new owners considered that a realistic possibility in January 2004. With a few exceptions, race attendance was impressive. On one hand, the 2004 schedule had one-third fewer races than CART at its peak, and ovals were a token rather than a crucial part of the champion­ship. On the other, there will be at least two new races in major international markets in 2005 (Edmonton and Korea), and all of the best draws (including Mexico and Canada) over the last several years are back on the schedule.

Television ratings fell below abysmal, but hardly more abysmal than the IRL’s, even with the Indianapolis 500 factored in. Plus: It’s expected roughly half the Champ Car schedule will be on broadcast networks next year. Minus: Big improvements will be measured in fractions of Nielsen points, and a month after the 2004 season ended, there was still no confirmed TV package for 2005.

Bottom line: Anyone still entertaining thoughts that CART-turned-Champ Car is a temporary phenomenon should have his head examined. The owners are committed to the series, and they have the resources to back it up. For better or worse, the open-wheel scene in North America remains a two-horse show for at least the next two seasons, and probably beyond.

Fortunes can change quickly in racing. Whether he thinks, charges, shines or stumbles from here forward, Sebastien Bourdais will be remembered for a truly impressive season that kept the Champ Car World Series in business.

TLK 12-22-2004 12:17 AM

from a fuckin' Indy paper..... This could be love....

Quote:

Champ Car survival tops race year
GM pulls out of the IRL; NASCAR pulls off nail-biter

Ron Fellows does it again; Fergus woman sets record




NORRIS MCDONALD

To: Norris McDonald


From: The Boss


Subject: Track Talk column


I know you told your readers — all 15 or 20 of them — that you intended to write your Christmas gift column and then finish off the year by writing up an exclusive interview you had with Ferrari engineer/strategist Luca Baldissierri.


You intimated that you then planned to take a sabbatical until the end of January, when you would preview the February Speed Weeks in Daytona.


I'm sorry you didn't clear this with me before shooting off your mouth because I have work for you to do.


I want you to write a review of the 2004 racing season. That's for this week. Then I want you to write the best thing and the worst thing that happened to you in racing in 2004 and we'll put that in the paper Christmas Eve. You can finish off the year — Dec. 31 — with a preview of the 2005 racing season.


I'm not finished.


I want you to interview Janet Guthrie, the first woman to make the field for the Indianapolis 500, who has written a book that will be published early in the new year. Then you can submit your interview with Baldissierri because, by then, it will be 2005 and people will actually be getting revved up for Formula One racing again.


So, get cracking. I might give you a week or two off in late January.


Maybe.




Okay, boss. I won't argue because, after all, you are the boss.


The big story of 2004 was the survival of the Champ Car World Series.


Given up for dead by just about everybody except the most zealous of fans, Champ Car (née CART) was rescued by two guys with really deep pockets and a third who doesn't have as much money but oozes charm. The three — Kevin Kalkhoven, Gerald Forsythe and Paul Gentilozzi — fought off IRL founder Tony George last January and convinced an Indianapolis bankruptcy court judge to let them have one more kick at the can.


Gentilozzi was spokesperson for the Three Amigos (as they came to be known by the faithful). He said they knew why CART had failed and vowed they would not make the same mistakes. He told anyone who would listen that they had a business plan and would stick to it. He promised a television contract, swore they would open the season at Long Beach, Calif., with 18 cars (the contractual minimum) and declared that the season would be a success.


Those three guys pulled it off. But boy, it was close at times.


Just before the season started, long-time CART runners and team owners Adrián Fernández and Bobby Rahal defected to the IRL. Columnists (including me) counted noses, determined there was no way 18 cars would show up at Long Beach and called for the white towel to be waved. And Spike TV? Who were these guys kidding?


Spike TV aside, everything else they promised happened. And it was an exciting season of racing, too. Newman-Haas teammates Sébastien Bourdais and Bruno Junqueira had a great fight for the championship with Bourdais finally winning it. Canadians Patrick Carpentier and Paul Tracy finished third and fourth in the standings. Rookies A.J. Allmendinger and Justin Wilson turned heads.


The season ended on an incredibly high note. Kalkhoven and Forsythe purchased Ford-Cosworth, thus guaranteeing a supply of engines. Although Vancouver was dropped from the schedule, Edmonton became a member of the Champ Car family. And time-buys on CBS and NBC for next year guarantee U.S. network television exposure once again for important races like Long Beach, Milwaukee and the Molson Indy Toronto.


On the other side of the Indycar coin, Buddy Rice won the Indianapolis 500 and Tony Kanaan won the IRL championship, but the season was soured by General Motors, which not only announced it was ending its involvement in the league at the end of 2005 but also took some pretty good shots at it.


"Costs have gone up and TV ratings and attendance have been flat or down. The investment did not meet our business objectives any more,'' a GM official said.


That took a lot of chutzpah on the part of GM, which once upon a time was only too happy to provide the league with "Oldsmobile" spec engines.


I remember standing in pit lane at the Walt Disney World Mickyard on the day of the first "real'' IRL race in January, 1996. When the command, "Gentlemen, start your engines!'' was given, all the Oldsmobile division executives riding in the parade cars started to howl with laughter.


I couldn't figure out what they were laughing about, until it dawned on me what exactly they'd pulled off:


General Motors, as of that instant, was a cinch to win the biggest race in the world, the Indy 500, as well as the Indycar championship (all on ABC, by the way) for the foreseeable future. And it would cost them diddly for research and development.


Who wouldn't giggle at the prospect of cleaning up for next-to-nothing? Which GM proceeded to do for the next six years.


But then Honda and Toyota arrived on the scene and GM promptly got its butt kicked. Things got so bad that GM had to make a deal with Ford for Cosworth to take over GM's IRL engine program (rebadged Chevrolet).


NASCAR, meantime, invented its Chase for the Championship. This pretty much split the NASCAR nation down the middle.


Either a lot of disgruntled fans changed their minds, or else NASCAR attracted a whole lot of new ones because of this innovation: The last race of the season, in which any of five drivers could have won the title, attracted the largest television audience ever to watch a car race on NBC.


Kurt Busch won over Jimmie Johnson. Jeff Gordon was third.


These three were separated in the final standings by 16 points.


Marco Werner and JJ Lehto, driving an Audi, won the American Le Mans Series P1 (prototype one) class. Canada's most successful international racing star, Ron Fellows, and his American teammate, Johnny O'Connell, were again the class of the GTS division in a Corvette.


And, finally, the universe unfolded as it should and Michael Schumacher, the world's greatest racing driver, won 13 of the 18 F1 races in 2004. In so doing, he won his seventh World Driving Championship — his fifth in a row.




Now, although the story is more than a year old, the accomplishment was only officially recognized a few weeks ago, so it must be included in the 2004 roundup.


Jeannie Reiman, 91, of Fergus, was entered into the Guinness Book of World Records this year by becoming the oldest female racing driver on the planet.


Jeannie, who was born in New Zealand but immigrated to Canada in 1985, raced a Canadian Vintage Modified, owned by her son-in-law, Arnold (Doc) Roper, in a 10-lap race at Sunset Speedway in Stroud, Ont., on Aug. 3, 2003, at the official age of 90 years, 106 days.


In her youth, she was a competitive runner and hurdler, a basketball and hockey player and a member of Auckland's first women's rowing team.


These days, she keeps in shape by exercising in her home gym. She's a member of the Roper pit crew during the summer and is in charge of tire pressures.


Oh, and she works a couple of 12-hour days every week, helping out at Doc's Oakville chiropractic clinic.


I wonder what Jeannie does in her spare time?


TLK 12-28-2004 12:26 AM

Quote:

A gift that could save open-wheel

Dec. 24, 2004 12:00 AM

Here are some gifts we'd like some people to find beneath their trees this holiday season:


• Some intervention from the scarecrow, tin man and lion for Indy Racing League founder Tony George and co-owners of the Champ Car World Series.

George and company need to huddle and fix the mess that encompasses open-wheel racing, which means they need to show they have enough brains, heart and courage to do it.

This isn't about being pro-IRL or pro-Champ Car. It's about repairing a sport that's been fractured since the 1996 birth of the IRL.

Television ratings stink, and attendance at some venues is woeful.

Two major open-wheel circuits simply cannot - repeat, cannot - co-exist and grow at a time when NASCAR is attracting many of its top drivers.

Since when does NASCAR have the market cornered on creativity? George and Champ Car owners have pit roads full of smart people working for them, and a more appealing setup certainly is within reach.

So do it.


• A Driver of the Year trophy for drag racer Greg Anderson.

Certainly, there's a lot of sentiment for NASCAR Nextel Cup champion Kurt Busch and runner-up Jimmie Johnson, who won a series-high eight races. And a valid argument could be made that the stock car drivers deserve the award.

But in our eyes, Anderson had the better season. He won 15 of 23 National Hot Rod Association Pro Stock races and also appeared in 19 final rounds.

What more does he have to do?


• Peace, for Julie Russell, whose late husband, Darrell, died in an NHRA Top Fuel crash last June.

A grim reminder of racing's dark side.


• An IRL contract for Arie Luyendyk Jr.

Luyendyk's father twice won the Indianapolis 500. Let's see if the younger Luyendyk has his father's tenacity.


• A Honda-powered Dallara for Formula One king Michael Schumacher.

We don't doubt Schuey just might be the best racer this side of the Rhineland. But wouldn't it be great to see the talented German-born driver go wheel to wheel with America's best at the Indy 500?

Come to think about it, wouldn't it be great to see Jeff Gordon, Tony Stewart and Ryan Newman duke it out in a combined field of NASCAR, F-1, IRL and Champ Car drivers?

'Tis the season to be dreaming.


• A zero-deductible collision insurance policy for Robby Gordon.

We like Gordon, we really do. He's aggressive, and he's talented. How many drivers can compete in NASCAR, the Indy 500 and the Baja 1000 all in the same season?

Gordon also led all drivers this season in number of accidents. Some weren't his fault, but many were.

We'll still take Gordon over middle-of-the-road drivers on any given Sunday.


• A new scoring format for NASCAR chief Brian France.

We didn't agree with this season's overhaul of the points system that included a 10-race Chase for the Nextel Cup championship. We still don't, even though it did prove exciting down the homestretch.

But NASCAR isn't about to return to the former format, so we think more points should be given to race winners. As it is now, a runner-up can accumulate as many as 180 points, just five fewer than the winner.

