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Jaskol nips Matos for Barber Dodge win
Matt Jaskol of Las Vegas, Nevada, made the most of a late-race yellow
to edge out polesitter Rafael Matos by .123 second for the win in the
opening round of the Formula Dodge National Championship presented by
RACER at Sebring International Raceway. Brian Frisselle converted his
third starting position into a third place finish, with Ben
Freudenberg of North Bend, Oregon, taking fourth ahead of Ward Imrie.
Salvador Duran of Mexico City, Mexico, took sixth place with Dominique
Claessens of Torrance, California, in seventh. Barber- Champ Car
Karting Scholarship driver Philippe Gelinas came home in eighth, with
Abraham Zimroth of New York, New York, in ninth, and Joe D'Agostino,
another Barber-Champ Car Karting Scholarship driver, rounding out the
top ten in a very exciting 30 minute race. Jaskol, who secured his
ride in the Formula Dodge National Championship presented by RACER
with a Barber-Champ Car Karting Scholarship, was excited to emerge the
winner of a race that looked as though would be Matos.' "I had to push
really hard to get up front from where I started back in eighth," said
Jaskol. "The Michelins were good and consistent, though, and I was
able to be fast at the end when it counted. It was some really
exciting racing today, as everyone was really aggressive out there,
but this is a really intensely competitive field, and I am really
excited to take this win." Polesitter Rafael Matos was disappointed
not to take the win after spending most of the race up front and
setting the fastest lap of the race, but knows that championships are
made of points, not just wins.
3/14/03
Nakano to run for Beck and Honda in
Motegi [Editor's Note: In an effort to bolster a short
field and get more Japanese drivers in their home race, Honda is
probably funding this entire effort] Beck Motorsports today announced
plans to contest the upcoming Indy Japan 300 at Twin Ring Motegi
Circuit, using Honda power with veteran open-wheel racer Shinji Nakano
in the cockpit. Formed in 1991 by second-generation racer Greg Beck,
Beck Motorsports has fielded Indianapolis 500 efforts for drivers
including Buddy Lazier, Stephane Gregoire and Hideshi Matsuda. With
the formation of the IRL in 1996, the team appeared at the series’
inaugural event, the Indy 200 at Walt Disney World, with Robbie Buhl
as the driver. More recently, Beck fielded Billy Boat in 2001,
finishing fourth in the championship with four top-five finishes and
eight top-10 results in the 13-race season, including a second-place
finish at Nashville. “We are really looking forward to working with
Shinji and Honda,” said Beck. “We’re building a strong relationship
and we should have a successful run in Japan.” Formula One veteran
Nakano most recently completed a three-year CART program with Walker
Racing and Fernandez Racing, all with Honda power. Highlights last
season included a pair of top-five results at Toronto and Chicago,
while his best finish at Twin Ring Motegi came in an eighth-place run
in 2000. With today’s announcement, Honda will field a total of six
entries at the upcoming Motegi event, all using Dallara chassis.
3/14/03
Mad Max ready for Sebring
“Mad Max” Papis makes his return to the 12 Hours of Sebring this
weekend, driving the No. 10 JML Team Panoz LMP01 race car. Papis,
along with teammates Olivier Beretta and Gunnar Jeannette, will start
the 51st annual 12 Hours of Sebring race from the sixth position on
the grid. Max’s only other running at the legendary Sebring circuit
was in 1996, driving the MOMO Ferrari 333 SP with Gianpiero Moretti
and Didier Theys. That was Max’s second U.S. race, and his first U.S.
pole position. “I have been getting my feet wet with the new car and
new environment,” said Papis “This is a new venture with JML Team
Panoz, but they have good experience with this car and at Sebring. I
am also glad to be back at Sebring. The event is bigger than I
remember. The crowd seems to be bigger and has grown a lot. It’s a
very special atmosphere.” Papis is optimistic about the team’s chances
of success this weekend. “I feel our position is strong,” said Papis.
“What we may not have in performance over the Audis and Bentley, we
have in consistency, reliability, pit work and team experience. We
have been consistent with our lap times, but I believe we can still
get another second to second-and-a-half more out of the car.” Papis
first competed in IMSA sports car racing in 1996 with the MOMO Ferrari
team, where he collected three victories and earned his nickname, “Mad
Max” for his late race charges. In late1996, he joined the elite
Championship Auto Race Teams (CART) series. He won three CART races,
at Miami, Portland and Laguna Seca, in seven years, as well as
numerous podium finishes and two pole positions. He also fulfilled a
personal career dream by competed in the Indianapolis 500 last year.
Max remembers his first time to Sebring and how unique the fans are to
this event, compared to anywhere else in the world. “Sebring is a
special place. I always remember coming here and seeing all the crazy
fans,” added Papis. “When I first came to Sebring, I was so surprised
to see people with their sofas on top of motor homes and driving these
wild vehicles around the Paddock. I had never seen anything like this
in Europe. The fans were so different here and I went back to Italy
and told my family and friends about all of this that I saw and no one
could believe it. You have to see this to believe it.” Papis, who won
the 2002 24 Hours of Daytona endurance race, hopes to add more
successful sports car racing history to his bio this weekend.
