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The Indy 500 *is* Today!
Okay, confessions.
I was a huge CART fan. I was a huge anti-Tony George man. I loved the drivers in CART. I loved the tracks in CART. I hated the drivers in the IRL. I hated the tracks in the IRL......except one. This one. I love the Indianapolis 500. And these days the best drivers are no longer just CART, it's a split with IRL. It's not the same field as yesteryear, but it's improving. I will of course maintain my loyalties to the drivers that I have known and followed for years in CART and root for them. http://www.indyracing.com/indycar/grid/500grid.php (bold indicates guys I used to watch every weekend (except when I was in Turkey of course.....italics are the guys I will root against because of bad blood with the original IRL creation) Buddy Rice Rahal-Letterman Racing Pos. 1 Dan Wheldon Andretti Green Racing Pos. 2 Dario Franchitti Andretti Green Racing Pos. 3 ----- Bruno Junqueira Newman Haas Racing Pos. 4 Tony Kanaan Andretti Green Racing Pos. 5 Adrian Fernandez Fernandez Racing Pos. 6 ----- Vitor Meira Rahal-Letterman Racing Pos. 7 Helio Castroneves (W) Marlboro Team Penske Pos. 8 Kosuke Matsuura (R) Super Aguri Fernandez Racing Pos. 9 ----- Tomas Scheckter Panther Racing Pos. 10 Sam Hornish Jr. Marlboro Team Penske Pos. 11 Roger Yasukawa Rahal-Letterman Racing Pos. 12 ----- Scott Dixon Target Chip Ganassi Racing Pos. 13 Mark Taylor (R) Panther Racing Pos. 14 Darren Manning (R) Target Chip Ganassi Racing Pos. 15 ----- Ed Carpenter (R) Red Bull Cheever Racing Pos. 16 Al Unser Jr. (W) (ex-CART but I still don't like him) Patrick Racing Pos. 17 Robby Gordon Robby Gordon Motorsports Pos. 18 ----- Sarah Fisher (Our annual female curiosity) Kelley Racing Pos. 19 Scott Sharp Kelley Racing Pos. 20 A.J. Foyt IV AJ Foyt Enterprises Pos. 21 ----- Larry Foyt (R) A.J. Foyt Enterprises Pos. 22 Bryan Herta Andretti Green Racing Pos. 23 Alex Barron Red Bull Cheever Racing Pos. 24 ----- Felipe Giaffone Dreyer & Reinbold Racing Pos. 25 Tora Takagi Pioneer Mo Nunn Racing Pos. 26 Greg Ray Access Motorsports Pos. 27 ----- Buddy Lazier (W) Dreyer & Reinbold/ Hemelgarn Racing Pos. 28 Jeff Simmons (R) Pioneer Mo Nunn Racing Pos. 29 Richie Hearn Sam Schmidt Motorsports Pos. 30 ----- PJ Jones (R) (Pirelli Jones kid of CART's past???) CURB/Agajanian/Beck Motorports Pos. 31 Marty Roth (R) Roth Racing Pos. 32 Robby McGehee PDM Racing Pos. 33 |
I was a huge CART fan over the years, and would not miss an Indy 500 (I still try to watch CART races when I can).
I have also been a big F1 fan for as many years as I can remember. I have not missed a race in 16 years, and I am only 24 years old. I also much prefer road racing to oval racing. So what was the race I was most looking forward to today? The Coca Cola 600. I guess that says everything about my opinion of US open wheelers, and for that matter, no passing F1. I totally stand by my comment from last year. Quote:
I would rather not see the Indy 500 at all, than see it in the state it is in. |
I agree. That is why I no longer interested in the IRL-CART war. Either side winning is ultimately better for the sport than the constant bickering and back and forth. CART ultimately is just as responsable for the demise of open-wheel racing in America as is IRL.
In any event, the last F1 race at Monaco was outstanding! |
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I disagree. Tony George is totally responsible for the death of American open wheel racing. |
Sarah Fisher is hot.
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I wonder how many names from that list the typical sports fan in American would recognize. I'm not a racing fan by much of any stretch, but I was certainly familiar with the top names from the Indy 500 when I was growing up.
A bell rang for me on about six names from that list, and at least two were simply because they had famous ancestors. Indy is still Indy, I suppose... but I'm definitely in the "...today?" crowd rather than the "...today!" crowd. Wonder if they sort of lost a generation with all this fighting in the sport? (And sorry if all this is well-worn territory) |
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I agree... indiana is kind of a dump. |
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Out of curiosity, I took that particular "test". Fair warning though -- I don't think I'd qualify as anything like "the typical sports fan". 8- I have some mental image of who they are 11- I've heard their name before but that's about it 14- They could be running the Boston Marathon for all I know about 'em. And of the first 8, two of them I know only because of their involvement with NASCAR (R. Gordon & L.Foyt). And of the 2nd group, 2 are "name only" (Foyt IV & P.J. Jones). At this point, I'd say I could probably recognize ARCA or ASA series drivers as well as this Indy 500 field. |
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Hell yeah it is. Especially when the dregs that turn up for the 500 and the Brickyard are in town. Luckily the Eurotrash stopped showing up for the F1 race. after 9/11. |
I am familiar with all 33 guys in the field, but you couldn't of paid me enough to watch this crap. The IRL as it was supposed to be, is dead. CART teams finished 1-11.... with the top original IRL team in 12th. Tony George needs to be shot for what he has done to the 500 and to open-wheel racing in general....
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you're kidding right? |
That was a good article. Kind of summarized what had happened since I stopped paying attention in the early 1990s.
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I would like to see more articles such as this one in the future. Really thought provoking and fresh.
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well since you asked, here's one about my main man, Tony George..... keep in mind coming from a Fort Wayne Newspaper.... there is some gold in here..... Quote:
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I love the old CART. F1 I always loved, but it seems to be going through a downturn and I hate the "team system". Rumors were flying around of a new series breaking off F1??
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Penske Renews Call for IndyCar/Champ Car Reunification
Written by: RACER staff Indianapolis, Ind. – 6/1/2004  Roger Penske (LAT photo)Pre-eminent car owner Roger Penske has renewed his call for a unification of the IRL and Champ Car rivals in an article published by the New York Times on Sunday. “My goal, over the next couple of months, is to come up with a way to repair the split that led me away from Indianapolis for five years,” Penske wrote. “I'd like to see one group, not two, racing Indy cars again. It would benefit not only Tony George, the president of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway…. “Going to the Indy 500 is like going to the Kentucky Derby. But I didn't know what I had been missing until I came back. Now is the time for everyone to come back. Penske added that in his view a title sponsor for the IRL could be the springboard for renewal. “The trajectory of Indy-car racing is not down. It's not flat. The quality of the race teams has improved,” he noted. “There's support for the series within the automotive industry. The sponsorships are strong. In the future, we will need to find one sponsor who will be able to do for Indy car racing what Nextel can do for stock car racing. “I think Tony George will be able to land a first-class sponsor for the IRL. Hopefully, that's on the horizon. If we have such a corporate sponsor for one series, with 35, 36, 37 cars available to compete regularly, I think it would lead to more competitive races and a better series over all than the two separate series we have now." |
My thoughts.... summed up real quick.... one series with TG at the helm won't happen anytime soon..... if they could find a middle ground, with TG in control of the Speedway and third party in control of the series itself, then they might have something.....
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and the latest rumor....
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. . . . . . This will never happen.... it makes too much sense..... |
Well, I think Penske and Andretti would be the best hopes for making something happen.
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If George will give up control, I'm all up for anything they can come up with..... but as long as he's involved in a leadership role..... I'm out.... I don't care if Paul Tracy/Paul Newman & Co. come out and piss on CART/ChampCar's grave..... they won't have me (and many others) as fans....
btw..... I heard the 500 broadcast had an open plea to Tracy to come back to Indy as soon as possible..... pretty funny considering how they screwed him..... |
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Public opinion matters not in the world of private property. Either Tony George wins or nobody does. It's that simple.
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http://sports.yahoo.com/nascar/news?...v=ap&type=lgns
NEW YORK (AP) -- The rating for the rain-shortened Indianapolis 500 was down 11 percent from last year, and was lower than the weekend's NASCAR race for the third straight year. The race on ABC on Sunday, which was delayed at the start for two hours because of rain and stopped for an hour and 47 minutes after 27 laps, got a 4.1 rating, down from 4.6 last year. Not surprisingly, Fox's coverage of the Coca-Cola 600 NASCAR race performed better, with a 5.0 rating. The 22 percent disparity was the largest since the NASCAR races overtook the Indy 500 in the ratings three years ago. |
beat me to it Jon...... I was going to post that right now...... Not really a surprise, and I don't believe that those numbers are final yet, so they'll probably finish even lower....
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What was the ratings on the CART race?
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Which CART race? The May 23rd from Mexico? I'm not even sure who televised it (HDnet? SpikeTV on delay?) |
Hell, I don't know, which ever one most currently ran.
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 I thought I should repost this from the other thread..... Television ratings pattern of the 500 (and the Super Bowl in orange)....Updated to include 2004.... |
What is Penske's Real Agenda?