Not good.


• A replica Nextel Cup championship trophy for Jeff Gordon.

Under the format used from 1975 to 2003, Gordon would have won this year's title by 47 points over teammate Jimmie Johnson.

We don't believe Gordon will ever reach the seven titles won by Richard Petty and Dale Earnhardt. But another to go with four he's already won would have been nice for a driver who's had a lot to do with NASCAR's recent popularity surge.

.

TLK 01-05-2005 01:26 AM

damn... Jourdain is off to the Busch Series.... only makes sense since Busch will race in Mexico City next year, but this really sucks. Jourdain stuck with ChampCar when they were in dire straits, and now he couldn't find a decent paying ride.... ?

JonInMiddleGA 01-07-2005 07:54 AM

TLK beat me to it, but anyhow ...
http://sports.yahoo.com/nascar/news?...v=ap&type=lgns
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) -- Champ Car driver Michel Jourdain Jr. signed a deal Thursday with Ford Motorsports to switch to NASCAR and run the full Busch series schedule this season.

Jourdain plans to drive a Taurus for ppc Racing and will be the first Hispanic to race a full NASCAR Busch schedule.

``I'm very excited about this chance,'' Jourdain said. ``I've been wanting to come to NASCAR for a couple years now, and (Ford Racing director) Dan Davis worked very hard with me to find the right opportunity where I could have a chance to work and learn with a top team like ppc.''

The 28-year-old Jourdain spent nine years in top open-wheel competition, and finished 12th in the Champ Car World Series last season in a Ford-powered car for RuSport.

The son of well-known Mexican racer Michel Jourdain Sr., he became the youngest Champ Car driver at age 19 in 1996 and was the former CART series' Most Improved Driver in 1997.

In 152 career Champ Car starts, Jourdain had two wins, 25 top-10s and nine podiums. His best championship finish was third in 2003, when he raced for Team Rahal.

But Jourdain shifted to RuSport last season rather than go with Rahal to the IRL.

Ford, which has a history of working with its drivers to get them in the best rides possible, arranged for Jourdain to test with ppc Racing last October. The team plans to test him at Daytona International Speedway, but it's unclear if NASCAR will approve Jourdain to compete in the February season-opener there because of his lack of superspeedway experience.

He will, however, be eligible to race on many other tracks, including the Mexico City road course. The Busch cars compete there in March.

``This is something that has been in the works for a couple years, and we've been looking for an opportunity like this to give a deserving driver like Michel the chance to succeed in NASCAR,'' Davis said. ``The fact that we've been able to get this program together this year when the series is going to have its first race in Mexico just adds to the excitement.''

His new team fields cars in all three of NASCAR's premier divisions. John Andretti drives for ppc in the Nextel Cup series, Kenny Wallace in Busch and Terry Cook in Craftsman Truck.

TLK 01-13-2005 11:45 PM

Quote:

BRIDGESTONE PRESENTS THE CHAMP CAR WORLD SERIES POWERED BY FORD EVENTS RETURN TO SPEED CHANNEL FOR 2005 SEASON



INDIANAPOLIS (January 13, 2005) – The Champ Car World Series today finalized its 2005 television schedule, announcing a return to SPEED Channel for seven of the 14 Bridgestone Presents The Champ Car World Series Powered by Ford events, beginning with live coverage of the inaugural Grand Prix of Edmonton July 17.

SPEED Channel, which broadcast Champ Car races in 2002 and 2003, is the premier motorsports network in the United States reaching 68 million households across the nation. Seven of the year’s final eight Champ Car events will be shown on SPEED Channel, culminating with live coverage of the season-ending race at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez in Mexico City.

“Champ Car is pleased to renew our partnership with SPEED Channel in 2005 and we look forward to a long and prosperous relationship,” said Champ Car President Dick Eidswick. “The opportunity to get Champ Car racing on one of the leading motorsports networks in the world is a major step for our series and our fans. It is only fitting that the top open-wheel series in the country be featured on the best racing network in the United States.”

SPEED Channel will air four races live including the inaugural Grand Prix of San Jose July 31 and the Centrix Financial Grand Prix of Denver. As it did during the 2003 season, SPEED Channel will feature two-and-a-half hours of coverage from each event, allowing fans to see not only all of the high-speed action on track, but also some of the pre-race pageantry and the post-race reaction and excitement.

“SPEED Channel viewers will be thrilled to have Champ Car back on the network,” said SPEED Channel President Jim Liberatore. “The fans of American open-wheel racing are some of the most passionate in our audience and we look forward to serving them. This relationship further defines SPEED as the television home of motor sports and all things automotive.”

In addition, Champ Car has added another race to its network television package for 2005. NBC will broadcast the May 21 event in Monterrey, Mexico live from the temporary road circuit in Fundidora Park. The event will move to Saturday from its original Sunday date. The addition gives Champ Car a total of seven races on network television in 2005, with four events on CBS and three on NBC, including the season-opening Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach. Each of the first six races of the Champ Car season will be shown live on CBS or NBC, marking the first time since 1997 that Champ Car will open its year with six consecutive races on network television.

“CBS Sports is excited to be back televising the premiere open-wheel racing series in the United States.” said CBS Sports Senior Vice-President of Programming Rob Correa.

As announced previously, Champ Car fans in Europe will be treated to live coverage of every 2005 series event on Eurosport and the new Eurosport 2 network. Champ Car action will be available in 19 different languages through Eurosprt, reaching 98 million households and 240 million viewers across 54 nations.

SPEED Channel, entering its 10th season in 2005, is the nation's first and foremost cable network dedicated to motor sports and the passion for everything automotive. From racing to restoration, motorcycles to movies, SPEED Channel delivers quality programming from the track to the garage. Now available in more than 68 million homes in North America, SPEED Channel is among the fastest growing sports cable networks in the country. For more information, please visit SPEEDTV.com.

The Champ Car World Series features some of the greatest race car drivers in the world competing in the most diverse and exciting series in the world. Champions Sebastien Bourdais, Jimmy Vasser and Canadian Paul Tracy along with 2004 Roshfrans Rookie of the Year A. J. Allmendinger, Bruno Junqueira and Alex Tagliani are among the drivers who battle for the Vanderbilt Cup, which is awarded to the winner of the Bridgestone Presents The Champ Car World Series Powered by Ford. The title is contested on oval circuits, temporary street circuits and permanent road courses.
It could of been much worse, with the announcement coming this late. I can deal with three tape-delays, as two are oversea races and the other is a Saturday night deal....

SunDancer 01-13-2005 11:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheLionKing
It could of been much worse, with the announcement coming this late. I can deal with three tape-delays, as two are oversea races and the other is a Saturday night deal....


Yeah, but I don't know about the three networks. Could be a ratings killer?

TLK 01-13-2005 11:48 PM

Code:

Date  Venue    TV
Apr 10 Long Beach, California  NBC
May 21  Monterrey, Mexico  NBC
June 4  Milwaukee, Wisconsin  CBS
June 19 Portland, Oregon  CBS
June 26 Cleveland, Ohio  CBS
July 10 Toronto  CBS
July 17 Edmonton  SPEED
July 31 San Jose, California  SPEED
Aug. 14 Denver, Colorado  SPEED
Aug. 28 Montreal  NBC
Sept 24 Las Vegas, Nevada  SPEED *
Oct. 16 Ansan, Korea  SPEED *
Oct. 23 Surfers Paradise, Australia SPEED *
Nov. 6  Mexico City  SPEED

* - Events to be shown on a next-day tape-delay basis


TLK 01-13-2005 11:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SunDancer
Yeah, but I don't know about the three networks. Could be a ratings killer?


I might be wrong, but NASCAR used to spread over 4 or 5 networks before they made it. It needed to be done, and hopefully it all leads to a better 2006 contract. Seven network races is a big step from none the year before. This is just year two of a five year plan....

SunDancer 01-13-2005 11:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheLionKing
I might be wrong, but NASCAR used to spread over 4 or 5 networks before they made it. It needed to be done, and hopefully it all leads to a better 2006 contract. Seven network races is a big step from none the year before. This is just year two of a five year plan....


True...Do you think if the ratings are decent for the network telecasts, that they might try to get the SPEED races later in the year?

Axxon 01-14-2005 12:15 AM

You know, every time I see this thread bumped I think, "damn, how many times can they run this freakin race anyway?"

Just wanted to point out that it was a horrible thread title for what turned into a long term thread.

TLK 01-14-2005 12:19 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SunDancer
True...Do you think if the ratings are decent for the network telecasts, that they might try to get the SPEED races later in the year?


Seeing as ChampCar is buying time on CBS and NBC, I don't see that happening. I wouldn't put it out of relm of possibilities that CBS carries and pays for a good portion of ChampCar races in 06'.

The thing to watch for in 05' is the ratings for ChampCar vs. the IRL. Both have 7 network races, the difference being one of the IRL races is the 500. If you remove the 500, I think they will similar ratings, with ChampCar having the slight advantage....

JonInMiddleGA 01-14-2005 06:37 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheLionKing
I might be wrong, but NASCAR used to spread over 4 or 5 networks before they made it.


I recall ESPN, TNN, and TBS having NASCAR coverage at various times, along with CBS having a select few races. Not sure if more than 3 networks had races in a single season.

TLK 01-14-2005 11:50 AM

Looking at the 1999 schedule, NASCAR had races on CBS, TNN, ABC, ESPN, and TBS.

http://www.indymotorspeedway.com/nascar9.htm

JonInMiddleGA 01-14-2005 12:09 PM

How odd, I have no recollection of ABC ever having any NASCAR race. Hmm ... I think that may say more about their coverage than my memory ;)

TLK 01-18-2005 02:59 PM

The IROC Series will soon announce it's participants for the 2005 season. ChampCar will be represented for the first time in a while. A little more diversity than past years in regards to drivers, but I'd still like to see a road course thrown in again, or at least an oval infield....