3/14/03
Media picks Champion Audi to win
While the two cars of Team Bentley have received a great deal of
attention in pre-race buildup, the ADT Champion Racing Audi R8 is the
favorite to win Saturday’s Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring in a poll
of 26 domestic and international journalists who are covering the
sports car endurance race at Sebring International Raceway. Emanuele
Pirro, JJ Lehto and Stefan Johansson, all former drivers in Formula
One racing, will share the Champion Audi, which received nine winning
votes from journalists. The three drivers are all former winners of
America’s oldest sports car race. Receiving six winning votes in the
poll was the Infineon Team Joest Audi, the polesitting car for the
event. Frank Biela, Marco Werner and Phillip Peter will be the
co-drivers for the Joest team, which has won the Sebring event three
consecutive years. The Audi UK Audi R8, to be driven by Jonny Kane,
Perry McCarthy and Mika Salo, received three votes in the poll, as did
the Bentley Speed 8 driven by Tom Kristensen, Rinaldo Capello and Guy
Smith. Receiving two votes in the media poll were the Dyson Racing
Lola-MG driven by James Weaver, Butch Leitzinger and Andy Wallace and
the Jim Matthews Racing Riley & Scott MkIIIC-Yates driven by Jan
Magnussen, Marc Goossens and Jim Matthews. The second Bentley, driven
by the lineup of David Brabham, Johnny Herbert and Mark Blundell,
received one vote in the poll. The 51st Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of
Sebring gets underway at 10:30 a.m. and will be televised live by the
SPEED Channel. The American Le Mans Series Radio Web will have live
coverage online at
www.americanlemans.com.
3/14/03
Hold the wrecking balls, CMS still
lives From today's Chicago Sun Times - PLEASE HOLD ALL
wrecking balls regarding Sportsman's Park: Hawthorne National managing
associate Patricia Bidwill is denying recent published reports that
stated the historic Cicero racetrack had been sold to the northwest
suburban DiMucci companies for redevelopment as a $150 million
recreation, shopping and convention center. ''Contrary to the recent
press release of the DiMucci Company, the National Jockey Club has not
entered into any agreement with the Palatine-based company,'' Bidwill
said. ''Our calls to the DiMucci Co. to investigate the reasoning
behind the press release were not returned. ''While the NJC has
received bona fide offers from several nationally acclaimed developers
in the range of $15 to $20 million, there are no contemplated
negotiations with the DiMucci Co.,'' Bidwill continued. ''We are not
aware that the DiMucci Co. has either the financial wherewithal or the
experience to develop the type of project that was announced.'' CALLS
TO Anthony DiMucci, the CEO of the DiMucci Development Corp., from
''At The Races'' were not returned. His firm is a 68-year-old
family-held outfit that started out as a single-home builder and
expanded by lots and boundaries when patriarch Salvatore DiMucci Sr.
contracted to develop much of southern Mount Prospect at the time
O'Hare Airport was being inflated into a major commercial air hub.
More recently, the DiMucci companies developed the site of Western
Electric's old Hawthorne Works into the modern Cicero Market Place.
That gave the firm extended regional credibility when it trumpeted its
acquisition of the Sportsman's site in a company-generated press
release last week. But it just isn't so, said Bidwill.
3/14/03
Sato tops testing in Jerez
Driver
Team
T
Laps
Time
Gap
Sato
BAR
B
86
1:18.672
125.885 mph
R Schumacher
WilliamsF1
M
70
1:18.729
0.057
Panis
Toyota
M
67
1:18.983
0.311
Wurz
McLaren
M
115
1:19.387
0.715
de la Rosa
McLaren
M
100
1:19.635
0.963
3/14/03
Allmendinger a marked man
This Monterey Herald
article says, A.J. Allmendinger of Hollister would just as
soon resume next weekend right where he left off in 2002. After a
record-setting performance en route to the Barber Dodge Pro Series
championship last year, Allmendinger has moved up to the Toyota
Atlantic Series this season. The top rung of the Champ Car World
Series ladder system launches the 2003 campaign March 21-23 in
Monterrey, Mexico, as a support race for the Tecate/Telmex Monterrey
Grand Prix, with a projected 16-car field that promises to be
extremely competitive. The Toyota Atlantic race will be televised live
on Speed Channel at 8:30 a.m. While there are a number of talented
drivers in the field, including last year's series runner-up Michael
Valiante, Allmendinger was so dominant in the Barber Dodge
championship that he'll be a marked man this year. The 21-year-old
Allmendinger, who has also been a lead driver for Paul Tracy's karting
team, won six of 10 races last year, earned four poles and captured
the championship by a record 68 points over runner-up Rafael
Sperafico. The six victories tied Kenny Brack's Pro Series record but
Allmendinger accomplished it in two fewer races. Allmendinger will be
driving for RuSPORT. "My expectation is to win the championship,"
Allmendinger said last month. "Anything less than that will be a
disappointment. We're really coming together as a team."
3/14/03
CART Stock Watch
Today's NYSE Trading In MPH
MPH closed at $3.00 UP $0.27 on Volume of 82,200 shares.
$2.38 Bid - $2.42 Ask on close.
Session Low/High $2.75 / $3.01
MPH Value Change UP 9.89%
DOW Jones UP 37.96 or 0.49% on Volume of 1.86 billion shares.
NASDAQ DOWN 0.53 or 0.04%
S&P 500 UP 1.36 or 0.16%
Courtesy of C3I.AndersonGroupe - Chicago www.andersongroupe.com
3/14/03
Tidbits from Darlington
Andy Petree, still struggling to return his Winston Cup
operation to full-time status, was telling his story to anyone
who would listen on Friday afternoon at Darlington.......Brett
Bodine’s decision to run the #57 CLR Ford at Darlington ruined
plans by estranged wife Diane Bodine to be present at the
racetrack. D. Bodine is under a court order to stay away from
tracks where B. Bodine is racing........Terry and Bobby
Labonte had a bit more on their minds during Speedweeks in
February. Their mother, Martha Labonte, suffered a mild heart
attack a couple weeks earlier, while at a doctor’s office.