Written by: Robin Miller Indianapolis, IN – 6/5/2004  Roger Penske vows he's going to spend the next few months trying to repair the split in open wheel racing. In addition, no doubt, to helping O.J. look for Nicole's killer and getting gas prices under control. Penske's recent editorial in the New York Times that he's decided to roll up his sleeves and save open wheel racing would almost be humorous if it wasn't so self-serving and hypocritical. First off, it was The Captain's jumping ship to the Indy Racing League in 2002 that accelerated the unraveling of Championship Auto Racing Teams (the series he co-founded in 1979). It was a meeting in Houston in 2001 that Penske threatened to go to Tony George's all-oval series if his fellow owners didn't adopt the the IRL's engine rules (which they did despite not having any manufacturers on board). Of course Penske already knew he and Toyota were both IRL bound, he just didn't share that with his CART brethren. And this was after years of privately bad-mouthing George for screwing Indy-car racing. It was only last year that Penske predicted there would only be one open wheel series still standing by 2004 and, obviously, that didn't happen since Open Wheel Racing Series rescued the remains of CART. So, after getting smoked at Indy by Buddy Rice and Honda, what better time to do a little self-promoting, state that open wheel racing in this country ain't what it use to be and it's time somebody needs to run to a phone booth, change clothes and be a hero. Except what Penske said was hardly a revelation. Open wheel needs to be united? Really? "What took him so long?," chuckled Derrick Walker, who worked for Penske for 20 years before starting his own team. "I mean if anybody in this sport can help put this thing back together it's always been Penske. He's the guy who made CART and he's the guy who broke CART. "I'm anxious to see where this goes. I hope this means he's going to follow through." Jimmy Vasser, the 1996 CART champion, would like some clarification. "I want to know his (Penske) interpretation of unification," said Vasser, now a part owner of PKV Racing. "Does it mean he thinks we're going to roll over or does it mean each series is going keep their best races? "Obviously, I would love to see one great series like we use to have and all the moons are aligned for that to happen in 2006 because everybody's rules packages expire at the end of 2005." Naturally, the entire Champ Car paddock was suspicious about the timing of Penske's pronouncement. "There's always something behind everything with Roger but you never know what it is," said Gerald Forsythe, one of the OWRS owners who is fielding three cars this season. "I don't disagree with our sponsors and fans that one series would be stronger -- that's just a good business plan -- and it doesn't take a genius to figure that out. "Economically it would be better for everyone and there would have to be a meeting of the minds. But when one guy (Tony George) keeps saying their business model is so much different than ours I have to wonder. "I look at the IRL business model as one that's waving in the wind. It started out as all Americans and all ovals and now they're talking road races and street courses so how does our business model differ from theirs?" Added Neil Mickelwright, team manager for Forsythe Racing: "Why does Roger suddenly feel the need to reunite when he's been telling us the IRL is the greatest thing since sliced bread? I'd like to know what prompted it. Maybe there's a little trouble in paradise." Paul Gentilozzi, who met with George last year before OWRS bought CART's assets and talked about the future of open wheel racing with the IRL founder, claims there can't be intervention without good intention. "There was a time last year when I thought I could play a pivotal part in putting things back together but I don't think that can happen," said Gentilozzi, an OWRS principal who fields a two-car team in Champ Car. "There have been agendas drafted by major manufacturers and it's still not together so what is the obstruction? Why aren't we together? "Is it about preserving the throne of the royal familyof American motorsports or is it about preserving a motorsports discipline?" Bobby Rahal, Barry Green and Walker spent the summer of 1998 meeting with George and thought they had worked out a compromise only to have him walk away. Ford Motor Company drafted a peace plan that never was acted upon. Forsythe said he'd be willing to sit down and talk with Penske or George but....... "Look, I enjoy Champ Car racing and I enjoyed competing at the Indy 500 and the split never did make any sense," said Forsythe, who won the last united Indy 500 in 1995 with Jacques Villeneuve. "It was all about one person wanting control and now he's devastated the Indy 500. "I would listen if he or Roger wanted to sit down but we're not going to lay down and let the competition make the rules and dictate the tracks. Especially when we have the best series and more fans." As for Penske's stance, some Champ Car owners believe Toyota and Honda are going to bail unless IRL and Champ Car are united so The Captain is getting involved. There's also a theory that the IRL has a major sponsor on the hook but it's predicated on having one major open wheel series in this country and Penske has been asked to be the front man in negotiations. Others say it's only a PR stunt. Paul Tracy, who scored 11 of his 27 wins driving for Penske, knows his former employer plays both sides of the street and is always five steps ahead of the posse. "I'm not sure why he (Penske) suddenly feels like becoming a peacemaker," said the 2003 CART champion. "But I do know that he's one captain who won't be going down with the ship." |
Okay, so I don't get it. An IRL guy is suggesting unification (that's kind of different that usual) and the CART guys are bashing his head into mush over it? Do I have that right?
Honestly, they are all just a bunch of spoiled, rotten, little children. Chances of unification for 2006? 1%. Thanks for the link. You are our open-wheel racing single-source of information....even if it is biased. And yes, biased for the good, but too me, that is neither here nor there all these years later. |
In my honest opinion, I think 2006 will be too late anyways, but we'll see what happens....
ChampCar ran Milwaukee tonight and it was a solid race..... I won't put up any spoilers, (The race can be seen tomorrow at 4pm on SpikeTV --all time zones--) but it was well attended and a good show. and for the reason why I don't post pro-IRL articles...... because most of them read like a three year-old wrote them.... ex.--- http://www.canoe.ca/NewsStand/Ottaw.../01/480840.html Tue, June 1, 2004 CART fans need to keep an open mind By DEAN McNULTY, Ottawa Sun There are few involved in open-wheel racing who don't lament the events of March 1995 that led to the formation of the Indy Racing League to compete against the established Championship Auto Racing Teams. But more than nine years later, it's time for even the most partisan of supporters of the former CART series to stop playing the blame game. History will show that it was Indianapolis Motor Speedway boss Tony George who was the instigator of the split that put open-wheel racing in North America on the slippery slope to second-tier sports status. But his isn't the only name that belongs on a racing wall of shame. Former CART CEO Chris Pook, who frittered away $180 million US in a foolish attempt to prop up the series, is at least equally to blame for open-wheel racing's downfall. There are others who also must share responsibility for the state of disrepair open-wheel racing now finds itself. Step up Gerry Forysthe. Step up Roger Penske. Step up Chip Ganassi. All have their tire marks someplace along this inglorious road to ruin. Yet it is those in the open-wheel racing business who have made genuine efforts to heal the wounds who are now bearing the brunt of abuse from so-called race fans. FEELING THE WRATH Adrian Fernandez -- who almost single-handedly was responsible for the former CART series' popularity in Mexico -- is the latest racer to feel the wrath of irrational fans of that series. Fernandez had the temerity to say that CART was done. Well folks, last time anybody checked CART died in a courtroom in Indianapolis this past January. And Fernandez was there to see it first hand. When he moved to the IRL this season, it was strictly business. He invested millions of his own money to keep his team afloat. Moving to the IRL was a business decision by a man dedicated to racing. For those who feel that they must castigate Fernandez as a traitor, get a grip. The old CART is dead. Get over it. What was reborn in bankruptcy court out of its ashes -- the Open Wheel Racing Series -- is not CART. Forsythe and partners Paul Gentilozzi and Kevin Kalkhoven worked diligently to give birth to their new version of Champ Car racing. But the war to control open-wheel racing was over the moment the judge's gavel came down to seal the deal that sold CART's assets to OWRS. The sooner everyone accepts this the sooner open-wheel racing can get back to fighting for the stature it has lost during the past nine years. If some still feel that Fernandez is the villain in this piece, they are sadly misinformed. CASCAR may be sold: Rumours are rampant that the CASCAR Super Series -- Canada's top stock car racing sanctioning body -- is in negotiations with NASCAR to sell its events, including races at the Toronto and Vancouver Molson Indys. Reports of the sale were being spread this past weekend in Charlotte, N.C., home of NASCAR Nextel Cup's Coca-Cola 600. If the sale were to be completed, it is expected that NASCAR would rename the series NASCAR North and lump it in with its two other regional racing series -- Busch North and Grand National West. CASCAR spokesman Richard Coughlin said there have been talks, but denied that a sale is imminent. |
and here's an IRL fan trying to spin the ratings for the 500 vs. The 600..... pretty good stuff.... taken from a pro-IRL board that can be found at http://www.trackforum.com/ . Fair warning though.... If you think I'm a shill for ChampCar, you havn't seen anything yet....
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Trust me, I am no IRL fan, but I am basically not a fan of CART anymore either. In war, there are casualties. I am one of them.
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CHAMP CAR NOTEBOOK
Series co-owner would welcome talks with IRL Gentilozzi says philosophical differences stand in the way of 1 series. 
By Steve Ballard [email protected] June 6, 2004 WEST ALLIS, Wis. -- If open-wheel racing is to return to being one series, Paul Gentilozzi vows it won't be because the Champ Car World Series quietly goes away. Three races into his first season as co-owner of the former CART series with partners Kevin Kalkhoven and Gerald Forsythe, Gentilozzi reiterated this weekend that he would welcome discussions with Indy Racing League president Tony George but is heartened by the long-term prospects for Champ Car. After first saying he has to be "careful about what I say because some people are actually listening now," Gentilozzi made clear who he believes is responsible for the problems in open-wheel racing. "Why aren't we together? What is the obstruction?" he said. "Is it about preserving the throne of the royal family of motor sports, or is it about preserving a motor sports discipline?" He said there are no differences that can't be overcome if officials of both series commit to finding a solution. "The mechanics of it is not the issue. It's the philosophical issues that have to be resolved," he said. "It's not about rules and (engine) liters. All of that can be fixed." Gentilozzi was peeved by a first-person story by Roger Penske published last week in The New York Times, in which the CART co-founder and current IRL team owner wrote he is going to work "the next couple of months to come up with a way to repair the split." Penske intimated that George is close to landing a title sponsor for the IRL and that will lead to more Champ Car teams jumping series. "Open-wheel racing has been telling the world what it ought to think for the last decade," Gentilozzi said. "I don't think that's working very well." |
Anyone care to post the a review of their thoughs on the first three weekends and their overall thoughs of the ChampCar series? How are tv ratings and attendence?
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in quick form....
Long Beach- Bad race (but a Tracy win).... bad tv ratings..... excellent attendance Monterrey- Good race.... improving tv ratings... excellent attendance Milwaukee- So-so race (good race beyond first place, which was dominated by American, Ryan Hunter-Reay).... decent attendance for an oval |
quick note-
ChampCar Pole speed at Milwaukee- 181.150 Top IRL speed during test at Milwaukee - 164.868 I really can't wait to see what an IRL car can put out on a road course. I have a feeling the ChampCar feeder series (Toyota Atlantic) will be faster than them..... |
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and here's a big thumbs down to ChampCar/OWRS.........
**File this in the Department of They Don't Get It. Paul Tracy could have been making his Nextel Cup debut this weekend at Sonoma, Calif. but was denied permission by his Champ Car owner Gerald Forsythe. "Richard Childress offered me a ride last month but Gerry and Kevin (Kalkhoven, OWRS ower) thought it would confuse people and they would think I was going to NASCAR," said the 2003 CART champion. "I think it would have been good for Champ Car." Forsythe and Kalkhoven may understand business but they need a PR class because they blew an excellent opportunity to get some free exposure to a group of race fans that don't know Champ Car exists. |
Would F1 run a street circuit at Long Beach, and would CART fight tooth and nail to keep it? While I enjoy the F1 and racing, I hate the "team spirit" of it. Its ten times worst then the US-based series.
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If F-1 wants Long Beach, they can have it..... I really think the future of ChampCar will be non-North American races.... In all honesty, Long Beach could run 20 FOFC members on scooters, and the fans would still show....
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I like the idea of the Long Beach Grand Prix, I love the location, I hate the actual circuit. I have been many times, but I preferred going on Saturdays and checking out all the Expo's and then watching the race on Sundays.
Monaco is the best and will always be the best street course without any sort of competition at all. And the 2004 Monaco Grand Prix was a fun race to watch. |
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I love the Long Beach circuit. Monaco is an awesome circuit in what it offers (location, fans, ect.), but its terrible in allowing for passing. |
True, Monaco is probably the most passer *un*friendly circuit ever raced on.