Matt Kenseth - NASCAR Nextel Cup (2004 Crown Royal IROC champion)
Kurt Busch - NASCAR Nextel Cup (2004 Series champion)
Mark Martin - NASCAR Nextel Cup (4-time Crown Royal IROC champion)
Sebastien Bourdais - CHAMP CAR (2004 Series champion)
Bobby Hamilton NASCAR - Craftsman Truck (2004 Series champion)
Steve Kinser - World of Outlaws (2004 Series champion)
Max Papis - Grand American Road Racing (2004 Series co-champion)
Scott Pruett - Grand American Road Racing (2004 Series co-champion)
Martin Truex Jr. - NASCAR Busch Series (2004 Series champion)
Helio Castroneves - IRL IndyCar Series (2-time Indianapolis 500 champion)
Buddy Rice - IRL IndyCar Series (2004 Indianapolis 500 champion)
Danny Lasoski - World of Outlaws (2001 Series champion)

TLK 01-19-2005 10:28 PM

With all televison final, here is a complete schedule of open-wheel racing in 2005-

2005 Open Wheel Racing Combined Schedule

March 5 F1 - Australian Grand Prix - 9:30 PM SPEED
March 6 IRL - Homestead-Miami Speedway - 2:00 PM ESPN
March 19 F1 - Malaysia Grand Prix - 1:30 AM SPEED
March 19 IRL - Phoenix Int'l Raceway - 3:00 PM ABC
April 3 F1 - Grand Prix of Bahrain - 7:00 AM SPEED
April 3 IRL - Streets of St. Petersburg - 3:30 PM ESPN
April 10 CCWS - Long Beach, California - 4:00 PM NBC
April 24 F1 - San Marino Grand Prix - CBS**
April 30 IRL - Twin Ring Motegi - 12:00 PM ESPN*
May 8 F1 - Spanish Grand Prix - CBS**
May 21 CCWS - Monterrey, Mexico - 3:00 PM NBC
May 22 F1 - Monaco Grand Prix - 7:30 AM SPEED
May 29 IRL - Indianapolis Motor Speedway - 12:00 PM ABC
May 29 F1 - Grand Prix of Europe - CBS**
June 4 CCWS - Milwaukee, Wisconsin - 2:00 PM CBS
June 11 IRL - Texas Motor Speedway - 8:30 PM ESPN
June 12 F1 - Canadian Grand Prix - CBS**
June 19 F1 - U.S. Grand Prix - 1:30 PM SPEED
June 19 CCWS - Portland, Oregon - 4:00 PM CBS
June 25 IRL - Richmond Int'l Raceway - 7:30 PM ESPN2
June 26 CCWS - Cleveland, Ohio - 1:00 PM CBS
July 3 F1 - French Grand Prix - 7:30 AM SPEED
July 3 IRL - Kansas Speedway - 1:00 PM ESPN
July 10 F1 - British Grand Prix - 7:30 AM SPEED
July 10 CCWS - Toronto - 1:00 PM CBS
July 16 IRL - Nashville Superspeedway - 7:00 PM ESPN
July 17 CCWS - Edmonton - 3:00 PM SPEED
July 24 F1 - German Grand Prix - 7:30 AM SPEED
July 24 IRL - The Milwaukee Mile - 2:30 PM ESPN
July 31 F1 - Hungarian Grand Prix - 7:30 AM SPEED
July 31 IRL - Michigan Int'l Speedway - 3:00 PM ABC
July 31 CCWS - San Jose, California - 4:00 PM SPEED
Aug. 14 IRL - Kentucky Speedway - 3:30 PM ABC
Aug. 14 CCWS - Denver, Colorado - 3:00 PM SPEED
Aug. 21 F1 - Turkish Grand Prix - 7:30 AM SPEED
Aug. 21 IRL - Pikes Peak Int'l Raceway - 3:30 PM ABC
Aug. 28 IRL - Infineon Raceway - 3:30 PM ESPN
Aug. 28 CCWS - Montreal - 1:00 PM NBC
Sept. 4 F1 - Italian Grand Prix - 7:30 AM SPEED
Sept. 11 F1 - Grand Prix of Belgium - 7:30 AM SPEED
Sept. 11 IRL - Chicagoland Speedway - 1:30 PM ABC
Sept. 24 CCWS - Las Vegas, Nevada - SPEED*
Sept. 25 F1 - Brazilian Grand Prix - 12:30 PM SPEED
Sept. 25 IRL - Watkins Glen Int'l - 3:30 PM ABC
Oct. 8 F1 - Japanese Grand Prix - 1:00 AM SPEED
Oct. 15 F1 - Grand Prix of China - 1:30 AM SPEED
Oct. 16 IRL - California Speedway - 3:30 PM ESPN
Oct. 16 CCWS - Ansan, Korea - SPEED*
Oct. 23 CCWS - Surfers Paradise, Australia - SPEED*
Nov. 6 CCWS - Mexico City - 3:00 PM SPEED


SPEED TV's TAPE DELAY COVERAGE OF CBS BROADCASTS:
April 29 F1 - San Marino Grand Prix - 12:00 AM SPEED
May 13 F1 - Spanish Grand Prix - 12:00 AM SPEED
June 3 F1 - Grand Prix of Europe - 12:00 AM SPEED
June 17 F1 - Canadian Grand Prix - 12:00 AM SPEED

* - Events to be shown on a tape-delay basis, TV Times TBD
** - F1 CBS TV Times TBD

All times Eastern

Glengoyne 01-19-2005 10:40 PM


Quote:

Originally Posted by Dutch
The Indy 500 *is* Today!


NO IT ISN'T!!!

Now quit bumping this misleading Thread, or change the damn title!

TLK 01-19-2005 11:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Glengoyne

NO IT ISN'T!!!

Now quit bumping this misleading Thread, or change the damn title!

why cluster the board with more than one open-wheel thread?

:edit: shall we also rename the NBA Draft thread that is popular, since the draft was held in the past? :) :/edit:

Axxon 01-20-2005 12:40 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheLionKing
why cluster the board with more than one open-wheel thread?

:edit: shall we also rename the NBA Draft thread that is popular, since the draft was held in the past? :) :/edit:


Yes please.

TLK 01-20-2005 01:39 AM

Quote:

MARCO ANDRETTI EARNS TOYOTA ATLANTIC CHAMPIONSHIP TEST SESSION

INDIANAPOLIS (January 19, 2005) - The Andretti family has had a rich tradition of racing in the Toyota Atlantic Championship Presented by Yokohama and another generation will get an opportunity to show what he can do behind the wheel of a 240 HP Atlantic machine at the end of this month when Marco Andretti will test at California's Buttonwillow Raceway road course, January 26-27.

The 17-year-old son of 1991 Champ Car Champion Michael Andretti and grandson of legendary racer Mario Andretti earned the two-day Atlantic test session after capturing the 2004 Skip Barber National Championship Presented by RACER. The test is made possible through an agreement with the RuSPORT racing team and the Skip Barber Racing School, which was announced in 2003. RuSPORT joined the Toyota Atlantic Championship with a two-car program in '03 and won the series title that season with rookie A.J. Allmendinger. Showing its desire to help the continued development of top young open-wheel drivers, RuSPORT pledged to give a two-day test to the Skip Barber National champ through the 2005 season.

Both Allmendinger and RuSPORT moved up to the Champ Car World Series in 2004 and the Colorado-based team was able to continue its success as Allmendinger captured series Rookie of the Year honors. RuSPORT will work with the Sierra Sierra Enterprises team to host next week's test. Marco Andretti will pilot one of the Toyota-powered Swift 014.a Atlantic cars with Yokohama ADVAN Racing Slicks that the Sierra Sierra team guided to a second- and fourth-place finish in last season's championship with drivers Ryan Dalziel and Andrew Ranger, respectively.

"I'm really excited about the opportunity to drive a Toyota Atlantic car," said Marco Andretti. "This test is one of the great things that comes with being the 2004 Skip Barber National Champion and I'm really looking forward to learning about the car and working with the engineers. I want to thank Skip Barber, RuSPORT and the Sierra Sierra team and if everything my dad tells me is true about driving an Atlantic car, I'm going to have a lot of fun over the two days of the test."

Marco Andretti won't have to look far to get some advice on taming the Atlantic beast. Both his father and his uncle have experienced their share of success in the Toyota Atlantic series, beginning its 32nd year of competition in 2005. Michael Andretti captured the 1983 Atlantic crown while his younger brother Jeff Andretti finished sixth in the series in 1989.

"The year that I spent driving in the Atlantic series was honestly one of my most enjoyable seasons ever in racing," said Michael Andretti. "The competition package from the power to the driveability to the tires is tremendous in the Atlantic cars and we're really looking forward to Marco's test. It should be a real challenge for him at this stage of his career."

"We're certainly excited to have another generation of Andretti run in a Toyota Atlantic car," said Vicki O'Connor, Managing Director of the Toyota Atlantic Championship Presented by Yokohama. "We were fortunate enough to have both Michael and Jeff run with our series as they were developing their racing careers and Mario has always been a big supporter of the Toyota Atlantic Championship. We want to thank RuSPORT for continuing this important testing program with Skip Barber and we know Marco will be in good hands with the Sierra Sierra team. We wish him the best of luck."

RuSPORT compiled seven victories, nine poles and 12 podium finishes in its lone season of Atlantic competition. In its rookie Champ Car season in 2004, the team earned four podium results.

"RuSPORT is really pleased to continue being a part of this testing program with Skip Barber and the Toyota Atlantic Championship," said RuSPORT Team President Jeremy Dale. "These steps clearly helped A.J. and RuSPORT to develop and gain experience to compete at the highest level of motorsport in Champ Cars. I think Marco is going to have a great experience and do well in his Toyota Atlantic debut."

In addition to winning the 2004 Skip Barber National Championship, Marco Andretti won the 2003-2004 Skip Barber Southern Series title, captured the 2003 Skip Barber Eastern Series crown and won the 2002 Snap-On Stars of Karting National Championship. In 2005, Andretti will compete for the championship in the North American Star Mazda Series.

The Toyota Atlantic Championship Presented by Yokohama continues to be the premier open-wheel development series in North America. The championship is noted for its long history of graduating its stars into Champ Car competition and has helped produce past Champ Car champions Paul Tracy, Jimmy Vasser, Bobby Rahal, Danny Sullivan, Michael Andretti and Jacques Villeneuve.

http://www.toyotaatlantic.com/



Why isn't Michael pushing his son into that great IRL organization (where he owns 1/5 of the cars announced for testing)?