Mrs. Labonte, was admitted to the hospital for car and has
since recovered fully from the episode. Stan Creekmore,
NASCAR Editor
3/14/03
More on Rockingham's fight to
keep both races
Chris Browning, General Manager North Carolina Speedway, says
his track continues to fight to keep both Winston Cup dates at
the racetrack. “This February sales were down from last year,
but if you compare the tickets sales to those of four to five
years ago we are still selling more tickets,” said Browning.
“This year was down because we are heavily dependent on walk
up sales and those sales are effected heavily by the weather.
We had two inches of ice on the ground a week before the race
and the weather report for the week was bad.” Browning admits
the track seating is overbuilt which gives the perception
attendance is lagging. It is not. What Browning would like to
see is a change in dates to see if that would help improve
ticket sales. “What we need is to race in better weather
months.” Stan Creekmore, NASCAR Editor
3/14/03
Triplett to resign
Changes continue to occur at NASCAR with Kevin Triplett,
NASCAR managing director of business operations, announcing he
will leave the sport around June to pursue political dreams in
his Virginia hometown. Triplett rose to his current position
after joining NASCAR in 1994 as the media coordinator for the
Winston Cup Series. Triplett, an avid student of politics has
long dreamed of running for public office, an is now said to
be presented with a prime opportunity to fulfill that dream.
Stan Creekmore, NASCAR Editor
3/14/03
ALMS adds event at Road Atlanta
The American Le Mans Series has announced the addition of an
event at Road Atlanta to its schedule of races for the 2003
season. The event, which will be held on Sunday, June 29, will
bring the professional sports car racing series schedule for
2003 to nine races. The Atlanta Grand Prix, a two-hour,
45-minute timed race, will be the next event on the American
Le Mans Series schedule in 2003 following the March 15 running
of the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring. The Road Atlanta event
will be televised live by CBS Sports and broadcast by the
American Le Mans Series Radio Web. The series, which is in its
fifth season in 2003, traditionally schedules around the 24
Hours of Le Mans in June, making it possible for series
regulars to compete in the French endurance racing classic and
then return to North America for the balance of the American
Le Mans Series season. Teams must also be in France for the
traditional Pre-Practice in early May. The 2.54-mile Road
Atlanta, located in Braselton, Ga., will also host Petit Le
Mans on October 15-18, making it the only facility to hold two
American Le Mans Series races in 2003. Petit Le Mans, a
1,000-mile endurance race, will be the season finale.
3/14/03
Matos retains Barber Dodge pole
Rafael Matos of Belo Horizonte, Brazil held on to his
provisional pole position in final qualifying today for the
first round of the Formula Dodge National Championship
presented by RACER today with a lap of 2:22.919 seconds around
the legendary 3.7-mile circuit at Sebring International
Raceway. The time is a new track record for the category,
besting Matos' previous record of 2:23.696 seconds, which he
set in first qualifying on Thursday. Lining up alongside Matos
in Friday's race will be fellow Barber-Champ Car Scholarship
driver Philippe Gelinas of Grand Mere, Quebec. Brian Frisselle
improved on his first qualifying effort to move himself to
third on the grid, with Gerardo Bonilla taking fourth. Ben
Freudenberg of North Bend, Oregon, will start fifth alongside
of Mexican Salvador Duran. Joe D'Agostino and Matt Jaskol,
both of whom won scholarships in the Barber-Champ Car Karting
Run Off in January, will make up the fourth row, with David
Jurca and Ward Imrie slotting into the fifth row. Round one of
the Formula Dodge National Championship presented by RACER
will get underway Friday at 3:25 pm.
3/14/03
More on Barilla and American
Spirit
American Spirit Team Johansson is pleased to announce their
partnership with Barilla, the world’s leading pasta producer
as an official supplier to the team in the 2003 Bridgestone
Presents the Champ Car World Series Powered by Ford. Barilla
and the Champ Car World Series share world-wide success and a
common theme, innovation and excellence. “I am very pleased to
have Barilla as one of our suppliers, it is a great company
with a rich history in racing,” said team owner, Stefan
Johansson. Johansson’s relationship with Barilla extends back
to 1988, when he raced with Barilla’s Vice Chairman, Paolo
Barilla. “Paolo is a dear old friend of mine. We shared a car
at Le Mans on a couple of occasions; it’s great to re-acquaint
the relationship.” “I never lost touch with Stefan; I have
always respected his skills as a racecar driver and a
businessman. Stefan has a long history with Italy and its
healthy nutritional traditions, both for having been a driver
for Ferrari and for having spent so much time here,” commented
Paolo Barilla. “We are really pleased to grow our relationship
through Barilla’s products and to contribute to the success of
Stefan’s latest challenge, American Spirit Team Johansson.”
Headquartered in Parma, Italy, Barilla’s group brands include
Barilla and Wasa. America’s love for pasta has measurably
increased Barilla’s sales in the United States. The company
recently expanded their operation to the United States,
building a factory in Ames, Iowa. For more information on
Barilla, please visit
www.barilla.com, for more information on American Spirit,
please visit
www.AmericanSpiritTeamJohansson.com.
3/14/03
Small field for Phoenix race
This is growth? This Phoenix newspaper
article says, A sagging economy coupled with new Indy
Racing League rules requiring that teams purchase pricey new
equipment may leave next week's Purex/Dial Indy 200 at Phoenix
International Raceway with its smallest field in 24 years. As
of Thursday, 21 cars were entered for the March 23 race, the
exact number lining the starting grid at the season opener two
weeks ago in Homestead, Fla. The last time an Indy car race at
PIR attracted fewer than 21 cars was 1979, when 18 drivers
were in the lineup. Since switching allegiance from the CART
Champ Car series to the IRL in 1996, the smallest PIR field
was 22 cars, which occurred in the 1996 and 1997 races.