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16:01 June 23, 2004)
Unification? Indications are a single open-wheel American race series may be at hand Behind-the-scene efforts to unify the Indy Racing League with Champ Car are heating up By AUTOWEEK The next 100 hours could be crucial for the survival of American open-wheel racing. That's when Roger Penske, the most successful team owner in the sport, reportedly will present to Tony George, scion of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, a plan to reunify the two warring parties. It will not be a one-sided proposal to benefit either group. It will require contrition and give-and-take from both parties. It will not be a buy-out, a fold up, or surrender from either side. If successful, this partnership is one from which all members—Tony George, the IRL, Champ Car, the teams and drivers of each series, the engine manufacturers, and the sponsors—will benefit. Most important, the fans will win. This denouement began with an editorial in The New York Times penned by Penske and appearing on the eve of last month's Indy 500 calling for a truce. It continued this week, AutoWeek has learned, with a meeting between the Champ Car triumvirate—Kevin Kalkoven, Paul Gentilozzi and Jerry Forsythe—and Penske in a Pontiac, Michigan airport hangar. At that meeting, options on how to go about reunifying the two series' were discussed including outright ownership of Champ Car by the IRL, something that's as likely to happen as it is that NASCAR will wither up and blow away. Still, Penske left the airport with a framework for reunification that includes the formation of a new series and the organizational structure to run it. For this new series (might we suggest naming it Formula Indy?) to work each side must hold equal ownership of the new company. Both sides must get equal representation on a board that allows the current sanctioning bodies three members each plus one appointed member, for a total of eight. Both Champ Car and the IRL will provide an equal contribution of assets. Both companies will bring to the combined schedule the strongest races in the best markets each has to offer. An appropriate television package would follow. Who could best run this series? How about Brian Barnhart of the IRL who has repeatedly proven his organizational capabilities. What to call members of the new company? Make everyone a czar or a king or whatever… that's just haggling over titles. This plan seems so simple that it's almost too good to be true. Everyone wins and no individual loses. How could fans not embrace or support a remarriage? While this fight was about what all fights come down to—winning and losing, determining who's better, about power and sharing, and about egos—the schism's economics look as though it has finally slapped sense into the parties. In the near decade since the split, neither series has profited. Each has lost traction with fans, has stumbled with television audiences, has turned off Madison Avenue and has collectively handed the spotlight to an omnipresent, all-profitable, left-turning NASCAR. Open-wheel racing in America has come down to basic survival, and it's being proven time and again. Last year, after burning through a $150 million war chest, Championship Auto Racing Teams went tango-uniform; an owner group salvaged the sport and re-christened it Champ Car on a shoestring budget. Even the venerable Indianapolis Motor Speedway did not go unscathed. The impact to Indy's economics was never more prevalent than when this Spring word came that the Greatest Spectacle In Racing didn't really need a full field of top cars and expert drivers-something the organizers were worried about achieving (and not for the first time). Perhaps August will clarify things for open-wheel racing if more people flock to the Brickyard 400 NASCAR race than come for the Indy 500. Angry words, jealousy and greed precipitated the split. But that is history. What the sport needs now is contrition from all sides-and recognition that if either hopes to succeed this fight cannot continue. If ever the 2005 season can benefit, now is the time to expedite the healing process. What must be said about Penske is that he's a smart businessman who recognizes profit when he sees it. As fans, let us all hope that as ambassador of open-wheel racing Good Will, Penske can convince Tony George to listen and work toward a common goal. |
from CART.com
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I'm left scratching my head after that one..... |
Pride goes before the fall? Being split makes ZERO sense, financially or otherwise. At this point in time it's the "principle of the matter". One, that I no longer care enough about to agree or disagree with.
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forgot to post this..... (happend while I was in Vegas)...
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If CART and IRL unite and Tony George is somehow involved, I will walk away from US open wheel racing.
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unification crap put aside..... here's a good article, on a great guy...
 Finding Memo Written by: David Phillips Pittsburgh, Pa. – 7/16/2004  Gidley soon reminded team owners who he is in Toronto (LAT photo).There are worse things in the life of a race mechanic than repairing crash damage. One that comes to mind is working on a race car that is seldom driven hard enough to be crashed. True, the crews on such cars are usually among the first in the paddock to head for the hotel at the end of the day . . . but they also spend countless hours toiling away on routine preparation for little or no emotional reward. One of my most vivid memories from the mid ’90s was walking from the paddock to pit lane in Vancouver as the Simon Racing pit cart rolled past with Hiro Matsushita’s car in tow. As ever, the Panasonic Ford-Lola was immaculately turned out. But instead of seeing pride in the mechanics’ eyes, one sensed a cheerless resignation born of the knowledge that their car was never going to qualify or run in the top 10 or even be driven at 10/10ths, let alone contend for a victory. Right behind came Walker Racing’s Ford-Reynard, driven by Robby Gordon. The Valvoline entry had been bent, folded, spindled and mutilated more times than I could count, sometimes in pursuit of victory, others in quest of a sixth, eighth or twelfth place and, more than once, in a mano y mano confrontation with some other driver Gordon felt had done him wrong on the track. Gordon’s mechanics had spent more nights putting their car back together than they probably cared to remember. But in contrast to the grim countenances of Matsushita’s crew, Gordon’s mechanics were animated, upbeat, looking forward to the coming day; a day they knew their man would wring the neck of the car they had prepared and repaired. And if he took off a corner or pranged the tub and they were forced to spend another all-nighter putting the car back together again, well, that was a price they would gladly pay. So, why the five and dime store lesson in psychology? Fast forward to the Toronto Molson Indy pits last weekend, Saturday and Sunday to be exact. There, Memo Gidley took over the LeasePlan Ford-Lola from young Nelson Philippe, who had parted company with the Rocketsports Racing team after what was ambiguously described as a “contractual dispute.” Who knows or cares about the details of the dispute. The fact of the matter is the 17-year-old Philippe, a thoroughly likable young man who is not without talent as a race driver, was in over his head. Having done a credible – if unremarkable – job in his first season of auto racing in the 2003 Barber Dodge Pro Series, the former karter made the big leap to Champ Cars this year. And while he did nothing to embarrass himself, and in fact scored a couple of top 10 finishes, Philippe would clearly have been better served running a year or two of Toyota Atlantic where, even as I write, another 17-year-old by the name of Andrew Ranger is stamping himself as a Coming Man a la A.J. Allmendinger. Gidley knows a thing or two about Toyota Atlantic, having finished second and third, respectively, in the ’97 and ’98 championships. He also knows a thing or two about Champ Cars, having made 36 starts from ‘99 through ’01 for a cavalcade of teams including Target/Chip Ganassi, Player’s/Forsythe, Walker, Coyne and Della Penna Racing, mostly as a substitute for injured colleagues. He also knows a thing or two about prowling the pit lane in search of work, unaccountably having failed to secure a full-time ride despite coming within a heartbeat of besting no-less than Dario Franchitti for the win at Cleveland in ’01, leading 68 laps in the ’01 Michigan 500 and earning the admiration of virtually every mechanic and engineer he worked with in the process. Thus it was no surprise to see a little extra bounce in the steps of the LeasePlan crew in Toronto, guys like crew chief Rob Hill who worked with drivers like Alex Zanardi, Jimmy Vasser and Juan Pablo Montoya at Target/Ganassi; team manager Phil Howard, who’s worked with Gordon and Oriol Servia in his day, not to mention Rocketsports’ Alex Tagliani, a driver seldom criticized for lack of effort. Sure, they’d stayed up until the wee hours of Saturday morning fitting Gidley to the car (he’d been at Infineon Raceway preparing to do some work as Jim Russell Driving School instructor on Friday when Rocketsports’ owner Paul Gentilozzi rang him up and offered him the ride in Toronto). And sure, Gidley qualified 18th out of 18 cars. But they’d seen him run 16th out 18 cars in practice Saturday – the first time he’d ever sat in the car, not to mention the first time he’d driven a Champ Car since the end of ’01. And they’d listened to his feedback, feedback that confirmed what most in pit lane suspected: there were no fundamental problems with the car, just some tweaks to fine-tune the car to the liking of Gidley – or any other driver not learning the Champ Car ropes via on-the-job training. And they heard him speak confidently of having a very driveable race car, one with which he was sure he could make quick progress in the race. Sure enough, Gidley moved up through the field by dint of several passes and mistakes by other drivers to run 11th before a tangle with Allmendinger dropped him down the order and he ultimately parked the Rocketsports car in the wall at Turn Eight. Gidley refused to make excuses for the crash. “It had nothing to do with the fact I hadn’t been in a Champ Car for a while,” he said. “I just made a mistake, that’s all.”  Memo Gidley (LAT photo)Nor did he leave Toronto second-guessing himself. “The whole experience was nothing but positive,” said Gidley. “The car was a blast to drive, the team is totally professional and they couldn’t do enough for me.” Now comes the hard part . . . Gentilozzi made it perfectly clear that Gidley was the perfect driver to replace Philippe on such short notice in Toronto. He also made it perfectly clear that last weekend’s deal with Gidley was for Toronto only; that a whole range of factors – inevitably involving sponsorship money and other commercial considerations – would weigh on the decision of who to put in the Rocketsports entry for the remainder of the season. Michael Valiante’s name is being widely circulated as a candidate for the ride, the young Canadian being an ideal choice in light of the fact that the upcoming Vancouver Molson Indy is in his hometown and that Champ Car (in which Gentilozzi is a partner) is negotiating with Molson Sports and Entertainment to establish long-term contracts with the three events in Toronto, Vancouver and Montreal. Valiante is no Philippe. He’s 24 years old, has two and a half seasons and a handful of Toyota Atlantic wins under his belt and has tested a Champ Car for Walker Racing on a couple of occasions. On the other hand, Valiante is no Gidley. Make no mistake, Gidley would love to get the call. It’s just that he’s been through this sort of thing often enough before that he’s realistic about the situation. “I realized a long time ago not to take things personally,” says the San Rafael, Calif. resident. “There’s a whole lot of factors that go into a decision like this. I know I can drive a race car, Paul and the team know I can drive a race car, but I also know it costs money to run a race car. “I’d love to get the chance to drive for Rocketsports full-time. But it’s not like I’m on pins and needles waiting for the phone call. I’m racing a Ford Focus sponsored by the Air Force Reserve in the SPEED World Challenge. It’s a pretty cool car and there’s a race at Infineon Raceway this weekend, so I’ll get to sleep in my own bed! “Like I said, the whole Toronto thing was a positive. I hadn’t driven a Champ Car since the end of ’01 and, even though I hadn’t forgotten how to drive a car, a lot of people in the Champ Car paddock had maybe forgotten about me a little. This was a chance to reset the clock in their minds. They saw me get in the car for the first time Saturday and do a pretty good job, so now I’m current again.” The coming days will tell the tale. But, I would hazard to guess if the decision were left to the mechanics and engineers at Rocketsports, Gidley would be looking forward to a lot of nights away from his own bed. And the mechanics might be looking forward to some nights fixing crash damage. Gladly. |
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Gidley qualified 5th for the Vancouver race Sunday.... thumbs up Memo...