[


TLK 01-24-2005 03:27 AM

Quote:

CHAMP CAR WORLD SERIES SELECTS MOLSON SPORTS & ENTERTAINMENT TO PRODUCE TELEVISION BROADCASTS FOR 2005
Thursday, January 20, 2005

INDIANAPOLIS (January 21, 2005) – The Champ Car World Series will turn to one of the most experienced sports production companies in all of North America to produce the broadcasts of the Bridgestone Presents The Champ Car World Series Powered by Ford in 2005, naming Molson Sports & Entertainment Inc. to produce the television package for the 2005 Champ Car World Series season.
Molson Sports & Entertainment has produced the world feed for the Champ Car World Series events in Canada in recent seasons, providing the world with all of the turbocharged racing action from Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver.

“I’m delighted that Molson Sports & Entertainment and Champ Car have agreed to extend our motorsport partnership to include the broadcast of the series,” stated Jo Ann McArthur, President, Molson Sports & Entertainment Inc. “Our team will utilize years of live broadcast experience to bring the Champ Car television viewer closer to the racing action.”

Along with providing first-rate coverage of Champ Car action, Molson Sports & Entertainment live broadcasts have included National Hockey League season games, Stanley Cup Championship Series, World Championship Boxing, Major League Baseball, Triple A Baseball, National Lacrosse League, CFL Football, Arena Football, North American Soccer League, CPGA Golf, Men’s and Women’s Professional Tennis, Major Junior Hockey League, Offshore Powerboat Racing and Equestrian events.

“Our primary concern heading into the 2005 season was to find a way to improve the scope and quality of our television broadcasts,” said Champ Car President Dick Eidswick. “Our new agreement with Molson Sports & Entertainment will provide our fans around the world with first-class coverage of Champ Car racing at every event. Combining Molson Sports & Entertainment’s production with our new multi-year network deals with NBC and CBS, as well as live European coverage with Eurosport and Eurosport 2, we believe we are giving our fans one of the strongest television packages available.”
Molson Sports & Entertainment’s Champ Car program will be headed by Director of Broadcast Operations Claude Briere, who will work closely with Senior Manager of Broadcast Operations Jim Wilkes.

“We take great pride in being selected by Champ Car to produce the live broadcasts for the series,” said Briere. “We are confident in taking this challenge on based on our experience and expertise in live television coverage of major sporting events. Just like in racing, the key to success in live television is hard work and a dedicated team.”

The 2005 Champ Car World Series season gets underway April 10 with the 22nd running of the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach, an event that will be covered live on NBC.

Sounds good to me. The television last year was awful, so they can only go up.

TLK 01-24-2005 03:37 AM

Quote:

Farewell to Fernandez

Written by: Cassio Cortes Homestead, Fla. – 1/20/2005 Fernandez leaves on a high, having won three races last year (LAT Photo)




Adrian Fernandez’s absence behind the wheel at this week’s IndyCar testing at Homestead only confirmed what was already considered a given in the IRL paddock: the popular Mexican, a three-time winner last season, won’t be driving in the 2005 IndyCar championship on a regular basis. As originally reported by SPEED Channel's Robin Miller last month, Fernandez will give up his full-time seat at Fernandez Racing to Scott Sharp, who brings with him sponsorship from Delphi.

"I am proud of our accomplishments in our first season of IRL competition,” stated Fernandez. “Three wins and fifth in the championship showed the strength and maturity of the team we began four years ago. However, as we enter a new season, I am faced with the hard fact that I do not have the necessary budget to compete in 2005. Given our current situation with the start of the new season just over two months away and as necessary to keep the team intact and functioning at maximum levels, the team will focus its attention on Scott Sharp and Kosuke Matsuura.”

" I enjoyed one of the best seasons of my career in 2004,” continued the statement. “As a driver, I feel I have a lot left to offer. I am working hard to be able to race again as soon as possible."

Fernandez’s 2004 success wasn’t enough to change the minds of his longtime backers Tecate and Telmex, which had decided to withdraw from open-wheel racing by last season’s end. Besides his three IRL victories, the Mexican won eight times in 178 starts during a Champ Car career highlighted by his runner-up position in the 2000 championship, won by Gil de Ferran.


Karma is a bitch...

Axxon 01-24-2005 05:12 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheLionKing
Karma is a bitch...


Karma is apparently related to my boss then.

TLK 01-26-2005 03:28 AM

Seeds of change

Champ Car drivers get a chance to reap what Cosworth Racing and Ford Motor Co. have sown.



Sherri Koucky
Associate Editor


Paul Tracy stops for fuel and tires on his way to winning the Long Beach Grand Prix.

Cosworth engineer examines a CAD drawing of a CART engine.

Headers glow on the XF engine.




With the recent exodus of Toyota and Honda, the Champ Car World Series, under the Championship Auto Racing Teams Inc. (CART) organization, was ripe for change. Enter Ford Motor Co. and Cosworth Racing Inc. Ford and CART entered into a two-year relationship, renaming the Series "Bridgestone Presents the Champ Car World Series Powered by Ford." Cosworth Racing, a wholly owned subsidiary of Ford, is the sole supplier of engines for the Series, presenting a detuned version of the tried-and-true XF engine, now called the XFE.

The XFE engine is the fourth evolution of Cosworth's X Series Champ Car engines. The XFE is a 2.65-liter turbocharged V8 that provides 750 hp at 12,000 rpm and a maximum torque of 400 lb-ft. The top speed for Champ cars is over 230 mph.

To level the playing field and cut costs, teams now lease the same engines from CART. One team carries three engines and can have 13 rebuilds during the 19-race season for $1.3 million. Compare that to last year's lease, which cost teams $4 million, and included nine engines and 35 rebuilds. Evolution of X



Entering the scene in 2000, the XF is said to be the smallest, lightest, and highest-revving Champ Car engine, and is 2-in. shorter and 18% lighter than its predecessor. The 2003 XFE is the evolution of the XF. It contains several performance modifications to comply with new Champ Car rules regarding horsepower and engine life. According to Ian Bisco, vice president of Cosworth Racing, "Our XF engine ran 300 to 400 miles before a rebuild. Now we have tripled the life of the XFE and we're running it to 1,200 miles."

Two issues came up: lowering the usable power of the engine while maintaining efficiency and oil consumption. Basically, in the world of racing, high rpms equal more engine damage. "The biggest thing was to reduce the rpms from 16,000 to 12,000," says Bisco. Power range for the XF ranged from 11,000 to 16,000 rpm. Cosworth engineers brought the power band down to a range of 7,000 to 12,000 to get a 5,000-rpm spread that drivers could work with.

Pistons in the XF were extremely light with low friction to maintain high horsepower. For the XFE, engineers designed a stronger piston by increasing the weight using more of the same material in different areas. Also, another O-ring was added to ensure oil consumption didn't escalate over 400 miles. This adds more friction to the piston, but boosts durability. Other changes for strength and longevity include switching from titanium components in the valve train back to steel, although Cosworth won't get into specifics. The increased weight of the pistons meant that the crankshaft had to be balanced differently and weight added as well.

To get performance levels up, intake trumpet length increased from 1 to 3 in. Cam time and fuel-injection timing also were tweaked. But how to get the required horsepower? By increasing boost in the turbocharger. Over the past few years, as speeds rose, CART reduced the amount of boost from a whopping 45 psi down to 34, using pop-off valves. The valves are electronically monitored by sensors. The only way for teams to get power up was by increasing rpms, which was costly. "Part of the cost savings this year was our ability to reduce the rpms back to 12,000. But to bring the power back up again, we increased the boost," says Bisco. Currently, 41.5 psi blasts through the turbocharger, making 750 hp at 12,000 rpm.

The XFE carries a conventional commercial-type turbocharger that runs with bronze bearings with aluminum and iron housings. Previously, the XF ran an expensive, titanium and magnesium turbocharger with roller bearings. A ring of injectors around the outside of the turbo would spray alcohol into the inlet wheel before it was forced into the engine. "This was costly, and a service problem because the turbo was separate from the engine," says Bisco. "Also, it was a maintenance issue because the electronic injectors and wire harnesses wrapped around a very hot turbo. But in the days when you were looking for that last 2 or 5 hp, it was a necessary evil," he adds.

In the current turbo, Cosworth engineers reintroduced precompression injection (PCI) to the inlet runner and made it part of the engine. "The injectors now get serviced with the engine and there are no electrical wires around the hot turbo housing, which will help with maintenance," says Bisco. "The current turbo is $7,000 compared to $13,000," he adds. Garrett Corp., of Torrance, Calif., makes the turbo. Other modifications to the powerplant include changes to the fuel pump and materials in the engine. Fuel pumps had to increase flow to coincide with the higher turbo boost. The rpm reduction forced the mechanical fuel pump to turn more slowly. This necessitated increasing the size of the pump rotors, ensuring the same amount of fuel at lower rpms. Magnesium and carbon-fiber-engine components switched to aluminum for longevity. Dynamometer tests after 1,200 miles show the XFE with only an average 10-hp power loss. The powerplant weighs about 240 lb, or about the same as a conventional four-cylinder engine.

CART controversy

CART is considering changing its engine program from a V8 to V10 as early as 2005. However, Ford and Cosworth are pushing to keep the current program. According to Ian Bisco, vice president of Cosworth Racing Inc., an engine redesign would have to begin this July, complete with funding from manufacturers and major OEMs. "I think CART should concentrate on building the Series up a bit, and then more manufacturers will come on board," he says. Also, with a new engine comes a new chassis, new equipment, etc., all adding extra costs to teams. "Previously, manufacturers were working on the dynos every week to gain an advantage and, if you found a 5-hp advantage, the manufacturer would give that engine to his lead driver for the week," says Bisco. "That creates the haves and have nots. The drivers have been very vocal this year on how they like having the same engine because it's eliminated all that," he adds.




TLK 01-29-2005 03:00 PM

Christiano da Matta has signed to race for PKV Racing in ChampCar. I'm waiting for a press release, but the deal is done according to AutoRacing1.com .

TLK 02-03-2005 04:01 AM

Quote:


Quote:

CRISTIANO DA MATTA REJUVENATES PKV RACING
Wednesday, February 2, 2005
By Robin Miller It was mid-morning on the first day of February, still two months away from the season opener, but the atmosphere inside the PKV Racing shop in Indianapolis had a bit of a buzz. This veteran crew, not a group that impresses easily, had a collective smile on their face and a little bounce in their step.

They were invigorated because, with apologies to Robert Gonzalez, hope had replaced hopeless and now they were strapping a gunfighter into the cockpit instead of a guy who simply wore the holster.