Beginning with the 1998 race, the average starting field is
26.8 cars. IRL Vice President Brian Barnhart said earlier this
week that it's possible the field still may increase by two
cars before practice begins a week from today. Road
construction on 115th Avenue, the main artery into PIR, will
force spectators to make alternate arrival plans. PIR
officials suggest fans exit Interstate 10 at Litchfield Road
or Estrella Parkway and follow signs to the racetrack.
3/14/03
Time buys becoming common?
A reader writes, I found this
article regarding the Chicago Blackhawks (NHL hockey)
needing to get into a radio "time-buy" to get their games on
the radio in Chicago to be interesting. Comparing this
to CART's time-buy situation.... a lot of folks have been
critical of CART for needing to get into a time-buy with CBS
for TV air-time. Apparently such time-buys are becoming more
common in major league sports than we realize... The realities
of the current economy, the media and sports audiences.
Mark Graham
3/14/03
Walker enters agreement with
Van Diemen to develop Reynard
Walker Racing LLC, the company that Derrick Walker established
last year to continue the supply and support for the Reynard
Champ Car, announced today that it has entered into an
agreement with Van Diemen Racing International Racing Service
Ltd, of Snetterton, England, for the development of the
Reynard chassis for the 2003 and 2004 seasons. "We are pleased
to have additional support from Van Diemen to focus
exclusively on areas of development under the current rules
and of course on the much-needed future development of the
2004 update packages," said Derrick Walker, president of
Walker Racing. "We are delighted that our group will be able
to offer development and manufacturing support to the teams
competing with the Reynard chassis in the Champ Car World
Series and we are particularly pleased to be entering into
partnership with Derrick Walker on this project," said Ralph
Firman, Chairman of Van Diemen. Walker Racing also announced
the renewal of its agreement with Oxford Racing Developments (ORD)
to continue to supply technical support and manufacture
current car parts. "Since the unfortunate closing of Reynard
and Reynard North America last year, we have been able to
subcontract the production of Reynard parts needs through
Simon Dowson and the employees at Oxford Racing Developments
in the UK," Walker said. "We are pleased to say this
relationship will continue and the teams running Reynards will
benefit from the combined efforts of Van Diemen and ORD." "ORD
is very pleased to remain involved in the Champ Car program
with Walker Racing LLC," said Simon Dowson, ORD's managing
director. "With the resources of all the teams running the
Reynard coming together and the combination of LLC, ORD and
Van Diemen, the package looks in a strong position going
forward." As Van Diemen begins this venture, it marks the
company's initial involvement in the Champ Car World Series.
"We enthusiastically welcome Van Diemen to Champ Car," said
Champ Car Vice President of Racing Operations John Lopes. "Van
Diemen delivers a deep pool of talented engineers and
experience as a chassis constructor to the Champ Car paddock
and we are pleased that the Reynard chassis and our teams will
benefit from these resources, particularly for aerodynamic
development." Walker Racing LLC will supply six drivers with
the Reynard chassis for the 2003 Bridgestone Presents the
Champ Car World Series Powered by Ford including Walker Racing
rookies Rodolfo Lavin and Darren Manning, Conquest Racing's
Mario Haberfeld, Fittipaldi-Dingman Racing's Tiago Monteiro,
and America Spirit Team Johansson's Jimmy Vasser and Ryan
Hunter-Reay.
3/14/03
Travel fund money announced
Answering the long time requests of North American karters,
the SnapOn.com Champ Car Stars of Tomorrow karting series is
offering an unprecedented payout to racers with a $100,000
Travel Fund support program for 2003. “With this travel
program we are looking out for the businesses in karting and
sharing a benefits program with those that are the backbone of
this sport,” said Stars Operations Director Paul Zalud. “A
travel award program doesn’t just help the two or three
competitors who can grab some prize money, it’s a broad-based
program to make professional kart racing through the Stars of
Tomorrow a little easier for all committed teams.” The travel
award program is available to karting teams that commit to a
full season of racing in Stars of Tomorrow for 2003. The
definition of a team and requirements of the program can be
found on the www.cartstars.com website. “I am very happy with
this program Stars has put forth,” said Trackmagic Racing
Karts owner Fausto Vitello. “We have heard a lot of promises
over the years in karting, and Stars is beginning to deliver.”
The program pays sums based on distance traveled, escalating
to a team that travels 1000 miles or more one way receiving
$500 per event. “Healthy, motivated race teams are the
lifeblood of any racing series,” said Stars principal Bobby
Rahal. “It is our intent to support the hard working karting
teams who put so much into the sport.”
3/14/03 Industry News
Bobby Unser promoting new book
Dear AR1, Like most Americans trying to keep up with the
latest developments in the Iraq situation I have been tuned
into various evening news programs recently. On Monday night
while watching Kudlow and Cramer on CNBC, they had Bobby Unser
on in one of the segments promoting his new book "Winners Are
Driven". The book is about how Unser attained success in
racing and shares his philosophy for success in life. On
Tuesday night Unser was a guest on the Fox News show Hannity
and Colmes., Mike Jablo
3/14/03
Mario wants IRL to add road races
This Indy Star article
says, Mario Andretti has received private and public invitations from
his son, Michael, owner of the new Andretti Green Racing, to join him
at Indy Racing League events. So far, Andretti, a Championship Auto
Racing Teams board member, has declined. But the 1969 Indianapolis 500
winner told The Star this week he will end his boycott of the IRL if
series president Tony George adds road racing to the schedule. "As
soon as the IRL becomes diverse, it will be a totally different story
with me," he said. The IRL has no immediate plans to add a road-course
race, although there could be interest now that CART has vacated Road
America in Elkhart Lake, Wis. IRL officials downplayed such an
addition for 2004. The IRL now plays the same role as the U.S. Auto
Club did in 1965 when he joined the Indy-car ranks, Andretti said.