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from early this week.... |
Notes from Road America fan forum.....
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NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Eurosport did a terrible job last time they had the rights. Time and again the live motor racing would be preempted by highlights of marathon running or ski jumping (in the summer!!!!). Champ Car needs Road America. |
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 Friday, August 6, 2004 By John Oreovicz Special to ESPN.com If there is one thing that brings a smile to the face of any Champ Car driver, team member, official or fan, it's a visit to majestic Road America. The appeal to the drivers is obvious: Near Elkhart Lake, Wis., Road America spreads its 14 corners over four miles, making for an average lap speed of more than 140 mph -- faster than some ovals. "It's phenomenal, the best track in the United States of America, by far," says Ryan Hunter-Reay, who paced Friday's provisional qualifying session for the Champ Car Grand Prix of Road America. "Tracks like this make me jealous of Formula 1 and European racing. It's such a great feeling to get it right in the high-speed corners, so rewarding. But it's easy to get too greedy and throw it away by sticking your car in a sand trap." For the rest of us, Elkhart Lake offers something different. There is just something about the place, whether it's the sound of engines ringing through the hills and trees or the smell of charcoal-grilled bratwurst wafting through the air, that makes Road America the most enjoyable place to watch road racing in America. Last year, Road America's future with CART was very much in jeopardy until Mario Andretti stepped in and helped mediate a new two-year agreement for 2003 and '04. The Indy Racing League's move into road racing has naturally led to a new round of speculation that Road America's days as a Champ Car venue are numbered, particularly when Champ Car is looking to shake up its 2005 schedule both domestically and internationally. But track general manager George Bruggenthies indicated this week that if this year's event is a success, he is interested in crafting a new deal with Champ Car's owners. "Our focus is on producing a good event this weekend," Bruggenthies told the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel. "If everything is successful and we're both smiling, we'll be talking. It's as easy as that." Champ Car president Dick Eidswick had never been to the picturesque Wisconsin circuit until this week. His early impressions were good. "The simple math is that in order to put on the show, we really have to be paid for it, and that's going to determine where we race in the long term," Eidswick told the Journal-Sentinel. "But in the short term, especially with something that has tradition like this one, we're willing to make sure both the promoter and Champ Car do all right with the thing." Eidswick will be getting help making those decisions from a new source. Champ Car announced on Friday that it has hired Joe Chrnelich as its Executive Vice President of Development, Government Affairs and Planning. Chrnelich will wrap up a stint as the CEO of the Wisconsin State Fair Park and the Milwaukee Mile on August 15. The former University of Wisconsin basketball star became immersed in auto racing promotion when he served on the Wisconsin Sports Authority transition committee which transferred promotion of Milwaukee's racing events from GO Racing to Carl Haas. He then worked with the State Fair Board to reacquire the promotional rights from Haas in May 2003. In addition, Chrnelich served as the elected head of the creditor's committee during CART's bankruptcy proceedings in late 2003 and early 2004. His testimony was a key element in Judge Frank J. Otte's decision to favor Open Wheel Racing Series LLC's bid to continue the Champ Car series over a competing bid from the IRL. As such, Chrnelich is well-versed in the politics and business of planning, promoting and staging races, and his initial task is to finalize Champ Car's '05 race schedule. An announcement is expected in early September. "I am very excited about the challenges of the new position," Chrnelich said. "It presents a different variety and scope of responsibilities compared to my job at the State Fair Park. I think this is a great fit, especially considering my years of experience understanding the promoter's perspective and the requirements for producing a quality event. "My top priority will be to establish and build long term relationships with our promoter partners while providing world class racing events for the Champ Car organization. We need to prioritize our short-term and long-term target markets, reach out to our local contacts to find out what each needs from us to be successful and then make well-informed choices of venues that complement our vision. Once we accomplish that, I suspect we will have built a solid schedule and a series that everyone can be proud of." In an interview with Milwaukee media earlier in the week, Chrnelich said his experience in working with Champ Car throughout the bankruptcy process contributed to his decision to go to work for the series. "These guys (OWRS principals Kevin Kalkhoven, Gerald Forsythe and Paul Gentilozzi) are competitive, and they are going to grow this series to where CART was many years ago," he said. "They're going to bring it back to prominence, and the product will be very distinguishable in the industry. Champ Car views itself as a world series, as well as the premier street-course series in the world." Chrnelich's first task will be to wrap up a contract extension for the Toronto and Vancouver races. He is well placed to do that, having established a relationship with Molstar Sports and Entertainment V-P Bob Singleton during the CART bankruptcy. Doubts still remain about whether Champ Car will be able to race in South Korea as scheduled in October, and Chrnelich will be charged with determining whether a Korean event is in Champ Car's best interest. Plans are reportedly advanced for a race in Buenos Aires, Argentina, while Kalkhoven has spoken for almost two years about his desire to bring a Champ Car race to San Jose, Calif. Kalkhoven had hoped to run the race on a former airfield outside of the city, but more recently a street race has emerged as the favored plan. St. Petersburg, Fla., remains in the mix for both Champ Car and the IRL, and media reports in Portland suggest that Champ Car could still return to the Rose City after plans for a proposed IRL race in '05 fell through. Champ Car is pushing for a multi-year deal, whereas the city wants a short-term contract to keep its future options open. "We're interested in hearing what the city is proposing," said Champ Car V-P of Promotions Tim Ramsberger. "A three-year deal is still a possibility, but we'll see how it goes. We still have some flexibility with our schedule." John Oreovicz covers open-wheel racing for National Speed Sport News and ESPN.com |
AUGUST 14, 2004
Cosworth renews Champ Car deal Our sources in the United States are reporting that the stability of Cosworth Racing has been bolstered in recent days by a new agreement to supply engines to the Champ Cars series in 2005. The Ford-badged engines will remain much as they have been for the last two seasons. The company will also be continuing its involvement with the Chevrolet-badged engines which are used in the Indy Racing League. The company is expected to continue to supply F1 engines to Jaguar Racing, Jordan and Minardi and could even supply a fourth team if one emerged. This is not likely to happen although one or two of the Formula 3000 teams are looking at a switch to F1 as they do not consider the new GP2 series to be economically viable. |
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hopefully a big announcement coming today....
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damn..... a series sponsor would of been nice..... but we get....
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Champ Car now in fast (food) lane
McDonald's joins as series sponsor Bourdais fastest in early qualifying RICK MATSUMOTO SPORTS REPORTER MONTREAL—Sebastien Bourdais continues his assault to wrench the Champ Car title away from defending champion Paul Tracy. Make that a Mac attack. Two hours after his team sponsor, fast-food chain McDonald's, announced it was widening its support to include the series as an official sponsor, the 25-year-old from Le Mans, France picked up another point towards the championship by capturing the preliminary pole for the Montreal Molson Indy. He now has 249 points, 57 more than teammate Bruno Junqueira and 69 ahead of Tracy. Final qualifying is this afternoon with the 69-lap race around the 2.7-mile Circuit Gilles Villeneuve slated for a 2 p.m. start tomorrow. McDonald's decision to expand its sponsorship beyond its support of Bourdais' car is seen as a major boost for the series, which rose from the ashes of the bankrupt CART circuit last winter. "It's great for the series," said Bourdais, who is in his second season in Champ Car. "If McDonald's does a good job of promoting the series it will bring it back to where it belongs." The series is expected to announce other major sponsors over the next few weeks including AOL Time Warner, which could wind up as the title sponsor. Series co-owner Kevin Kalkhoven declined to comment on the sponsorship speculations except to say: "Isn't it something that we're talking about sponsors coming on board just eight months after we took over." Kalkhoven and fellow series team owners Paul Gentilozzi and Gerald Forsythe bought the assets of CART after winning a court battle with the rival Indy Racing League. Actor Paul Newman, co-owner of Newman/Haas, was instrumental in getting McDonald's to sponsor one of his team's two cars last year and he persuaded the company to step up to the next level of sponsorship. The original tie between Newman and McDonald's was through the restaurant's use of the salad dressing which bears his name. "I'm trying to get them interested in cross-dressing," Newman joked. "I want them to use a little dressing on their salads and a little salad dressing on their hamburgers." Turning serious, Newman said the McDonald's sponsorship should have "a powerful influence on our team, Champ Cars and racing in general." One of the criticisms of some of Champ Car's previous major sponsors has been the lack of marketing and promotions away from the racetrack. John Lewicki, McDonald's USA director of alliances, said that will not be the case with his company's commitment. "Our development of the marketing plans are a little premature, but our desire is to use the assets of Champ Cars in our commercials," said Lewicki. Tracy, who finished second to Bourdais last week in Denver, could manage no better than the seventh fastest time, .925 seconds behind Bourdais. "It was not a good day," he said. "I never put a good lap together." He hit his right rear wheel off the wall on his final lap ruining the gearbox on his Ford/Cosworth-Lola. Quebecer Alex Tagliani, who won his first career race three weeks ago at Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wis., had the second-fastest qualifying time yesterday just 0.096 second slower than Bourdais' one minute, 21.695-second run. Montreal's other hometown hero, Patrick Carpentier failed to get in a qualifying time when the Ford/Cosworth engine let go just five laps into the session. "It's a sad thing to have the same thing as last year here," he said. "But we did finish on the podium (third), so I'll be looking to do the same thing this year, I guess." NOTE: Andrew Ranger, the 17-year-old sensation from Roxton Pond, Que., was second quickest on the first qualifying session in the Toyota Atlantic series. He was .126 behind early pole sitter Ryan Dalziel's time of 1:34.187. Additional articles by Rick Matsumoto |
I got comped so I'm going to the Nazareth Indy 225 today. Take that for what it's worth.
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sorry to hear that.... good luck
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Redneck Central. :( |
It's pretty sad that the only time the IRL makes the local news around here.... is when there is a bad accident or they set one of their pit crew members on fire....
here's an article covering the latter... Quote:
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At least Dale Jr. won at Bristol.
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IT'S STILL NEWMAN-HAAS
Carl Haas doesn't want to talk about it yet but Paul Newman made it official over the weekend at Montreal. "Carl and I are together forever," said Newman in response to the future of his 21-year partnership with Haas in Champ Car. "Now the cat's out of the bag." Haas had received a large financial offer from Tony George and Honda about jumping to the Indy Racing League but they demanded he close the doors of his Champ Car team. Newman, easily Champ Car's most vocal and visible supporter, vowed to continue the team if Haas left for the IRL but they've decided to stay together. "I haven't said anything yet and I won't," said Haas. An official announcement is expected next week and there's a good chance Cristiano da Matta may be in a third Newman-Haas entry in 2005 with Sebastien Bourdais and Bruno Junqueira. http://www.speedtv.com/commentary/12697/ |
 Saturday, August 28, 2004 By John Oreovicz Special to ESPN.com Indianapolis Motor Speedway President and Indy Racing League founder Tony George took time out to talk to ESPN.com's John Oreovicz on the eve of the IRL's 100th race, running Sunday (ABC, 3:30 ET) at Nazareth Speedway. George expounded on a variety of topics related to the League and American open-wheel racing.