Cristiano da Matta has yet to turn a lap but his mere presence had everyone at PKV salivating for the 2005 season to start.

"He was my first choice and he was Jimmy's (Vasser) first choice because he's perfect," said Jim McGee, the wise old team manager who brokered the deal to bring the 2002 CART champion to the third-year team owned by Dan Pettit, Kevin Kalkhoven and Vasser.

"The guy is a helluva driver who has no ego. He shows up at the track with his backpack and his bicycle and all he wants to do is go racing. And I think it's pretty obvious our guys are happy he's here."

But probably no more so than the little 125-pound dynamo known as Shorty. He left Champ Car for Formula One because it was his dream, he'd accomplished his goal in America and CART's future looked real shaky for 2003.

"I didn't go there because I thought the grass was greener it's just that there was uncertainty over here and I had an opportunity to drive Formula One," he explained. "Every race car driver wants to drive an F-1 car one of these days. I thought if I want to do that some day in my life, I think that is my opportunity and I cannot miss it.

"But never because I thought it was nicer over there or if it was better to race or more fun or whatever."

The Toyota F-1 car wasn't up to snuff and da Matta probably hurt himself by saying so halfway through 2004 but you could tell at last year's US Grand Prix here he wasn't enjoying the experience.

"Every single year I was in Champ Car I had fun but last year wasn't much fun," he admitted. "My rookie year with Toyota was OK because we ran better than people expected us to and driving the car was always fun.

"But nothing else about F-1 is fun and it was an easy decision to come back to Champ Car after two years in Europe. I feel like this is home."

Another appealing aspect of his return is the fact everybody drives Lolas with Cosworths -- there is no Ferrari.

"Naturally that is good for any driver because it's more up to you, your engineer and your team because everyone has the same equipment," said the man who replaced Michael Andretti at Newman/Haas in 2001.

"They don't let technology take over too much here and that's good. I'm sure my arms will be pretty sore the first couple of days without power steering but I'm looking forward to shifting again and I should be OK after a couple of tests."

Having Vasser as a teammate also makes da Matta happy.

"Jimmy and I have always been friends and he's obviously been a great teammate for guys through the years. I think we'll be good for each other, I'll push him and he'll push me, but it will be a friendly competition."

Even though Paul Newman did everything to try and bring da Matta back to Newman/Haas, it couldn't be worked out. Considering Sebastien Bourdais and Bruno Junqueira ran 1-2 last year and dominated much of the season, it's probably good for the balance of power that Shorty landed at PKV.

"There are four or five pretty strong teams but Newman/Haas probably has a little edge starting the season," reasoned da Matta, who scored 10 victories in his two years with Newman/Haas. "They will be tough but we have a lot of good people on this PKV team.

"It will be a little strange I suppose, not being in that Newman/Haas car, but now I will have to fight them like hell."

Which could be heaven for Champ Car fans.





TLK 02-08-2005 03:08 AM

IRL Founder Tony George to Provide Ride for Stepson, Ed Carpenter

Written by: Robin Miller Indianapolis, Ind. – 2/6/2005 Ed Carpenter, driver of the #52 Cheever Racing Chevy, talks with a crew member prior to the 2004 Indy 500 (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)




Ed Carpenter drove for Eddie Cheever last year during his rookie season in the IRL, crashed out of six races and didn't have his contract renewed for 2005. But Carpenter's new owner figures to be a little more understanding.

SpeedTV.com has learned that IRL founder Tony George is becoming an official car owner in the series he started 10 years ago. The Indianapolis Motor Speedway president purchased the cars and equipment from Tom Kelley so his step-son, Carpenter, will have a ride this season.

"Yes, we're in the process of getting everything finalized and I'm happy to have this deal done," said Kelley, who campaigned cars in the IRL since 1998 before closing the doors at the end of 2004.

"Tony is also going to run the team out of our shop in Indianapolis."

It's long been assumed that George has spent millions since 1996 helping keep IRL teams afloat with cars, engines, travel expenses, etc. and his mother, Mari Hulman George, gave Stephan Gregoire financial assistance in the IRL's infancy. But this would be the first official ownership stance, although it's believed the team could run under the banner of Hemelgarn or PDM Racing.

George, who couldn't be reached for comment, is expected to have Toyota power in the Dallara chassis for Carpenter and veteran Tim Wardrop has been hired to engineer the 23-year-old graduate of USAC midgets and sprints. Larry Curry, who worked with Tony Stewart in their 1997 IRL championship, is reportedly the team manager.

Carpenter, who had one Top 10 finish during 2004 (eighth at Kentucky) in his under-powered Chevrolet, is expected to be testing at Phoenix this week. He will be the lone, American, short-track, sprint-car driver in the series that was originally created to restore the USAC, World of Outlaw and grass roots dirt drivers to Indianapolis.

George's entry brings the number of full-time participants to 21 and the IRL season opens March 6 at Homestead, Fla.

TLK 02-08-2005 03:18 AM

Champ Car's Musical Chairs Dance On

Written by: Cassio Cortes Indianapolis, Ind. – 2/7/2005


Relegated by Williams, Pizzonia could have the backing for a third Newman/Haas seat (LAT Photo)




With Champ Car’s season kickoff still a good two months and change away, the series’ silly season wages on well into 2005, a time when most other championships are making the final tweaks to their lineups - similarly-sized F1 and IRL grids are close to completion, for instance.

The CCWS’s lateness is not necessarily a bad thing, though, as silly season’s wildly speculative nature is a fan favorite for the majority of Champ Car’s followers (and a fun they deserve to have, after enduring two previous year’s in which the silliest rumor regarded their favorite’s series own extinction).

Let’s recap how the 2005 Champ Car grid is shaping up so far, then:

NEWMAN/HAAS:

Reigning champion and runner-up Sebastien Bourdais and Bruno Junqueira are confirmed, with McDonald’s and PacifiCare backing respectively. With the possibilities of a Williams race drive virtually over for him, word from Brazil is that Antonio Pizzonia could bring the backing to materialize N/H’s third seat, initially tipped for Cristiano da Matta. Though only speculation at this point, Brazilian oil giant and Williams backer Petrobras did come close to a Champ Car program with Emerson Fittipaldi’s now-defunct team. Pizzonia’s manager Jayme Brito is believed to have held talks with Carl Haas last week.


FORSYTHE:

Although still sponsorless (last year’s backer, Indeck Energy, belongs to team owner Gerry Forsythe) 2003 champion Paul Tracy is a certainty - the only one - in Forsythe’s camp. Previously a shoe-in to remain with the squad, Rodolfo Lavin may find his situation complicating in case the rumors he may lose his Corona beer backing materialize.
Toyota Atlantic racewinner Alex Figge has tested with Forsythe and Conquest (LAT Photo)




The team has tested a bunch of drivers, from Toyota Atlantic standouts Andrew Ranger and Alex Figge to Czech Jarek Janis, and Gerry Forsythe has stated he could run “as many as four cars” this season. Ryan Hunter-Reay has a commitment from “The Three Amigos” that he will have a 2005 Champ Car seat, which could be at Chez Gerry. Last but not least, Mathias Lauda, the son of three-time F1 World Champion Niki Lauda, has held talks with the squad and would bring a pedigree last name to the series.

In any event, as a stalwart of the “new” Champ Car, don’t expect Forsythe to run less than two cars.


RuSPORT:

The first squad to confirm its 2005 lineup, Carl Russo’s operation figures to mount a title charge this season on the back of 2004 Rookie-of-the-Year A.J. Allmendinger and rated new hiring Justin Wilson.


PKV RACING:

The confirmation of 2002 champion Cristiano da Matta last week means that Kevin Kalkhoven’s outfit is set for a quantum leap with two former champions - co-owner and 1996 Champ Car titlist Jimmy Vasser will continue to steer his traditional #12 car - and the winningest general manager in the sport’s history, Jim McGee.

Midland's Jordan acquisition has prompted Timo Glock to consider a stateside move - he tested with Rocketsports this weekend (LAT Photo)




ROCKETSPORTS:

Paul Gentilozzi’s team will run two cars. Alex Tagliani has a three-year contract with the squad and will remain in the Johnson Controls-backed machine. The second seat is all up for grabs, the latest frontrunner for the ride being Jordan F1 refugee Timo Glock, who tested with the squad at Sebring last weekend. Ryan Hunter-Reay’s promised ride could also come from Gentilozzi’s operation.


HVM:

Keith Wiggins’s team was rumored to lose Mario Dominguez for the new Midland F1 squad, but Jordan’s announcement of Narain Karthikeyan and former Champ Car driver Tiago Monteiro quelled such speculations - although Dominguez may still test for Jordan this year. The team is trying to finalize sponsorship to remain a two-car operation, with a Mexican with a bagfull of pesos being preferred. Roberto Gonzalez is a good bet if he manages to retain his Nextel Mexico support, with countryman David Martinez also in the frame.


CONQUEST:
With no Aussie drivers in the frame, New Zealander Matt Halliday is the next-best thing to boost interest in Champ Car's Australian round (LAT Photo)




18-year-old Nelson Philippe will return for a sophomore season. The team continues to scramble for a well-funded driver to take over its second car, having tested Alex Figge, New Zealander Matt Halliday and Frenchman Bruce Jouanny at Sebring this weekend.

Cousins Ricardo and Alex Sperafico and, according to the latest speculation from Europe, ex-Minardi driver Zsolt Baumgartner are also rumored to still be in the hunt for a seat with Eric Bachelart.


WALKER:

The only confirmation from Derrick Walker’s camp is that the team will make a long-awaited Lola switch this season, after being the last squad in the Champ Car field still relegated to Reynards. Perennial Champ Car hopeful Michael Valiante is highly rated by Walker, but the stars have yet to align to secure funding for the promising Canadian.

Walker tested new Minardi hiring Christijan Albers and seems keen to establish a Dutch Champ Car connection, meaning that Nicky Pastorelli, who also tested with the squad, has good prospects. The switch to Lolas may persuade 2004 driver Mario Haberfeld to remain with the team.

Nicky Pastorelly could seal Walker's Dutch connection (LAT Photo)




DALE COYNE:

Champ Car’s die-hard team wants to remain a two-car operation. Michael Valiante, Toyota Atlantic race winner Bryan Sellers and Estonian Tonis Kasemets have tested with the outfit, which would like to retain the services of Spaniard Oriol Servia, responsible for the squad’s first podium finish since 1996 last season. Gaston Mazzacane was considered a shoe-in for a ride when the confirmation of Champ Car’s Argentinean round was thought to be imminent. The race hasn’t been confirmed so far, and neither has Mazzacane.