That 18-race schedule consisted largely of oval races on dirt tracks.
The exceptions were the Pikes Peak (Colo.) Hill Climb and the
road-course race at Indianapolis Raceway. When he was younger,
Andretti was fortunate to have the ear of Bill Smyth, then the
president of the Indianapolis-based sanctioning body. "I told him that
in a full-oval series I would never reach my retirement," Andretti
said. "The safety aspect is much better in road races and so is the
popularity. (USAC) needed to mix it up." USAC did. In 1966, an
exhibition race was held in Japan, and the next season included five
road races. USAC added several more road-course events before 1970.
"When CART came along (in 1979), they cultivated road racing and more
people came from (the Can Am series)," Andretti said. "That didn't
take away from the ovals; it strengthened them. "To me, that's the way
open-wheel racing has to go. The IRL has a good TV package but no fan
base. CART has the fan base because of its (event) diversity through
the years, but it doesn't have a TV package. So each side is lacking
something."
3/14/03
Final Atlanta TV ratings up 7%
For the third consecutive week, NASCAR on FOX posted the highest
rating of any sporting event on television. Sunday’s Winston Cup race
from Atlanta earned a 6.4 rating and 16 share, drawing 6,683,000
households and 9.9 million viewers. This is a 7 percent gain over last
year’s 6.0/15. Powering FOX to victory circle were the coveted young
male demos, as the race drew a 4.4 rating among Men 18-34, up 19
percent over last year (3.7). Season-to-date, NASCAR on FOX continues
to post growth in Households ( up 8%, 6.7/16 vs. 6.2/15) and all key
demos, including a 15 percent increase in Men 18-34 (4.5 vs. 3.9).
Further dispelling the myth that NASCAR is a regional sport, FOX
continues to earn excellent figures in “non traditional” NASCAR
markets, such as Chicago (+47% Sunday, +26% for the year),
Philadelphia (+26% Sunday, +15% for the year), Boston (+24% Sunday,
+27% for the year), Seattle (+45% Sunday, +29% for the year), and
Minneapolis (+37% Sunday, +19% for the year). Fox Sports Press Release
Fontana may get lighted
National Speed Sport News reports that California Speedway has applied
for an amendment to their permit with San Bernardino County to allow
night racing. If approved, the 2-mile oval will begin a
eight-month $6 million project to install lights. The track is
likely to seek public money for the lighting project from area
redevelopment funds. It's possible we may someday see NASCAR,
CART and the IRL all under the lights at Fontana. However, there
is speculation that ISC might not invite CART back to the track after
its current contract expires at the end of 2004. Only time will
tell, but Fontana does meet Chris Pook's criteria of racing within
large metropolitan areas. Though not in LA, one can certainly
argue that Fontana is not far from millions of people in LA County,
Orange County, Riverside County and San Bernardino County. Will
CART still be racing on ovals by then, or will it be a 100% road
racing series? Mark C.
3/14/03
ALMS President guest on Wind Tunnel
American Le Mans Series President & CEO Scott Atherton will be the
featured guest on SPEED Channel’s new interactive program “Wind
Tunnel” on Friday night, March 14. The 60-minute program airs on the
cable television network at 11 p.m. (Eastern). Atherton and program
host Dave Despain will take questions from viewers during the show.
SPEED Channel will have live, flag-to-flag coverage of the Mobil 1
Twelve Hours of Sebring on Saturday, March 15, the opening race of the
2003 American Le Mans Series season.
3/13/03
Trans-Am well represented at Sebring
Several current and past Trans-Am Series for the BFGoodrich Tires Cup
drivers are set to take on some of the world¹s best endurance racers
at the 51st running of the prestigious 12 Hours of Sebring race this
weekend at Sebring International Raceway in Florida. Topping the entry
list is 2002 Trans-Am Series champion Boris Said, who will share
driving duties in the No. 40 Alegra Motorsports BMW M3 with Carlos de
Queseda and Scooter Gabel. Said, who finished second after starting
last in the first race of the season at the Grand Prix of St.
Petersburg in February, won eight of 12 races last season to secure
the title. Said drives the No. 33 ACS Express/Menards Ford Mustang in
the Trans-Am Series. Other current Trans-Am Series drivers in the
field are Tomy Drissi and Michael Lewis, who will co-drive the No. 12
American Spirit Racing Riley & Scott MK III C Lincoln. The pair is
entered in the Le Mans Prototype 900 class for faster, heavier
prototype racing cars. Drissi drives the No. 5 LXG, The League of
Extraordinary Gentlemen, The Movie Jaguar XKR in the Trans-Am Series.
Lewis pilots the No. 12 Trans-Am Tools by ProQuest Jaguar XKR. ³Racing
a prototype at Sebring makes me respect the Trans-Am Series car even
more,² said Drissi, who is no stranger to Sebring, having competed at
the 3.7-mile road course in a Trans-Am Series car three times between
1999 and 2001. ³Racing with other classes gives you such a different
perspective. I really miss all the same kind of cars going after each
other.² Meanwhile, in the LMP 675 class for lighter, less-powerful
prototypes, 2002 Trans-Am Series Rookie of the Year Butch Leitzinger
will share driving duties with James Weaver and Andy Wallace in the
No. 16 Dyson Racing Lola EX257 AER MG. Leitzinger won three races last
season and finished second in the Drivers¹ Championship to Said. In
the GTS production-car ranks, Trans-Am Series legend Ron Fellows will
co-drive with Johnny O¹Connell and Franck Freon in the No. 3 Corvette
Racing C5R. During his 10-year, 96-race Trans-Am Series career,
Fellows won 19 races, placing him sixth on the all-time victory list
behind the late Mark Donohue, Tommy Kendall, Paul Gentilozzi, Bob
Tullius and the late Peter Gregg. Also racing in the LMP 900 class is
Trans-Am Series alumnus John Macaluso, who is teaming with Clint Field
and Rick Sutherland in the No. 30 Banana Joe¹s Lola B2K/10 MG.