ESPN.com: I'm sure it's hard to quantify, but do you feel like your plan for the League is on schedule? George: The plan has changed from time to time. Right now, it's easy to say I would have envisioned the League being where it is today four or five years ago, but hindsight is 20/20. We're pleased with where we're at and just stay focused on where we are today and where we want to be tomorrow, not worry about what could have been. This 100th race of the Indy Racing League is considered by some as a milepost. Certainly to those of us who have been here since Day One, since the first race, it probably means something more than to others who haven't been here from the beginning, whether it's their second season or their 12th or 13th race. It means different things to different people, I guess. I think the addition of road courses to our schedule next year sort of ushers in a new era for the League. We'll try to continue to provide close, exciting racing on track and see what opportunities going into a new discipline and new markets will present us. I think we have to do a better job of telling our story and getting connected with the public. That's our biggest challenge today. ESPN.com: Obviously, the hallmark of the League is the close racing, especially on the big ovals. When you watch the cars running so closely together, what kind of feeling does it inspire in you? George: I guess at different times I feel different things. It's not the same every race. I get some of those same feelings watching a race at Richmond or Nazareth that I do at the big tracks. Clearly, the side-by-side racing that the mile-and-a-half and two-mile tracks have produced has been good for the League from the standpoint that the rules package keeps our cars close. Success at the end of the day is often determined by the preparation of a given team on that weekend -- whoever works the hardest and has the best strategy, or adjusted the car to be good all day and be there at the end for the win. The best teams generally end up coming out on top. But it's that close, side-by-side racing that gets my blood flowing and generates a lot of different emotions. I've always believed that oval track racing provides a great opportunity for an entertaining product, and we've been able to establish and keep that. ESPN.com: Why are oval tracks so important to you and the League? George: As I said, I think ovals provide great entertainment for the viewing spectator. It's also something that can be covered cost-effectively for television. It lends itself to close racing. It's a uniquely American discipline, and for those reasons, it's important to me. The Indianapolis 500 has been run on an oval track for almost 90 years and the Indy Racing League was created to build on the history and tradition and legacy of the Indianapolis 500 and it is a very meaningful part of the American motorsports scene. When we started the League in '94, it was with the hopes that we would encourage more oval tracks to be built. In a small way, I think we have been able to play a part in that renaissance of being able to build and develop new tracks. Certainly a lot of tracks have been built in the hopes of getting a NASCAR race but many of them haven't ever received a Cup date. We want to provide quality inventory for those racetracks to hopefully make money and provide a return on investment. There have been some great tracks built in some exciting new markets and we have been fortunate enough to take advantage and be a part of the business plan of many of those tracks. All the while, we said we would be interested in running road courses as part of our schedule. We always said that if and when the right opportunity presented itself, we would consider it. Fortunately or unfortunately, I don't know, it has taken us until now until we could work out a deal and add them in 2005. But we've had several starts and stops, beginning with Chris Pook before the IRL even turned a wheel. Back in 1994-95 he was a part of some of the formative meetings of the Indy Racing League and he contemplated Long Beach being part of our schedule from the beginning. For whatever reasons, that didn't work out and that's all part of history. We've gone on to build a great series that I think has a bright future. Now that we're ushering in a new era of running on road courses the challenge will be to continue to provide the same quality and entertaining product on road courses that we do on ovals. ESPN.com: It seems a key change in public perception over the last couple of years has come from the fact that many of the top drivers, sponsors, manufacturers and teams in American open-wheel racing have decided that it is better for them to do business in the IRL rather than Champ Car. Can you discuss the impact that these known quantities have made on your series? George: For the most part, the partnerships that existed between teams and sponsors and manufacturers existed for a reason and had an objective. By and large, the ones that came over here had the objective to be in the American markets. Most people would enjoy running a race in Canada or Mexico, but clearly, North America is where their focus is. They are not interested in globetrotting and going all around the world because of domestic budgets and domestic business they are trying to build or awareness they are trying to create. Our television partner wants many of those same things, and as a result, that coincides with our objectives too. I think we've tried to create an environment for these teams to do business. Many of them who came over here with a bit of trepidation have come to enjoy it and genuinely like it. It's something that we hope remains the case for many years to come. ESPN.com: One of the themes of 2004 has been the performance of the Honda engine. Do you think the League needs to take steps to restrict Honda, or assist Chevrolet and Toyota? George: I think by and large Honda and Toyota recognize that Honda did a fair amount of homework in the offseason and has come out with a strong package this year. They all tend to be competitive and Brian Barnhart or any manufacturer has not made me aware that they are asking or looking for any kind of assistance or relief or tightening down on one manufacturer as a result of their success on the track. I think there is a system in place to deal with that if requests of that nature come about, but to my knowledge, no one has come to Brian or me with any request. I think a lot of it is attributed to their respect of the job Honda has been able to do. ESPN.com: How important was it for the League to identify and develop an American star to become the identity of the IRL? I'm talking about Sam Hornish Jr. George: I thought you were talking about Buddy Rice! I'm just pointing out that there is a lot of American talent out there. Sam is a great talent and a great race driver. I recognized it early when he was with PDM. Panther gave him a great opportunity and they had a lot of success together and it was important for us to try to keep him involved in IndyCar racing. Obviously, Roger recognized that and offered him a situation, which to Sam, I'm sure, fulfilled a lifelong dream. We're happy that Sam is there, hopefully for the long term, and we wish him continued success. I hope there is a lot of competition on the track to make him work for his successes and hopefully there are more Sam Hornishes out there to come along in the future. ESPN.com: In creating the additional races you now run at the Speedway you have worked closely with Bill France Jr. and Bernie Ecclestone. Are there any lessons you learned from those respected businessmen that you were able to apply to the IRL? George: There are always lessons to be learned. You live your whole life learning new things. I've learned a lot since 1990. Since the early '90s, I really started developing a relationship and a dialogue with those guys and I guess there are lessons I've learned from them -- though I'm not sure it is appropriate to share. But it's all a part of business. I think there are some things we have taken from Formula 1, some things we have taken from NASCAR, some things we have taken from CART as we were looking to put our series together. I think Formula 1 has been a challenge to develop in the United States because of the business model. Likewise, you can look at the success of NASCAR in the United States and try to formulate a model for international expansion and it becomes more challenging. I guess with IndyCars, CART always tried to do that and we want to try to find the right balance or the right mix and position our series as an eclectic international series with true international interest. It is an American product that we want to export on a limited basis by doing races outside the country, but we also want to make it something that through other forms of medium, take it to the world. Television obviously plays a big part in that, having the right partners. It helps to have international stars when you are doing that. I think we're just trying to find the right balance. ESPN.com: The France family kind of created a blueprint where they own Daytona and run NASCAR. As the steward of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, do you feel that it is your right or your responsibility to lead open wheel racing in this country? George: I have a responsibility being in the position I'm in at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. With the position I was offered in 1990 came a great deal of responsibility and opportunity. So I tried to take that seriously and position the Indianapolis Motor Speedway as a leader in sports entertainment and do some things beyond opening up the gates one month a year to run a race. I think my grandfather always tried to be a benefactor of racing and he supported it at many levels. I think we have expanded on that legacy and tried to continue to provide some leadership and direction in growing motorsports. You know, motorsports was becoming very popular in the late '80s into the '90s. I guess I just came along at a time when our family was sort of looking to broaden its horizon. With the Formula 1 race and the Brickyard 400, we wanted to expand our base and introduce new fans to our facility, and certainly having those races has accomplished that. We have a very diverse group of fans that come through the gates every year for our three races. At the same time, it has been fun and challenging being a part of those and starting the League. ESPN.com: You mentioned earlier that building a fan base was the toughest challenge. Has it been harder than you expected in that respect? Has there been more backlash then you expected from what seems to be a very loyal Champ Car fan base? George: Yes, but I think the IRL has a very solid core group of fans. I think CART or Champ Car had a very solid core group. I think both have a lot of casual viewers that we need to connect with. Before Marlboro was here, reaching out to their consumers and bringing them to our races and introducing them to the experience here, they were doing that at CART races. The challenge when you have a sponsor who helps connect you with their consumers is to convert them into ticket buyers going forward. That's probably a challenge that both CART and IndyCar have had. It's the vocal minority that have sort of fueled the back and forth verbal barrages over the last nine or 10 years that really turned a lot of people off. It wasn't so much the racing -- it's the territorial nature of fervent fans who follow it. I think both organizations would have been better served by trying to just stick to their business and not try to go tit for tat. The people that work for me have really tried to do that. I can't control the people that support us as racetrack owners or promoters or car owners or drivers, but as far as the League is concerned, we've really tried to worry about our own business. It has created some distractions that haven't allowed us to focus on developing our fan base. If CART or Champ Car was as strong as it believed it was, it wouldn't see the erosion that it has today. There is a lot to be said for maybe trying to have coexisted peacefully instead of allowing so much emotion to enter into it. Again, you can't control all the other people. You can only control things you can control. ESPN.com: Given that the so-called reunification efforts that took place this summer have ended, are you optimistic that the two series can coexist peacefully? George: I don't know why not. As it was laid out to me last fall, clearly their vision and their business plan for the future is inconsistent with ours. That's why things didn't lead to a unification. If they are true to their word, they are going about doing things differently than us. So I don't know why we couldn't coexist. I guess we'll just have to wait and see. Their plan or vision for a unified series was different than mine. I think you'll see us focusing more on our business and developing future opportunities that are unique to us. I have encouraged our people to stay away from anything that might look like we're sitting around trying to pick at the bones of the CART carcass. That's people's perception. We don't make phone calls to race promoters trying to steal races. On occasion we take phone calls when they call us. But one thing I am not interested in is being played off CART anymore. That has happened since Day One. I started with Chris Pook when he sat in on the formative meetings of the IRL and I'm just not interested in playing that game anymore. ESPN.com: Clearly, you have invested a great deal of money in forming and sustaining the League and you have been personally attacked for doing it. Has it been worth it? George: Yeah. I mean, I haven't missed one of these races because I enjoy coming to them. If I didn't enjoy coming to them and being a part of it, I would miss one every once in a while. But I genuinely enjoy it. It has all been worth it. Maybe it's a good thing that I don't know everything that everyone has said or has thought about me. I know of some of it. I've had personal close contact encounters with angry fans over the course of the years and I have always tried to either try to personally respond, whether in an e-mail or face-to-face response, to an angry fan because I think it's important. If they are sincere, then they deserve a sincere response from me. If they are insincere, I generally don't give them the benefit of a personal response. But I have tried to be accessible and personal in my response to many of the people who have expressed their displeasure with me personally or with the League. On occasion I have just tried to explain things from my point of view. Sometimes they see it and sometimes they don't, but that's okay. Part of the learning experience for me is having people have a different perspective and sharing it. Not everybody likes NASCAR at the Speedway, not everyone likes Formula 1 at the Speedway and not everyone likes the IRL, but they are entitled to their opinion. On balance, I think that myself and the organization at both the Speedway and the League have been able to add value to the motorsports equation -- more so than detract from it. John Oreovicz covers open-wheel racing for National Speed Sport News and ESPN.com. |