JENSEN MOTORSPORT:

The team has announced last yeaer its plans to contest the four Canadian events this season, but no driver or sponsorship announcements have taken place so far.

http://www.speedtv.com/articles/champcar/auto/15070/

TLK 02-10-2005 04:13 AM

Robin rips all over my buddy
 
Tony’s “Vision” an Eyesore
Written by: Robin Miller
2/9/2005


Either he's acquired a great sense of humor in the last couple days or he's truly blind to the reality of what he's done in the past decade. “Vision Racing”. Are you serious? Hell, that would have been the name I chose for Tony George's new Indy Racing League team.

That or “Seeing Eye Dog Motorsports”. Or possibly “The Good, The Bad & The Convicted”. How about “The Latest Spectacle In Racing”?

The fact George has officially become a car owner in the series he started 10 years ago because he hated car owners who ran their own series is mildly amusing and highly hypocritical.

Let's see; it's evil to have car owners making decisions about the day-to-day business, engine leases, cars, rules, etc., unless they own the Indianapolis Motor Speedway?

It should be interesting to see how IMS publicist Fred "Baghdad Bob" Nation spins this one. "Tony never said he wouldn't road race, street race, race in Japan, lease engines or own cars," is a likely quote we may be seeing shortly.

Whatever philosophy lesson Nation hands us you can bet it will also be tempered with "Tony continues to do what is best for the little guy, the American short track racer, the backbone and cornerstone of the Indy Racing League."

What you won't read is that George miscalculated back in the mid-90s when he declared there was an ocean of car owners out there waiting to jump into Indy-car racing. Turns out there wasn't even enough to fill White River.

Counting TG and if A.J. Foyt finds a sponsor, the IRL now has double digits (10 owners) but if you took the funding from Honda and Toyota out of the equation, it would be a real struggle to field 10 cars.

So, in order to make sure there will be at least SEVEN rows at this year's Indianapolis 500, that stepson Ed Carpenter's career doesn't end after one season and the IRL will have at least 20 full-time runners this season, Tony did something his mother wanted to do back in the '60s.

At that time Mari Hulman George wanted to field a car for husband, Elmer George, but Tony Hulman wouldn't hear of it. According to the late David Cassidy, Mr. Hulman felt like it was way out of line to have a "house car."

IMS co-founder Carl Fisher recognized the need to have an autonomous sanctioning body to run the Indianapolis 500 so he commissioned Triple AAA.

Of course we all remember the inaugural Menard's Inifitini Pro Series race at Indy in 2002 when Carpenter "motored" to a runaway victory. At one point when he was a half a lap ahead of second place, Mari felt so uncomfortable she whispered to a friend, "I sure wish Ed would slow down a little."

But, unless Ed wins the pole position by five mph or Brian Barnhart decides to invert the field, Indy won't become incestuous. Carpenter is a good kid who showed some spark in midgets, sprints and Silver Crown and it's tough to judge him by last season since he was driving for Eddie Cheever.

What's really questionable is George's decision to hire Larry "Save Big Money at Menard's" Curry as team manager. Yep, the same guy who stole a million dollars from John Menard when he ran Menard's IRL team. I understand Curry served his jail time but I wonder how Menard (who sponsors the IPS and IRL driver Vitor Meira in 2005) really feels about Curry being back in the pits.

And all this time I thought Tony Stewart was the worst judge of character because he fired his father and hired Curry to run his sprint/dirt car team.

The saddest part of this story is that before he ripped a hole in open wheel racing and mangled the month of May, George could have opted for ownership instead of dictatorship in 1996.

Back then some of us suggested that if, in fact, Tony truly cared about the fate of the American short tracker he could field a three-car effort in CART for the reigning USAC champions or whomever he chose from the nation's grass roots. Good lord, he could have put the entire Little 500 field in the Indianapolis lineup for all the money he's spent keeping the IRL afloat.

But here we are, 10 years removed from "Tony's Vision" and what have we got? Two series struggling for survival, abysmal attendance, not enough cars or owners to contest Indianapolis, pathetic TV ratings, two engine companies dictating drivers and one sprint-car guy with a full-time ride who sits across from George at Thanksgiving dinner.

Some may call that a vision. I call it an eyesore.


Tony’s “Vision” an Eyesore

TLK 03-12-2005 01:32 AM

nothing more to add to this thread.... I plan on starting a new thread before Long Beach, but here is a great photo of Tonis Kasemets testing a Coyne car this week in the snow....


TLK 03-22-2005 08:55 PM

JENSEN READY WITH CANADIAN CHAMP CAR TEAM
Tuesday, March 22, 2005
By: Robin Miller

The newest team owner to join Champ Car comes with major sponsors, plenty of racing heritage and a passion that mirrors his homeland.

"Champ Car has always interested me and I'm excited to become part of it," said Canadian native Eric Jensen, whose Montreal-based Jensen Motorsports will officially unveil its driver and crew in a March 30 press conference. "I would do Formula One but I don't want to live in Europe and NASCAR has a lot more value but I don't have any general interest in stock cars.

"I couldn't sell anything in the IRL and I wouldn't want to be in it anyway.

"But I can sell Champ Car. I think it's future is great and I've thanked Kevin (Kalkhoven) many times for keeping it alive."

Unlike many of his fellow car owners, Jensen's main business is motorsports. He's competed in F2000, Indy Lights and Toyota Atlantic as a driver, fielded teams in Atlantics and serves as his own marketing and promotion agency.

It's a small business but it's all me and it's what I do for a living," said Jensen, who went to business school in Toronto. "It's always been in my family to go racing. My dad (Bruce) was a pretty fair racer in Atlantics when Keke Rosberg and Gilles Villeneuve were in that series and then he helped out Brian Stewart in the early '90s.

"I attended the Jim Russell School at Laguna Seca in 1989 with Mario Dominguez and then started racing Formula Fords and 2-liter sports cars. My dad bought me an old Ralt to run the SCCA and then I moved into the pro series.

"I got tired of giving money to other teams for crappy deals so I went out and got some good guys to work for me. I've still got three good guys who are my nucleus but I know a lot of good people and I just hired one away from BAR."

Jensen nearly jumped into CART in 2003, but backed off at the last minute.

"They promised me the world but didn't deliver and I think I made the right decision," he continued. "CART's bankruptcy in 2004 killed me because I had some decent sponsors and suddenly it was like, What are we selling?' You have to be able to create value for your sponsors and Kevin did that buy doing a deal with NBC and CBS.

"And Champ Car also goes to big cities where there is commercial value."

Jensen has already revealed that Konica and Minolta of Canada are on board as sponsors and has two other American companies to announce next week. There's speculation that the first Canadian team in 20 years of major open wheel racing might be leaning towards Vancouver's Michael Valiente, who made an impressive Champ Car debut last year at Mexico City.

"I've received a bunch of emails from fans thanking me for doing this," said Jensen. "And that makes me feel good but they don't have to thank me for something I've wanted to do for a long time."

http://www.champcarworldseries.com/...cle.asp?ID=8768

TLK 03-25-2005 04:47 AM

a day late but....

Quote:


Champ Car series set to stage Beijing race in 2006

March 25, 2005

INDIANAPOLIS, United States (AFP) - Champ Car signed a deal with a Chinese auto group to stage a race in China in 2006, officials of the series announced.

Champ Car's memorandum of understanding with the Beijing Auto and Motor Sports Association, the government-supported auto sport regulatory agency, allows both groups to decide upon a promoter and exact location for the race.

This year's 14-race schedule begins April 10 at Long Beach and includes seven US races, two events in Mexico, three in Canada and October races in South Korea and Australia.

"This is a major step forward for the Champ Car World Series as we continue to establish our presence in the Asian markets," said series co-owner Kevin Kalkhoven.

"We believe these markets are fundamental to our series growth and future success. Adding an exciting new event in China to go with races in Korea and Australia solidifies our presence in a very important region of the world."

September, which could lead into the typical late-season Australia trip and the projected Korean date, and May are considered the likeliest times for the 2006 race but the final decision has not been made.

Kalkhoven indicated the deal could lead to Chinese racers competing in the open-wheel series.

"We are excited because it is about more than just a race," Kalkhoven said. "The warm reception we have received here could lead to even bigger things in the future, including the potential to bring Chinese drivers and teams into the series."

The race would be another jewel in Beijing's sporting crown as preparations continue for the city's 2008 Olympics.

"The city is now working towards becoming an international sports center and to hold world renowned auto races is an important part towards accomplishing that goal," said Zhang Junyu, the Beijing auto group's secretary general.

Updated on Thursday, Mar 24, 2005 7:53 pm EST

http://sports.yahoo.com/cart/news?sl...=afp&type=lgns

TLK 04-02-2005 02:34 PM

George fair game, or unfair target
The Indianapolis Motor Speedway CEO and IRL founder has stayed calm amid a 10-year maelstrom of controversy.

By BRANT JAMES, Times Staff Writer
Published April 1, 2005

[Getty Images]
Tony George talks at Indy with Michael Andretti, one of many who left CART (now Champ Car) for the IRL. Andretti, now a team owner, is helping to promote the St. Petersburg race.




There is no end to Tony George's ability to conjure contrast. Or opinion.

The Indy Racing League's founder and CEO had made it clear on this afternoon at Homestead-Miami Speedway he doesn't really want to talk about the latest lightning rod atop his wavy-haired head. Yet he wears a slick blue team shirt bearing the logo of his new Vision Racing team, which he fields for his stepson, Ed Carpenter.

George, the grandson of Tony Hulman Jr., who bought Indianapolis Motor Speedway from Eddie Rickenbacker in 1945 and restored its pre-World War II glory, considers much of the criticism he has absorbed for breaking North American open wheel racing into two pieces to be fair. He just wants to make decisions that are good for his family and company and avoid the fray.

But lying across the dash of his motorcoach for all passersby to see is a photocopied caricature proclaiming, "Whether you agree with his attitudes and motives, Tony George is in the driver's seat of open wheel racing in the United States."

Now that's provocative.

"I keep doing what I believe is the right thing," he said, "and more often than not I believe my moral and ethical and personal values are correct and all I can do is what I believe is the right thing. If others have a problem with that, then it's their problem, not mine."