3/13/03
Hunter-Reay fast at Firebird
American Spirit Team Johansson driver Ryan Hunter-Reay wrapped up
three productive days of testing at Firebird International Raceway’s
East course on Wednesday. It was the first unofficial test for the
22-year old American; he logged 340 miles on the 1.2 mile road course.
The quickest of the three cars testing, Hunter-Reay set a fast time of
48.15 seconds. "This test was monumental for me in terms of getting
comfortable with the Champ Car. We were forced into the deep end of
the pool at St. Pete with only the test at Spring Training behind us,
so to complete three full days this week was just fantastic. I now
feel like it’s my Champ Car and my environment and that gives me a lot
of extra confidence going into Mexico next week.” With the team just
71 days old, Hunter-Reay’s seat-time has been limited. He wasted no
time getting his #31 Champ Car up to speed during the test, maximizing
the opportunity to develop the car and complete the team’s test plan,
which included suspension and geometry analysis, “Seat time is
invaluable for Ryan right now. We came to the test with a long job
list and we accomplished everything we set out to do. I am very happy
with the progress Ryan and the team made,” commented team manager, Rob
Hill. “We learned a lot this week; we will take this knowledge and
apply it to results in the upcoming races.” The East road course at
Firebird includes 10-turns and a ½ mile straight away, coupled with
Arizona’s fantastic winter weather makes it an ideal venue for winter
testing. “We practiced everything from A – Z. The team treated each
stop like an actual race pit stop, that was great practice for all of
us and they did an awesome job,” said Hunter-Reay. In his transition
from the Atlantic car to the Champ Car, Hunter-Reay picked up an
additional 490 horsepower and 400 lbs. The physical challenges of the
Champ Car take some getting used to, “The Champ Car is very demanding
both physically and mentally. I have stepped up my fitness program
considerably and it is paying off, at the end of the three days I was
ready for two more,” continued Hunter-Reay.
3/13/03
DSTP Test in the West
DSTP Motorsports kicked its Championship efforts into high gear this
past week with test sessions at circuits located in California and
Arizona; and from the results, the troubles of last year are a thing
of the past. The team spent one day last week testing at Buttonwillow
Raceway Park in Buttonwillow, California before heading to Firebird
International Raceway in Chandler, Arizona for another two days of
testing earlier this week. Capping if off was a final day of testing
at Arizona Motorsports Park, before packing up and getting ready for
the season opener in Monterrey, Mexico. Short of taking out a Ouija
board and having the team gather around for a séance to scare away the
evil spirits, the DSTP crew has pulled out all the stops to find the
gremlins that plagued the team during the 2002 season. The hard work
has apparently paid off. Damage was found in their primary car over
the winter while the team was rebuilding both of their Swift 014.a
racing machines. The damage was sustained in a practice accident at
the Round 4 Laguna Seca event last season. The hidden damage to the
tub of the car left the team scratching their heads for the rest of
2002 trying to figure out just what was going on. With the problem
cured, the demons of 2002 seem to be exorcised and hopes are once
again high heading into another season. “Our whole testing program has
been pushed back because of the problem we found with the car over the
winter, but the delay has paid off because the cars were very good as
soon as we unloaded them at Buttonwillow,” said Kent Stacy, DSTP
Motorsports Engineer. “The cars tuned very well and all the
adjustments we made to them worked as expected. It was our first test
of the season and we were quite fast right out of the box and we
continued to move forward and got faster and faster the whole time. We
learned a lot from all the testing and feel pretty solid on where we
stand heading to Mexico.”
3/13/03
Gigante to sponsor Atlantics team
Veteran CART Toyota Atlantic Championship team owner Allen Berg
announced today Grupo Gigante, Mexico's third largest supermarket
chain, will sponsor its entry with Eduardo Figueroa of Mexico City as
the driver. This will be Figueroa's second full season of Atlantic
competition. Entering his 26th year in racing, Berg also confirmed
continued associate sponsorship with Aviacsa Airlines, Arai Helmets,
BG Oils, Mechanix Wear, Milenio Newspapers and Royse Graphics. "We
welcome Grupo Gigante to our team and will be proud to campaign the
red Gigante logo," said Berg. "I have continued to make dramatic
changes in our team with enhanced sponsorship, new crew members and
off season testing. Our ultimate goal is to continue to generate
commercial relationships with companies and to add more marketing
partners to our team. We also want to cultivate drivers with talent,
promoting them to the highest ranks in racing. I want to continue to
develop and mature this company into a winning open wheel team."
3/13/03
Matos takes Barber Dodge pole
Rafeal Matos of Belo Horizonte, Brazil took the provisional pole
position in qualifying for the first round of the Formula Dodge
National Championship presented by RACER today with a lap of 2:23.696
seconds around the legendary 3.7-mile circuit at Sebring International
Raceway, setting a new track record for the category. The final grid
positions will be determined in second qualifying, scheduled for
Friday morning at 8:55 am in advance of Friday's 3:25 pm race start
time. Matos took the top spot in the closing moments of the 30-mintute
session after trading the position with Phillippe Gelinas several
times. Gelinas, of Grand Mere, Quebec, ended the session in second,
with Ward Imrie of Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada taking the third spot.