Motorsports: A Golden Future? Champ Car's new McDonald's relationship has potential
AUTOWEEK Posted Date: 8/31/04 There is no doubt CART and its reformation as the Champ Car World Series has had a tough couple of years. Yet after its race in Montreal, where the series again drew in excess of 100,000 fans for the weekend, Champ Car shows all signs of succeeding where many thought it would fail. The value of the new McDonald’s relationship for the series will ultimately be demonstrated next season and beyond; its real potential varies depending on whom you ask and how it gets spun. Still, the relationship is significant and the chatter in the Montreal hospitality tents indicates more is on the way. At the least, doubts about Champ Car’s buoyancy—or the commitment of its new owners—should be quelled. Arch this Perhaps now we know one reason team owner Carl Haas passed on an offer to join the rival IRL (AW, Aug. 30). For weeks the rumor floated that McDonald’s would join the Champ Car World Series in some large capacity. In so doing, Mickey D’s represents the first significant new marketing partnership Champ Car has arranged in years. On Friday before the Montreal race, McDonald’s announced it signed as the series’ official fast food restaurant through 2006. The world’s largest restaurant chain will also remain as primary sponsor of one of Newman-Haas Racing’s Champ Car entries through 2007. What does it mean to be the official fast food restaurant, and how much will McDonald’s spend? "We never discuss financials," said John Lewicki, the company’s senior director of alliance marketing. "You’ll see some results of this for the balance of this year, but really we are getting our plans in place for a kickoff in 2005." McDonald’s joined the series last season, when it was still CART, as part-time sponsor of one of the Newman-Haas cars. It signed on with the team full time this season. Clearly, the latest deal was personally influenced by Newman-Haas co-owner Paul Newman, who supplies McDonald’s with salad dressing and other products through his Newman’s Own nonprofit company. "Paul opened our eyes to this," said Lewicki. "We’d walk through a wall for Paul. Now we see the value here and we want to take it a step further. We can certainly benefit for this series’ international reach." McDonald’s subsidiaries in Canada and Mexico readily signed on with the program, according to Lewicki. He concedes it has been a more difficult proposition in the United States, where NASCAR reigns. Nonetheless, the McDonald’s franchise council in the States has approved the program and will participate. "It would be our desire to use the Champ Car logo and series in [U.S.] television advertising," Lewicki said. "We’ll likely see the logo in our restaurants for periods of time, certainly in connection with race markets." What about a full title sponsorship? "We’re kind of taking it one step at a time," said Lewicki. "There may be an opportunity for that at some point." Next? McDonald’s is the first new consumer-based company to take a major role in Champ Car since the heyday of cigarette and beer brands. Series sources also said in Montreal that Champ Car is negotiating with "a prominent consumer company" to be the series title sponsor. "It’s all about momentum," said one. "I think people are going to be surprised." In Montreal, neither Paul Gentilozzi nor Kevin Kalkhoven, two of Champ Car’s three owners, would let on as to whom that sponsor might be. But other sources indicate Champ Car is in discussions with America Online, and that talks center around joint marketing programs between the series, McDonald’s and AOL. No race in San Juan The proposed Champ Car World Series race in San Juan, Puerto Rico, won’t happen this season. Series officials say they still hope to put the 10-turn, 1.6-mile circuit at Isla Grande Airport on their schedule in 2005. The Trans-Am series used the San Juan circuit in 2003, but the late effort to move Champ Car there this year came up short. While the FAA has not quashed the plan (Isla Grande is a working airport, like Cleveland’s Burke Lake-front), agreements and arrangements with local authorities, including Puerto Rico’s tourist board, could not be ironed out in time for a November race. With few options at this point, it is unlikely Champ Car will fill the open date on its calendar in November. Expect the season to end Nov. 7 in Mexico City after 14 races. http://www.autoweek.com/news.cms?newsId=100736 |
Two articles worth a read.... hard to argue with anyof the points brought up in either article....
News Motorsports: The confusing face of open-wheel AUTOWEEK Posted Date: 9/7/04 It's all looked rosy for big-league open-wheel racing the last few weeks. The Champ Car World Series nailed down a new long-term deal with Portland International Raceway and a potentially significant marketing partnership with McDonald's. The series is deep in negotiations with AOL as its new title sponsor and promises to release a 2005 schedule Sept. 30 with 16 or 17 races chosen from 21 possibilities. The IRL, meanwhile, released a 2005 schedule with the first two road races in its nine-year history. Last week, the League confirmed that it will indeed race in St. Petersburg, Fla. on April 3, 2005. The IRL will run its first street race at Albert Whitted Airport on the same circuit CART used in St. Pete in 2003. Honda will be title sponsor, and the event will be promoted by Andretti-Green Promotions, new subsidiary of Andretti-Green Racing, headed by long-time CART team owner Barry Green, who sold his race team to Michael Andretti (with Honda carrying the paper) at the end 2002. Good thing, isn't it? Certainly it seems so for IRL fans and participants, at least from the racing perspective. Most of the IRL's premier teams, including Ganassi, AGR, Rahal and Fernandez were road racers first and foremost, as were nearly all of the IRL's current drivers. It also seems to push the political pendulum in the IRL's direction, because the League now has a toehold in what was Champ Car's last clear domain of superiority: well-attended street races--call them happenings--in key urban markets. But even for IRL fans, is that really good? Not sure. In the micro view, IRL and Indianapolis Motor Speedway boss Tony George is the financial backstop in St. Petersburg, and ultimately his money will balance any red ink the race generates. History has proven that even the most successful street races take at least three years to reach critical mass and generate a profit. In the short term the IRL's first street race is at best an investment in the future, and at worst another financial drain. The macro view looks more pessimistic, and let it be clear what we think on this score: If open-wheel racing in the United States has any hope of unsubsidized commercial success in the face of the NASCAR monolith (not to mention renewed vigor and real GROWTH), the prospects increase exponentially with a single, premier series. Those are our politics. But let's work with prevailing conditions, because that's what we live with. The recent developments offer reason for hope--hope that each open-wheel series can build a more viable brand, or niche, and peacefully co-exist with the other. Each claims it's doing exactly that. Even with a couple of NASCAR-style road races, the IRL could continue to shape its brand as a predominately oval, more traditionally American open-wheel series. Champ Car, meanwhile, keeps a couple of ovals and pays lip service to diversity, building its brand with cosmopolitan urban venues and a more pronounced international flavor. The problem is that the IRL in St. Pete muddles this scenario further. Let's face it. Hard-core racing fans--those who know the history--have long since chosen sides. In the process that fan base, like the talent and financial resources in each series, has been diluted. The battle from here out rages for the hearts and minds of casual race fans or people simply looking for an interesting place to spend their time and money. So which series is racing here this weekend, Jane? Is it the oval guys who race at Indy or that series that does all the street races? No, Joe, Dale Jr. races in NASCAR. You can be sure the France family does not distribute its wealth keeping NASCAR in the black, and NASCAR is way in the black. You can be equally sure that George has subsidized the IRL since its inception, and continues to; that Champ Car (or CART) hasn't made a dime in at least three years, and won't anytime soon. And if you think Champ Car's new owners don't have the resources to subsidize for the long haul, you should have your medications re-evaluated. Both sides can keep themselves in business for five, ten years or more, if they choose to, at some functioning level of mediocrity. Regardless, the current environment is not conducive to making big league open-wheel self-sustaining again, much less to restoring a situation where open-wheel more often than not beats NASCAR in television ratings. The IRL in St. Pete does nothing to improve the environment. Most confounding of all, the men who run Champ Car and the IRL have publicly agreed on ONE thing: That a single North American-based series is ``the optimal situation.'' NOW IT CAN BE TOLD Given recent retrenchment in both Champ Car and the IRL, it's easy to forget that less than two months ago the two series were flirting (briefly) with unification. In the interim, enough people have talked to reconstruct what happened with some accuracy. After an initial meeting between Champ Car honchos and Roger Penske, who took the job of intermediary, the two sides met aboard Penske's jet at the airport in Toronto after the Champ Car race there July 11: Penske, Champ Car owners Gerald Forsythe, Paul Gentilozzi and Kevin Kalkhoven, and Craig Brighton, general counsel for Indianapolis Motor Speedway, representing IRL boss Tony George. Brighton traveled with the task of exploring how much it might take to "merge'' by writing Champ Car a check. The Champ Car trio made its baseline clear at the start: 50-50 ownership and control, and a hired CEO to run things (as opposed to George). That firm position cooled things quickly. With greetings and small talk, the meeting lasted no more than 20 minutes. Three days later, Champ Car and the IRL simultaneously issued the only "joint statement'' ever released by both series. It read: ``While the ownership representatives of both series agree that one open wheel series is the optimal situation, it is the belief of all involved that the time is not right for further discussion of unification. Both parties appreciate the efforts of Mr. Penske, and both parties believe that each has a better understanding of where common ground exists.'' Is anyone laughing at this? We can think of at least few people who might be. |
Indianapolis Confirms Schedule Changes
Written by: RACER staff Indianapolis, Ind. – 9/14/2004  The Indy 500 has made a series of changes to its schedule for 2005. (LAT photo)Indianapolis Motor Speedway officials have confirmed a number of changes to the schedule for the 89th Indianapolis 500 next May 14. The race is scheduled for Sunday, May 29. Opening Day is scheduled for Sunday, May 8, with a full three weeks of activity during the traditional Month of May at the Speedway. Changes include: * A new start time of noon local time, one hour later than in past years. The new start time is intended to move the event into a better time slot for national television viewers and also provides more time for hundreds of thousands of race fans to arrive at the track on Race Day morning. Of course, it will also make things a bit more problematic for drivers like Robby Gordon who attemnpt to race in both the Indy 500 and NASCAR Coca-Cola 600 on the same day. * A new qualifying format was announced that is intended to ensure bumping on each day of qualifying (click here for details). There also will be a return to the traditional four days of qualifying, expanding from the three days of recent years. MBNA Pole Day is scheduled for Saturday, May 14, with Second Day Qualifying on Sunday, May 15, Third Day Qualifying on Saturday, May 21 and Bump Day on Sunday, May 22. * A new date for Miller Lite Carb Day, which shifts to Friday, May 27 from its past Thursday date. The Menards Infiniti Pro Series’ Futaba Freedom 100 also moves to Carb Day. * A new schedule for practice days, with on-track activity taking place from noon-6 p.m. each day except for May 8-9, one hour less of track time per day than in past years. Track activity will take place from noon-5 p.m. May 8-9. * A new schedule for the Rookie Orientation Program, which returns to its traditional Month of May slot, as ROP will take place during the first two days of practice, May 8-9. “While making the schedule for the 2005 Indianapolis 500, we’ve listened closely to competitors, fans and community leaders because we know how important the Month of May is to them for so many reasons,” said Tony George, Indianapolis Motor Speedway president and CEO. “Our goal was to provide a schedule that balances the best interests of each party and the Indianapolis Motor Speedway while maintaining the traditions of the event and the exciting buildup to Race Day during the entire month. “We believe the schedule achieves those goals while providing even more excitement with the new race start time, qualifying format and Carb Day date.” |