* * *
He was born Anton Hulman George on Dec. 30, 1959, to retired driver and IMS vice president Elmer George and Mari Hulman George, heiress to the Hulman & Co. grocery, media and racing empire. Now the lanky godson of four-time Indy 500 winner A.J. Foyt is either a forward-thinking entrepreneur who secured his family's hold on the Indianapolis 500 and spawned a racing league that has reached its 10th anniversary, or an overmatched trust fund baby whose bold grabs for respect and power have been bankrolled - as Champ Car co-owner and self-described friend Paul Gentilozzi said - by "continuing to spend the Hulman family trust money."

Oh, and many say he destroyed open wheel racing in the United States.

The Indy Racing League, critics say, has failed in its promise to promote American racing or contain costs, and, according to legendary driver Mario Andretti, ruined the Indy 500. George's decision to bring NASCAR to IMS has proved a bigger financial success than the Indy 500 in recent years, but is still reviled by open wheel purists who see it as equivalent to a tractor pull at Churchill Downs.

"I don't care what theory, what philosophy was behind the thought," Andretti said of forming the IRL. "It put a chink in that armor. It violated something so sacred in our sport."

But there are those who acknowledge George's initiative, or at least recognize piling on when they see it. Roger Penske, an IRL team owner who raced in CART before the split, said George receives too much negative publicity.

"I think Tony gets a lot of criticism no matter what he does," Penske said. "He seems to be at the butt end of a gun."

Brian France can empathize. The grandson of NASCAR founder Bill France took over as CEO in 2004, replacing his father, Bill Jr., who took stock car racing to unimagined heights of popularity.

"The expectations are high," he said of running a very public family business. "There is a lot at stake. ... I know I have some job security, but at the end of the day, unlike anybody else, I have to answer for what I've done."

George gets a lot of that back home in Indiana. His family has been to the Hoosier State what the Kennedys have been to Massachusetts: builders, benefactors, fodder for gossip.

Details concerning the shooting death of George's father by horse trainer Guy Trolinger on Indy 500 day in 1976 (Trolinger was not indicted) and George's drug use, as detailed in a 1989 divorce proceeding, are repeated as if breaking news. He's critiqued in the media and lampooned by what he calls "CART fanatics." An essay on deepthrottle.com once asked in a headline, "Are George Bush and Tony George Twins Separated At Birth?"

That George's demeanor appears to flit between relaxed and vapid only adds - fairly or not - to his critics' anger over what they think he is doing to their sport.

"Tony George is an extremely bright guy who, for the most part, shuns the limelight," said NASCAR vice president of communications Jim Hunter.

But after 15 years "in the drivers seat of open wheel racing in the United States," George said he is used to the flak. That doesn't mean he likes or accepts it.

"I guess it's something I realize comes with the territory," said George, easing into the kitchen nook of his coach, occasionally gazing through a window as Infiniti Pro Series cars zoom over the track. "It's not that I don't care, but it's not something I let consume me or bother me.

"But I understand to a certain extent that I'm a public figure - at least I'm told I'm fair game. I don't always believe that. I believe there are times when people cross the line."

George became Indianapolis Motor Speedway president at age 30 and immediately tried to expand the voice of promoters and tracks, and control costs in CART, then North America's open-wheel sanctioning body. After his proposal to reorganize CART's power structure was rebuffed by a majority of the board of directors in 1991, he announced plans to bring NASCAR to IMS. And after resigning his non-voting seat on the CART board in 1994, he announced plans for what would become the IRL. This year he became a team owner, much to the amusement of those who recall his plan in 1991 to move power away from car owners and toward IMS.

"It's kind of nice to be involved in a privately owned family business where you can make entrepreneurial decisions and take some risks you might not otherwise be afforded in another job," said George, who gave up the title of IMS president in 2004 and now track CEO. "Frankly, I'm not sure and I'm sure others might agree, I might not be able to hold another position in another company."

That was the general mood after NASCAR used IMS's legendary yard of bricks as a launching pad to increased national exposure and credibility. But the Brickyard 400 also proved to be an attendance success and a financial boost for the speedway and city of Indianapolis.

"There's part of me that I would like to take (critics) to task, but it's often the case my critics are people with a journalistic slant or background or fanatics of Champ Car in particular," he said. "The others, again, I don't know that they feel passionate about some of the comments they make or the statements they make, but I do believe that some of the journalists, critics and Champ Car fans genuinely believe what the say, write, do. Some of it bothers me, some of it doesn't. More often than not I don't pay attention to it anymore. It's something I learned over time, it's best to ignore most of it and go with your gut and heart."

His gut thought in creating the IRL was simply wrong, Andretti said.

"I can excuse Tony from being disgruntled with the political side of the sport as it was," said Andretti, a former CART board member, "but what I cannot excuse is the strategy, to me, to fix it was wrong. You have to fix the problem. The product was working.

"What he did by trying to come up with a new series, I think, it created so much uncertainty, it created forced loyalties, it forced everyone to make choices and the biggest travesty of it all was it diminished the value of Indianapolis 500 as an event. No one can dispute that.

"And it all happened almost simultaneously. It gives NASCAR the Brickyard, which is fine, I think that was great, but at the same time it diminished the value of the Indianapolis 500 by having the new series. That's why I felt to fix this thing, he should have tried to fix the politics of it. Buy out the owners, do whatever, it probably would have cost him 1/50th of what he spent since."



* * *
Fingering through a bowl of snack mix, then shaking in his hand the peanuts he has culled, George pauses for a long moment. He knows his company and his sport will look much different in 10 or 15 years than they do now, that he might not be in a position of power then. But he's confident he will have a hand in shaping it.

"I've always been brought up around an environment where you reap what you sow and sometimes things work and sometimes they don't," he said. "But fortunately, our family has been involved in a lot of different things in the last 150 years and at one time or another, they've all been successful ventures for us."

Like it or not.


http://www.sptimes.com/2005/04/01/Sp...ame__or_.shtml

TLK 04-02-2005 02:38 PM

Here's the essay that was referenced in the previous artice....
Quote:

Are George Bush and Tony George Twins Separated At Birth?

By Russell Jaslow

10/30/04
One has to wonder. The similarities between the President of the United States, George Bush, and the president of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Tony George, are unnerving. And, we're not just talking about the fact they share the name George.

Both were born into a life of privilege. Tony George was born into one of the richest families in the Midwest. George Bush entered life into a rich Texas family.

Both came from a previous generation that made their mark from World War II. Tony George's grandfather, Tony Hulman, turned IMS around after purchasing the Speedway after years of neglect during WWII. George Bush's father was a war hero, shot down over the Pacific, and rose to prominence in politics.

Both spent their youth partying with mind altering substances. Tony George's use of cocaine became public knowledge in court documents during his divorce proceedings. George Bush has acknowledged his fondness of alcohol during his younger years.

Neither were particularly successful before going into their family's business. Tony George's attempts at becoming a race car driver was nothing more than a midpack effort in Indy Lights (then, the American Racing Series) while driving for his godfather's team, A.J. Foyt. George Bush's attempts at being a businessman didn't excite the editors of Forbes magazine, and his only publicly visible deed was firing manager Bobby Valentine when he owned the Texas Rangers.

Both finally arrived in the public's eye by riding the coattails of their family's name. Tony George took over the top spot at IMS simply because he was the only male left in his family, and his sisters did not care for the job. George Bush parlayed the success of his father and his Texas roots to become Governor of the Lone Star State, and then took over as the Republican's favorite presidential candidate simply because he was the only possible choice that could garner the fund raising and public perception necessary to beat the Democrats.

Both are considered to be lesser intelligent men (whose supporters hold their breath every time they make an unscripted public statement) who have been manipulated by those around them fighting an old battle. It is alleged that Tony George was swayed by the "Old Guard" still stewing over the revolt by the team owners who formed CART and changed the direction of open wheel racing. It is alleged that George Bush was swayed by those still wishing that the job in Iraq had been "completed" back in 1991.

Both never learned from their predecessors who knew when it was best to shy away from a fight. Tony George's grandfather knew when it was no longer worth fighting CART and lived with an uneasy peace so the greater good of IMS and the sport could be fulfilled. George Bush's father knew when it was no longer worth continuing to fight Iraq once they were kicked out of Kuwait and lived with an uneasy peace so the greater good of the country and the Middle East could be fulfilled.

Both apparently had destructive agendas from day one. Soon after Tony George took over IMS, he proposed to CART a plan that would essentially have him take over the sport, dumping the goals of the team owners. He later used Penske's Mercedes killer engine as the impetus to go ahead and form the IRL in an attempt to take over open wheel racing. George Bush, soon after taking office, allegedly looked for a reason to topple Saddam Hussein. He used the events of September 11 as the impetus to go ahead with those plans.

Both are unable to realize their goals and vision are not working. Tony George is unwilling to admit that declining attendance, empty stands on Pole Day, and rapidly falling ratings of the Indianapolis 500 have anything to do with his actions in splitting the sport and forming the IRL, while his minions spout off one ridiculously glowing press release after another. George Bush is unwilling to admit the inability to create stability in Iraq, the formation of terror cells in a country where they didn't exist before, and the rapidly declining opinion of the United States by the rest of the world had anything to do with his actions in splitting world opinion and attacking a country that was of little threat, while his minions spout off at one ridiculously glowing press conference after another.

However, don't assume I'm advocating the other choice. That's not necessarily any better either.

Because John Kerry reminds me of Joe Heitzler.



http://www.deepthrottle.com/Essays/bush_george.shtml

TLK 04-02-2005 08:44 PM

One more for the weekend....
 
linky

Quote:

Answers elusive for open-wheel woes

As NASCAR zooms into the distance in popularity, a decade of divided loyalties plague open-wheel teams and fans.

By BRANT JAMES, Times Staff Writer
Published April 1, 2005

Roger Penske just doesn't understand. Mario Andretti is highly agitated. Tony George isn't sure he needs to worry about it anymore.

Nothing purses the lips in an Indy Racing League or Champ Car garage like the question that underpins both series' very existence:

How do you fix this open-wheel problem?

As the dilemma barely flickers on the periphery of racing fans' consciousness, NASCAR has roared into a dominant position, the Daytona 500 holding the place of prominence once reserved for the Indianapolis 500.