Fourth in the session was Salvador Duran of Mexico City, Mexico, with
Michael Valiante protégé David Jurca, of Federal Way, Washington
slotting into fifth.
3/13/03
CART schedules another Town
Meeting
Continuing with the plan to bring key figures in the Champ Car
World Series to the people where events are to be run, CART
will conduct another event in its rapidly-growing Town Meeting
series as it visits Long Beach – site of the April 11-13
Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach – on Monday, March 24. The
Town Meeting concept began last year in Columbus, Ohio and
gives local fans a chance to ask questions of a star-studded
panel comprised of drivers, owners and executives of the
Bridgestone Presents The Champ Car World Series Powered by
Ford. This year’s meeting schedule began with a trip to
Portland where the venue had to be changed in order to meet
the large demand from the fans. Long Beach will see another
blue-ribbon gathering of Champ Car principals including CART
President and CEO Christopher R. Pook, Toyota Grand Prix of
Long Beach President and CEO Jim Michaelian, Champ Car driver
Alex Tagliani and Rocketsports Racing team owner Paul
Gentilozzi. The evening will be hosted by SPEED Channel race
analyst and former Trans Am champion Tommy Kendall. The town
meeting will get underway at 7 p.m. on March 24th at The Grand
at Willow Street Centre, 4101 E. Willow St. in Long Beach.
Fans can register to receive free tickets to the event by
going to the official website of the Bridgestone Presents The
Champ Car World Series Powered by Ford,
www.champcarworldseries.com.
3/13/03
Walker Racing completes
valuable testing time
Walker Racing drivers Rodolfo Lavin and Darren Manning
completed a two-day test, Tuesday and Wednesday, at Firebird
International Raceway's 1.25-mile East course. The drivers
combined to complete 480 miles in the 80 degree, sunny Arizona
weather running through several car changes, long runs,
practice pit stops and simulated race runs. "Our focus was
consistency and learning more about what our drivers need from
the Reynard," said team owner Derrick Walker. "I was
particularly pleased with the consistency of the Bridgestone
tires. Firebird always presents a challenge for grip and,
especially in testing you need the tires to hang in there with
you. Overall, the drivers ran well and we're pleased with the
progress we made." Only fellow rookie Ryan Hunter-Reay of
American Spirit Team Johansson was testing as the Walker
Racing rookies circled the track. "The test days were very
important, since before the season we didn't have a chance to
test very much," said Rodolfo Lavin, pilot of the #5 Corona
Competition Team entry. "Just having the time behind the wheel
is important, to get the miles in. Wednesday was especially
productive for us. We tried a number of changes on the car to
prepare for Monterrey and also practiced pit stops." Teammate
Darren Manning was equally satisfied with progress the team
made. "We were able to get through tons of stuff and got good
data from the things that we wanted to try with the car,"
Manning said. "It was good for me just to have more time in
the car. I have another few hundred miles of seat time now.
Got some experience with how certain changes affect the car,
so hopefully that experience will help me give better feedback
to the engineers in the future. Specifically for Monterrey, we
tried some set-ups that we expect will help us on the slippery
circuit, so hopefully we can be pretty good right out of the
box."
3/13/03
David Starr to make Cup start
David Starr has found a groove these days. It is on the NASCAR
Craftsman Truck Series as driver of the #75 Spears
Manufacturing Chevrolet. He has been working since 1998 to
make a go of it on that circuit, and it looks like he has
found a home there, at least for now. But come Friday, March
28, Starr will attempt to qualify for his first Winston Cup
Series race, the Samsung/RadioShack 500 (March 30) at Texas
Motor Speedway. "Wayne and Connie Spears gave me an
opportunity of a lifetime to drive for a racing team that is
well funded and that has all the great pieces to a
championship caliber team," Starr says of his truck team. "We
look to have a better year than we had last year. That being
said, I think, if you ask every driver out there who is not
part of the NASCAR Winston Cup Series, what their dreams and
aspirations are, they would be lying to you if they didn't
tell you they wanted to be in Winston Cup." Starr makes no
bones about it. That is where he wants to be some day full
time. So, with the truck series off the weekend of March
28-30, Starr is trying to make personal history. It marks the
first time he is attempting to qualify for a Winston Cup race.
As has been the case so many times in the past in the truck
series, it is David's uncle, Mike Starr, who operates the Team
Texas High Performance Driving School, who is prepping David's
ride for his Winston Cup qualifying bid. "Ever since I was a
kid and wanted to be a race car driver, I have thought of
being a Winston Cup driver," Starr says. "Having the
opportunity to participate among the 43 best race car drivers
in the United States, or even the world, is just hard to
describe what it means to me. It is a dream come true.
"From our standpoint, our first race is just trying to make
the race. It is only fitting that our first attempt to make a
Winston Cup race is at Texas Motor Speedway because it is my
favorite track."
3/13/03
Da Matta fastest again Cristiano
da Matta continued to set the pace in testing at the Jerez
circuit in Spain today (Thursday), topping the timesheets in
his Toyota TF103 and once again demonstrating the pace of the
Japanese marque's new contender. The Brazilian completed 74
laps and set a best time of 1m18.994s, over half a second
quicker than the next fastest driver, McLaren tester Alex Wurz. Jerez day 2 (unofficial)
Pos Driver Chassis-engine Tyres Time Laps
1 Cristiano da Matta Toyota M 1m18.994s 74
2 Alex Wurz McLaren-Mercedes M 1m19.553s 57*
3 Marc Gene Williams-BMW M 1m19.806s 69
4 Pedro de la Rosa McLaren-Mercedes M 1m19.833s 56*
5 Takuma Sato BAR-Honda B 1m21.141s 58
B = Bridgestone
M = Michelin
* denotes 2002 car
3/13/03
Mosley predicts reduced costs
will bring new teams Max Mosley reckons F1 rule changes
should see a number of new teams attracted to the sport.