I need to hear this.... nice job
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Newman optimistic Champ Car moving in right direction again
Newman optimistic Champ Car moving in right direction again Sept. 15, 2004 SportsLine.com wire reports For a series that was almost dead and buried nine months ago, the Champ Car World Series is showing some real signs of life these days. Eleven races into its first season under the stewardship of owners Kevin Kalkhoven, Paul Gentilozzi and Gerald Forsythe, the Champ Car series has a highly competitive 18-car field, a compelling championship battle between Newman-Haas Racing teammates Sebastien Bourdais and Bruno Junqueira, big crowds at most evemts and, most important, some new interest from corporate America that could bode well for its future. "Everything I see out there right now is positive," said Paul Newman, co-owner of the Newman-Haas team, as well as racer, businessman, Academy Award-winning actor and Champ Car's biggest cheerleader. Newman, whose energy and determination belie his 79 years, has always tried to keep a low profile in racing. But he has recently, and reluctantly, taken a leadership role in the battle to get the once-moribund open-wheel series back to the prominence it enjoyed as Championship Auto Racing Teams before the rival Indy Racing League began competition in 1996 and split both allegiance and the fan base. "I didn't have to be involved before," Newman said in an interview with The Associated Press. "I could simply be kind of an absentee landlord, but I have a vested interest in this series and its future. And I wouldn't be here if I didn't think this offered great promise." Newman said he is delighted that fellow team owners Kalkhoven, Gentilozzi and Forsythe stepped up to buy the assets and form a new company to run the series after CART declared bankruptcy late last year. The series has been losing top teams and big-name drivers to the IRL for years, its television ratings have been nearly invisible -- at several races in 2003, there were fewer TV viewers than spectators at the event -- and teams have been struggling to attract sponsors. Meanwhile, NASCAR has continued to grow in popularity and the IRL has kept the pressure on in the battle for existing American open-wheel fans, a job made easier with former CART championship teams like Penske Racing, Team Rahal and Chip Ganassi Racing now in the rival series. Even Carl Haas, a longtime CART stalwart, Newman's partner and the guy who has run the team on a day-to-day basis since they got together in 1983, acknowledges he was thinking about joining the IRL this season -- a move that would likely have ended the long partnership. "Four months ago, I was a little pessimistic over it, but I see a lot of good signs right now," Haas said. "The whole job isn't done, but I think it has a good chance. It has become a lot better. I want to be optimistic about it." And things are looking up for Champ Car. Newman-Haas got fast food giant MacDonald's to sponsor Bourdais' car -- thanks to Newman's relationship with the company through his Newman's Own food conglomerate -- and Champ Car recently announced that the international company has signed a three-year deal to be the official fast food of the series. The current TV package is on cable's Spike TV, but a new deal, which would put at least some races back on network television, is in the works, as is a deal for a new title sponsor. "The general feeling is good and we're starting to make some progress on what I call real strategic pieces of the puzzle," said first-year series president Dick Eidswick. "At this point, we're concentrating on 2005 and beyond." Newman said there is a lot more going on behind the scenes that can't be talked about in detail. "It would be premature to say that everything is wonderful," he said. "Some of this stuff is going to work out and some of it isn't, but I think there's going to be enough of it that's going to work out that the series will be stronger next year and stronger the year after that. "I look forward to things improving and I want it to be so good that Rahal, Penske and Ganassi and all those guys will come back so we can run against them," Newman added. "I miss them." AP NEWS The Associated Press News Service |
Ford’s future
Will Ford be back in the Champ Car World Series next season, beyond its role as engine supplier through its Cosworth subsidiary? At the Champ Car opener April 18 in Long Beach, Ford Racing boss Dan Davis said,"Let’s wait and see." With the season winding down, Davis was back in the Champ Car paddock at Laguna Seca, and apparently likes what he’s seen so far. Davis wasn’t ready to confirm Ford’s return as one of Champ Car’s presenting sponsors, nor rumors Ford will step up its marketing program (and cash contribution) in 2005. But Davis’ tone, and his affinity for long-term contracts, suggest Ford will be involved in Champ Car for at least a few years. "Before this season they went from near-extinction to life-support," Davis said. "Now they are off life-support and growing, and they are listening to us and considering what we need. "Don’t get me wrong. There’s still a lot of things that need fixing, but there’s some confidence that they will be fixed. We like what we’re getting here." |
almost ironic after my last post in this thread....
Jaguar Pulls Out of Formula 1 Written by: RACER staff Coventry, England – 9/17/2004  The end is nigh for the Jaguar F1 team (LAT Photo)Jaguar are pulling out of Formula 1, with Ford announcing it is putting the team up for sale. It had been widely expected that the team would be rebranded as Ford for 2005, but Chief Technical Officer Richard Parry-Jones said on Friday that was not viable. "In order for Formula 1 to pay-off for Jaguar, it needs to able to win," said Parry-Jones. "Jaguar just cannot afford the escalating costs required to win in F1. We looked at rebranding the team Ford, but it did not create a compelling business argument." To further add to Formula 1's plight, Parry-Jones also confirmed that Cosworth – which supplies customer Ford engines to Jordan and Minardi – is also being put up for sale. "Supplying subsidized engines for teams is no longer possible,” said Parry-Jones. “We have talked to Jordan and Minardi and we intend to work with them to find a solution." The Jaguar brand entered F1 in 2000 when Ford bought the Stewart Grand Prix team. It has had mixed fortunes and has never achieved the success of similar manufacturer rivals. In the immediate aftermath it is unclear what the impact of Cosworth being put up for sale will have on the Champ Car World Series. |
INDIANAPOLIS (September 17, 2004) – What follows is a statement released by the Champ Car World Series concerning today’s announcement by series sponsor Ford Motor Company that it was putting the assets of Cosworth Racing Inc. up for sale. Cosworth Racing Inc. is the exclusive engine supplier to the Bridgestone Presents The Champ Car World Series Powered by Ford. The statement should be attributed to Champ Car President and CEO Dick Eidswick. “It comes as no surprise that Ford has decided to take these actions. It is important to note the Champ Car World Series owns the Cosworth XFE engines our teams currently use and that this decision will not impact Champ Car’s ability to compete now or in the future. We’ve been very pleased with our partners at Cosworth and anticipate the continuation of our relationship as both companies move forward with plans for the 2005 season. |
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I'm not to quick to bash CART/OWRS/ChampCar, but I will say.... please put out a schedule... ASAP.... every other major series has their schedule out, and it's been out for month or so..... Let's get it out there guys....
:from what I hear (and I don't belive this :) ): Argentina (???) Long Beach (April 10)~ Monterrey (May 22) Milwaukee (June 4) Portland (June 19) Clevland (July 2) Toronto (July 10) Vancouver (July 24)* San Jose (Aug 7) Denver (Aug 14) Montreal (Aug 28) Calgary (Sep 4) Laguna Seca (Sep 11) Las Vegas (Sep 24) China (Oct 16)* Surfers (Oct 23) Mexico City (Nov 6) China won't happen next year..... but the rest looks good to me... Who knows? maybe I'm wrong about China... |
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JOE HAWK: Wheels in motion to make Las Vegas Champ Car haven
The smooth racecourse with its ample room for passing. The bright desert sun with its warm, chamber-of-commerce welcome. Race fans cheering their favorite drivers from temporary grandstands. A black-tie gala the night before that drew celebrities from far and wide. Two decades have passed. Hundreds of like races have since been run. But Paul Gentilozzi remembers well the last motorsports venture that used the Las Vegas Strip as its glitzy backdrop and, frankly, he can't get the neon vision out of his mind. "It was all overwhelming," Gentilozzi says of the 1984 Caesars Palace Grand Prix. "There was a lot of Hollywood glamour and international flavor. Just really neat stuff." Which is why Gentilozzi, co-owner of the Champ Car Series that races tonight in a double-header event with NASCAR's Craftsman Trucks at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, has designs -- early though they may be -- on bringing open-wheel racing back to the city proper. No, it won't be on the Strip -- "That would be like closing Fifth Avenue in New York or Lake Shore (Drive) in Chicago," Gentilozzi acknowledges -- nor will it be on a temporary course set up in a hotel parking lot, such as the four-year Caesars Palace Grand Prix was. Rather, Gentilozzi is eyeing service roads just off the Strip, still with the glorious resort skyline as a backdrop, for a possible road race in 2006. "Every day in Vegas, there's something special going on. We think we could be one of those special things," he says unabashedly. Just the mention of a possible road race in the resort corridor brings back fond memories of the Caesars Palace Grand Prix, first held in 1981. It was a special event at a special time in the city's history. It was a grand local production at a time when the city was beginning to spread its wings internationally. Today, what happens in Vegas may stay in Vegas. But in the early 1980s, advertising wasn't so coy: What happened in Vegas was fodder for conventional international marketing. When Watkins Glen fell off the schedule after the 1980 season, Formula One racing used the opportunity to further cultivate the western United States. Whereas Long Beach, Calif., started the organization's 1981 race season, a new venture in Las Vegas was set to conclude it. With a winding but wide 2.3-mile course constructed in a parking lot where today the Forum Shops sit, the first two Caesars Palace Grand Prixes featured spirited racing and were a huge success with the 30,000-plus fans annually, many of whom traveled from France, Italy, Argentina, Brazil and even Australia to support their drivers with the series championship on the line. The event wasn't so popular with the racers, however. First, there was the counterclockwise driving, which put a tremendous strain on their necks. Then, with the 1981 event being held in October and the '82 event contested even a month earlier, the lingering desert heat was troubling. When Nelson Piquet of Brazil won his first world championship by placing fifth in the 1981 race, it took him 15 minutes to recover from heat exhaustion after barely making it to the finish line. Still, moments after Strip entertainer Diana Ross stood on the winner's platform and toasted both Italy's Michele Alboreto, who won the 1982 race, and Finland's Keke Rosberg, who captured that year's points title, then-resort president Harry Wald announced the signing of a deal with NBC to televise Las Vegas races the next two years. The deal, however, would not be consummated -- not with Formula One, that is. Formula One dropped Las Vegas from its schedule, but CART, then a 4-year-old version of open-wheel racing, gladly jumped aboard. The Caesars Palace Grand Prix was run two more years as a CART event, with Mario Andretti winning on a revamped 1.125-mile course in 1983 and Tom Sneva winning in 1984. The relationship ended soon thereafter when the resort decided to use the parking lot as the site for its high-end shopping mall. The idea of returning open-wheel road racing to the Strip was broached several times in the late 1990s. But with the heavy traffic the resort corridor creates, all the marketing in the world -- or world marketing, for that matter -- couldn't convince hotel executives to shut down the Strip for a weekend of racing. "And we understand that," says Gentilozzi, a former drag racer and road racer, who took in the 1984 Caesars Palace Grand Prix as an observer. "You have to compromise. But at the same time, we want to create something that won't be a compromise in terms of racing or racetrack. "We've found a couple of locations that stay off the Strip and use low-service roads. We have some ideas that offer some real challenges for the drivers and great viewing for the fans." These ideas have been zipping through Gentilozzi's mind at 200 mph since he and fellow Champ Car owners Gerald Forsythe and Kevin Kalkhoven bought the bankrupt CART racing series at the start of the year. "We've only been going for eight-plus months so we haven't been able to get everything done," Gentilozzi explains. "But this is in our plans for 2006. We hope there are people out there who understand the creativity it takes to create the financial impact of a venture like ours (estimated $20 million in nongaming local revenue this week)." Gentilozzi says the Champ Car Series could come to Las Vegas twice each year, with a race at the Speedway and one off the Strip. "I really think it can be done," Gentilozzi says of the latter venture. "All it takes is a little bit of an open mind. It would draw world attention. ... When people think of street racing, most think of Long Beach or Monte Carlo. This could be both Long Beach and Monte Carlo." Joe Hawk's column is published Sunday, Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. He can be reached at 387-2912 or [email protected]. |
Chevy announced today that their done with the IRL after 2005.... it breaks my heart...