That's all part of the problem - or opportunity, depending on your point of view - created when George, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway CEO and president, broke away from Championship Auto Racing Teams in 1996, creating a league that would control the cars in the race his family stewards. With CART reconstituted through bankruptcy in Decemeber 2003, as Champ Car, the IRL might be in its strongest position to advance its cause as it goes road and street racing for the first time.

But what is that worth? The IRL, too, has problems, with spotty attendance and dwindling car counts at the Indy 500.

Two series, many say, confuse fans and weaken everyone.

"It needs to filter down to one, I think," said 2003 IRL champion Scott Dixon. "Now, they're just shooting each other and no one is getting anywhere in terms of popularity. I'd like to see it be one and full budgets and good full fields, but who knows what will happen?"

So how do these very rich men with very fast cars and grandstands to fill fix this thing?

"First we've got to get everyone under one tent," said Chip Ganassi, who owns teams that have won four CART titles and one in the IRL with Scott Dixon in 2003. "Everybody has their idea of what racing should be. And at the end of the day the fans make the real vote what racing should be. The fans and the sponsors have the votes. It's a dangerous thing for someone to make racing what they think it ought to be."

It will not be as simple as 22 IndyCars and 16 Champ Cars showing up at the same place on the same weekend. The IRL's North American slate - excluding a race in Japan - and Champ Car's far-flung schedule with races in the United States, Canada, Mexico, South Korea and Australia, gives each a unique niche and individual importance to sponsors. Mexican owner-driver Adrian Fernandez lost his Mexican sponsors and eventually his full-time ride after switching from Champ Car to the IRL for last season. The leagues share just one common venue - Milwaukee - in their combined 31 races.

Some markets with races - like St. Petersburg, which hosts its first IRL race Sunday - would be highly scrutinized unless the combined leagues doubled their schedules to NASCAR proportions, which would be highly unlikely.

"I don't necessarily believe that we'd have guaranteed success by having one open-wheel championship or not," George said. "It appears we're more focused on domestic venues and they're more focused more on international venues, so it may not really matter."

Then there is the matter of matching equipment. The IRL has Honda, Toyota and Chevrolet (until the end of this year) as engine manufacturers, while Champ Car uses league-owned Ford Cosworth power plants.

But the biggest impediment could be ego and power. George and Champ Car counterparts Gerald Forsythe, Kevin Kalkhoven and Paul Gentilozzi - who purchased CART's assets in bankruptcy court and will launch a second season as Champ Car at Long Beach on April 10 - now enjoy autonomy.

So perhaps it's not fixable, especially considering that Penske tried and failed last year to bring the sides together. CART's first championship owner and an original board member, he has turned a penchant for resurrecting failing businesses into a $14-billion-per-year empire. His team has won a record 13 Indy 500s. He has friends and associates in both series. But he was soundly rebuffed when he made overtures toward heads of both series last year about reunification.

"I'm not sure there's anybody out there who has the power tie them together," Penske said. "I tried to talk with Gerry Forsythe and the people involved in (Champ Car) They have a vision, and they're willing to commit their own capital to go racing, and they've made it work."

In 1999, a group of then CART team owners including Barry Green - now head of the Grand Prix of St. Petersburg promoter group - Derrick Walker and Bobby Rahal "got very, very close, but in the end there were issues on both sides and we couldn't get it done," Green said.

George isn't sure if he has the power, or if he'd be willing to wield it anyway.

"At different times over the last 10 years I think I've said both, that "yes' it needed to (be one series) and today I'd rather just not comment on it because everyone has an opinion, and I'm not sure mine matters any more than anyone else's," he said. "The reality is, they're in business, we're in business and we're competing not just against each other but against a lot of other sports-entertainment properties. It's tough out there whether there was one, two, or three."

By all appearances, however, he tried to put Champ Car out of business when he made a $13.5-million bid on all of CART's league-owned engines and the sanctioning rights to the Grand Prix of Long Beach - Champ Car's marquee event - in U.S. Bankruptcy court, citing in legal papers a desire to create a "unified, market-driven North American open-wheel series." Judge Frank Otte accepted a $3.2-million bid from Forsythe, Kalkhoven and Gentilozzi, saying the IRL bid could be devalued by litigation from cities whose races George intended to fold.

Penske said the dwindling number of engine manufacturers might eventually provide the impetus for reunion.

"To me, people are going to have to get together and maybe it'll be engines that ultimately drive them together," he said. "The cars are not that different. Cars are cheap, but they all have power plants. We all have trailers. We all have drivers. We all go stay in motels, so it's just a few things. But it's like trying to merge two companies and if the CEOs at the top are not interested in getting together, then it's pretty hard to merge them. That's where we are today, the top people see things with a different vision."


Racing legend Andretti, a former CART champion and board member, remains bitter about the split. Now, he said, could be the only opportunity to reunite before the equipment becomes too different between the leagues.

"The only answer right now for things to come around, for both sides to find an answer, is for both sides to maintain enough equity in themselves so they can maintain autonomy. Each side has something to offer," he said. "Each side separately does not have enough to be a force in this sport, to be anywhere where they used to be."

Andretti proposes treating the IRL (with its mostly ovals regimen) and Champ Car (mostly street and road courses) like conferences in the NFL. The series would have three to five common races - including Indianapolis - to determine a unified champion and still crown separate champions with points from their own events.

"If you combine the two series at Indianapolis you will have almost 40 bona fide cars competing for 33 places," he said. "Back to the glory days."

SunDancer 04-02-2005 09:21 PM

Thanks for the update King....Care to post a schedule of the ChampCars?

TLK 04-03-2005 06:21 AM

2005 Open Wheel Racing Combined Schedule

March 5 F1 - Australian Grand Prix - 9:30 PM SPEED
March 6 IRL - Homestead-Miami Speedway - 2:00 PM ESPN
March 19 F1 - Malaysia Grand Prix - 1:30 AM SPEED
March 19 IRL - Phoenix Int'l Raceway - 3:00 PM ABC
April 3 F1 - Grand Prix of Bahrain - 7:00 AM SPEED
April 3 IRL - Streets of St. Petersburg - 3:30 PM ESPN
April 10 CCWS - Long Beach, California - 4:00 PM NBC
April 24 F1 - San Marino Grand Prix - CBS**
April 30 IRL - Twin Ring Motegi - 12:00 PM ESPN*
May 8 F1 - Spanish Grand Prix - CBS**
May 21 CCWS - Monterrey, Mexico - 3:00 PM SPEED
May 22 F1 - Monaco Grand Prix - 7:30 AM SPEED
May 29 IRL - Indianapolis Motor Speedway - 12:00 PM ABC
May 29 F1 - Grand Prix of Europe - CBS**
June 4 CCWS - Milwaukee, Wisconsin - 2:00 PM CBS
June 11 IRL - Texas Motor Speedway - 8:30 PM ESPN
June 12 F1 - Canadian Grand Prix - CBS**
June 19 F1 - U.S. Grand Prix - 1:30 PM SPEED
June 19 CCWS - Portland, Oregon - 4:00 PM CBS
June 25 IRL - Richmond Int'l Raceway - 7:30 PM ESPN2
June 26 CCWS - Cleveland, Ohio - 1:00 PM CBS
July 3 F1 - French Grand Prix - 7:30 AM SPEED
July 3 IRL - Kansas Speedway - 1:00 PM ESPN
July 10 F1 - British Grand Prix - 7:30 AM SPEED
July 10 CCWS - Toronto - 1:00 PM CBS
July 16 IRL - Nashville Superspeedway - 7:00 PM ESPN
July 17 CCWS - Edmonton - 3:00 PM SPEED
July 24 F1 - German Grand Prix - 7:30 AM SPEED
July 24 IRL - The Milwaukee Mile - 2:30 PM ESPN
July 31 F1 - Hungarian Grand Prix - 7:30 AM SPEED
July 31 IRL - Michigan Int'l Speedway - 3:00 PM ABC
July 31 CCWS - San Jose, California - 4:00 PM SPEED
Aug. 14 IRL - Kentucky Speedway - 3:30 PM ABC
Aug. 14 CCWS - Denver, Colorado - 3:00 PM SPEED
Aug. 21 F1 - Turkish Grand Prix - 7:30 AM SPEED
Aug. 21 IRL - Pikes Peak Int'l Raceway - 3:30 PM ABC
Aug. 28 IRL - Infineon Raceway - 3:30 PM ESPN
Aug. 28 CCWS - Montreal - 1:00 PM NBC
Sept. 4 F1 - Italian Grand Prix - 7:30 AM SPEED
Sept. 11 F1 - Grand Prix of Belgium - 7:30 AM SPEED
Sept. 11 IRL - Chicagoland Speedway - 1:30 PM ABC
Sept. 24 CCWS - Las Vegas, Nevada - SPEED*
Sept. 25 F1 - Brazilian Grand Prix - 12:30 PM SPEED
Sept. 25 IRL - Watkins Glen Int'l - 3:30 PM ABC
Oct. 8 F1 - Japanese Grand Prix - 1:00 AM SPEED
Oct. 15 F1 - Grand Prix of China - 1:30 AM SPEED
Oct. 16 IRL - California Speedway - 3:30 PM ESPN
Oct. 16 CCWS - Ansan, Korea - SPEED*
Oct. 23 CCWS - Surfers Paradise, Australia - SPEED*
Nov. 6 CCWS - Mexico City - 3:00 PM SPEED

maximus 05-29-2005 12:04 PM

The 2005 Indy 500 is on right now (ABC).

sterlingice 05-29-2005 01:33 PM

Shouldn't there be another thread for Indy or not?

SI

kcchief19 05-29-2005 02:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Karim
I was listening to a theoretical physicist from Cornell. He covered several topics but two that stood out for me were:

1) He had no way of explaining free will. The smallest component of our being (the vibrating strings of string theory) are all governed by the laws of physics as we understand them. Free will, personalities, consciousness are unexplainable with modern day physics. He accepted free will on 'faith' (in a non-religious sense) just as a way of living day-to-day.

2) There is the possibility that our known universe exists inside a black hole and we are approaching the singularity. Obviously there is no way to stop such a reality. If stellar phenomena all start growing/stretching/expanding, well... I don't know why but this possibility (of all the possible possibilities) depressed me even though it has no actual bearing on our lifetimes.

And this affects the Indy 500 how?

Karim 05-29-2005 07:49 PM

Obviously an accident... ignore.


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