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Miss alot of the action on TV this year, but I think they did quite well. I read that Cristiano da Matta (http://sports.espn.go.com/rpm/news/story?id=1917174) might return. I love the Vegas idea. I think it would be the best thing for ChampCar.
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Champ Car “Silly Season” Warms Up as 2004 Season Concludes
Written by: David Phillips 11/7/2004 The season closed on an optimistic note for the Champ Car fraternity in Mexico City. A year ago in Mexico City, the hot topic of conversation was the survival/future of CART and the Champ Car World Series. This year, with the survival of the Champ Car World Series secure -- at least for the foreseeable future -- conversation has turned to more conventional and, at least from a race fan’s standpoint, interesting topics. In other words, there is a silly season of sorts in the Champ Car paddock at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez with the ’05 plans for drivers like Michel Jourdain Jr., Justin Wilson, Oriol Servia, Ryan Hunter-Reay and Roberto Gonzalez -- among others -- in play, along with those of teams such as Herdez Competition, Mi-Jack/Conquest, RuSPORT, PKV and Forsythe. Not to mention, of course, 2004 championship Newman/Haas Racing which is widely expected to run a third car for Cristiano da Matta in addition to Sebastien Bourdais and Bruno Junqueira. Jourdain’s position at RuSPORT has attracted a lot of attention in the midst of news that Gigante may not renew its sponsorship agreement with the popular Mexican in the face of disappointing earnings. Although neither Jourdain or RuSPORT team owner Carl Russo would make ironclad commitments regarding ’05, Jourdain seems likely to return for a second year there. “We’ll have two cars, maybe three,” said Russo. 2004 rookie of the year A.J. Allmendinger is contractually locked in at RuSPORT for the near future, but what about Jourdain in the face of the potential loss of Gigante? “Gigante is not 100 percent either way,” said Jourdain. “But my relationship with RuSPORT is not dependent on Gigante.” Russo as much as seconded those sentiments, saying “We value continuity highly . . . We cannot allow our team to be driven by any one sponsor or (our) business model would begin resembling that of a prep shop. Not that there’s anything wrong with that, but that’s not consistent with what this organization represents.” Next door to RuSPORT’s hospitality operation stands that of Herdez Competition. Herdez (which owns a large stake in the team) announced earlier this year that it will be drastically reducing its involvement in the team, if not bowing out altogether, at the end of this year. Nevertheless, managing director Keith Wiggins is cautiously optimistic about his team’s prospects for ’05. “I’d be lying to you if I told you it’s cut and dried,” he said. “But we’re moving forward on the sponsorship side of things. There are two more years remaining on Mario’s (Dominguez) contract. The second car? We’d like to maintain continuity and have Ryan (Hunter-Reay) back, but there are money issues.” Wilson’s name is commonly mentioned in connection with Wiggins’ team for ’05, right? “I’ve heard that,” Wiggins grinned. “It’s no secret we had an option on Justin’s services two years ago but Herdez made the decision to employ Roberto (Moreno), which is perfectly understandable. “I thought pretty highly of Justin then and nothing he’s done this season had changed my opinion but, as I said, it comes down to money issues.” “I’m talking to a few people,” said Wilson, “but I’ve got nothing settled as of now. But people seem interested, so it’s looking good. Who with and how I don’t know but I aim to be back in this series next year.” Gonzalez, who is largely responsible for the Nextel (Mexico) sponsorship at PKV Racing, is also thought to be in the frame at the team about to be formerly known as Herdez Competition. As for RHR, he has received entreaties from at least one Toyota-powered Indy Racing League team for 2005, but has made no decisions about next year as of yet. “I’d like to stay in Champ Car with Herdez,” said RHR. “Outside of the Milwaukee race, we haven’t had the season we hoped for, but it’s a good, growing team, and road racing is my first love.” Sponsorship will also be a deciding factor at Mi-Jack/Conquest where Wilson did a stellar job this season on a modest budget; so stellar that his name is being mentioned around the paddock, most often in connection with Herdez but also at RuSPORT, perhaps in that third car Russo hinted at…. “I want to run two cars again,” said Mi-Jack/Conquest’s Eric Bachelart, but at the moment I don’t have the budget in place. We’re working very hard, and we have some promising prospects but nothing had been closed. “I’d very much like to keep Justin. He’s very, very good, but I’m sure he’s attracted interest from other teams, so we’ll have to wait and see.” As for young Nelson Philippe, Bachelart remains a strong supporter. “Nelson is young (18 years old) but he has a lot of potential. He makes mistakes, yes, but that should not be a surprise. He has good chemistry with the team and I hope we can put together something to run him again next year.” Then there’s Forsythe Racing. Although Patrick Carpentier is as good as gone to the Indy Racing League’s Team Cheever, Gerald Forsythe says 2003 champion Paul Tracy will be back along with Rodolfo Lavin and sponsor Corona. Beyond that? “We’re looking at the opportunity to run a couple of young Czech drivers,” said Forsythe, “and we’re also going to test David Martinez (age 21) who won the Cupa Corona here in Mexico and deserves a chance. “I’ve spoken with (vice president of operations) Neil (Micklewright) says it’s almost cheaper to run four cars than three. More than that and we would have to expand our facility in Indianapolis . . . and we’re considering that. “I’m dedicated to making this series a success and we’ll do whatever need to be done to support it. If we have the ability to run more than three cars and do it well, we will.” Perhaps it was Servia who best summed up the situation, not only for himself and for a number of other drivers, but for the series as a whole. “People are excited,” he said, “and there’s a lot of talk, but it all depends on getting the funding together. But it definitely feels better than the end of last year.” http://www.speedtv.com/articles/auto/champcar/13818/ |
by the way.... here was the schedule announcement from when the board was down...
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and an article on future of Toyota in motorsports
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King,
I'm am excited. It seems across the pond, F1 is going to be thrown up in a battle as well. How is ChampCar doing stateside in ratings and attendence in the US races? |
The television ratings were terrible this year. The deal with Spike ended up being a nightmare, as the production qualities were almost unwatchable. If nothing else, the ratings did rise, over the year, which isn't bad for a dead series. Next years television package will be announced shortly and look for it to include at least six network races with the rest being shown on Speed.
Attendence for the US races was about the same as it has been, which is a good thing. There are exceptions though, such as Road America, which loooked like a ghost town on race day. ChampCar won't be racing there in 2005. Cutting all the money losers will be important to ChampCar's survival, and although RA is a beautiful track, if people won't come, why waste money putting on the race? |
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I couldn't barely watch the Spike network. I also really didn't see much promotion by the network as well. Sucks that I don't get Speed, but I think it would be a better move for the series. Road America is a cool course, but it seems that the street circuits, Vegas, and the international courses were pretty good attendence. Any news on the Vegas street circuit? That would be a perfect season ending series, with a banquet in town and all. |
They're shooting for a 2006 street race in Vegas, but not on the strip. They plan on using the service roads to one of the off-strip casinos. If it happens it would still be pretty cool, with the strip as a backdrop. They said that this would be in addition to the oval race at LVMS, with one in spring and the other in fall.
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Sweet. The LVMS turned up a good crowd, didn't it? I always like the track too, its pretty fast, long enough, and lot of action, but not a super speedway. |
It was hard to get a good read on the crowd because the event was paired with a NASCAR Truck race. I'm guessing that there were more people in attendence for the Truck race, but at least they stayed around and watched the CC race. The released figure for the night was 80,000 which isn't too shabby.
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Not too bad at all. Is the roster lineup pretty stable for next year? |
http://www.speedtv.com/articles/auto/formulaone/13842/
http://www.speedtv.com/articles/auto/champcar/13847/ F1 seems to be interested in CART's champion and Mexican stud. |
I'd hate to lose either Dominguez or Bourdais. Add to them Ryan Hunter Reay (rumored to Ganassi of the IRL) and Justin Wilson, who may not be in next years field. However, DaMatta and Bjorn Wirdham (2003 F-3000 Champion) could be added to the ChampCar lineup as early as this week. In all reality, I don't see Dominguez or Bourdais going anywhere this year.... maybe next. I'll get a silly season list going soon.....
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Bourdais is on Letterman tonight....
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Bourdais was an excellent guest and representative of ChampCar. He said he'd love to have a shot in F-1, but realizes that it's a business, and he won't always get what he deseves. He then confirmed that he would be returning to Newman/Hass in 2005. |
forgot about Carp... not really a big deal because he wouldn't of had a ride in ChampCar but here's the release....
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holy shit.....
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