Speaking in an exclusive ITVF1 live chat, the FIA president
said he was optimistic that the measures taken to cut the
costs of competing in Formula 1 would attract fresh blood into
the sport. Asked if he thought there would be any new teams
next season, Mosley replied: "(It’s) a good possibility. And
if we're able to get through further to reduce the costs of
the engines, virtually a certainty in 2005/2006 I think. "The
major obstacle to a new team is the cost of a competitive
engine, at present this can be 20 million US dollars so about
12 or 13 million pounds which is an enormous amount of money
in the current economic climate. "Next year, because of the
new rule requiring one engine to be used per weekend, that
cost will be halved but even 10 million dollars is still a
great deal of money."
3/13/03
British GP for sale According
to this Planet-F1
article, In a move that has massive repercussions for
British motorsport, the Octagon group are planning to sell all
their British motorsport assets. The company, which is owned
by US media giant Interpublic, is preparing to sell off its
motorsport arm to curb rising debts. Currently Octagon own
Brands Hatch, Snetterton, Cadwell Park and the Oulton Park
circuits, but the jewel in the crown is the 15-year contract
to run the British Grand Prix. F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone
was instrumental in swinging the deal after the Silverstone
circuit lost the rights to run it. However Octagon and
Ecclestone were unable to get planning permission to extend
the Brands Hatch circuit to take modern Formula 1 cars. With
the British Racing Drivers Club (BRDC) unwilling to sell
Silverstone, the compromise deal was that Octagon would lease
the circuit for 15 years, the length of their contract to run
the race. A BRDC spokesman said there are no great anxieties
about the future of the race and stated: "The BRDC has a
15-year lease with Octagon Motorsports, with 13 years left to
run. The obligations of Octagon under the lease are guaranteed
by Interpublic. There are no grounds to believe that those
obligations will not be fulfilled."
3/13/03
Darlington fights to keep spring race
This AP
article talks about Darlington's fight to keep its Spring
Winston Cup race amid extreme pressure to give the date to another
track.
3/13/03
CART drowning in red ink
This Indy Star
article talks about CART's continued financial woes, saying
the company is drowning in red ink.
3/13/03
IRL, CART keep eye on world politics
This Indy Star
article talks about what the possible war in Iraq might mean
to the IRL race scheduled in Japan in April, and CART's races in
England in Germany in May. The concern is for the safety of the
teams when traveling overseas during war. The IRL is
particularly worried about nearby North Korea, which has a nut case as
a President and is making threatening overtures by lobbing test
Missiles out into the nearby ocean.
3/13/03
Australia USA TV rating The
Australian GP, which aired last Saturday evening on SPEED Channel in
the USA, received a 0.54 rating, which equates to 307,000 households.
Thursday night's qualifying sessions had a .27 rating with 154,000
households. This is 10,000 more than the dirt race lead in, which did
a .25 with 144,000 households. Friday night's session garnered a .31
rating, with 174,000 households.
Extra tickets released for TMS
Fans still looking for a ticket to the sold-out Samsung/RadioShack 500
will now have one last chance. A block of approximately 400 tickets
allotted to Fort Sill, Oklahoma has been released due to the recent
deployment of troops. The tickets will go on sale Friday, March 14 at
9:00 a.m. The tickets are only available through the speedway ticket
office and may be purchased at the ticket counter or by calling (817)
215-8500. "It is an honor to accept the return of these tickets from
Fort Sill," said speedway general manager Eddie Gossage. "We
understand the greater need for these troops to help protect our
freedom. We would rather these soldiers be here instead of in the
Middle East, but all of us are safer because of their commitment." In
addition to the release of block tickets from Fort Sill, only 200
season tickets, ranging in price from $214-$360, remain for the 2003
season. Race fans can purchase three great weekends of racing and see
not only the NASCAR Winston Cup race, but also two Indy Racing League
events, a NASCAR Busch Series race and two NASCAR Craftsman Truck
Series races for less than they will pay for the one Winston Cup
ticket to the ticket brokers.
3/12/03
Work
done on Paddock Hill Bend In preparation for the
upcoming CART race, work on Paddock Hill Bend has been completed.
New barriers have been put in complete with rows of tires, and the
gravel trap has been paved over with asphalt. The Paddock Hill
grandstand is also already sold out. The photo top right shows
Paddock Hill Bend (Turn 1) before the paving of the gravel trap.
Panoramic view of Paddock Hill Bend, with
Druids Bend up at the top of the hill in the background, which drops
down to the left-hand Graham Hill Bend
3/12/03
Tracy completes 2-day road course test
at Fontana In his first return to the track since
winning the season-opening Champ Car World Series race last month,
Team Player’s driver Paul Tracy completed a productive two-day testing
session on the Fontana road course on Wednesday. “It was a very
workmanlike two days,” said Tracy, who logged a combined 150 laps
during the sessions. “There was only one other driver (Portugal’s
Tiago Monteiro of Fittipaldi-Dingman Racing) on the track, so these
testing sessions were a great opportunity to prepare for the upcoming
race in Monterrey, Mexico. Winning the opening race in St. Petersburg
was a great way to start the season, but we’re certainly not going to
let our guard down. Sometimes any little thing that you can discover
in testing sessions can be a big help on race weekend.” While the
two-day session marked the first time that Team Player’s has tested on
the Fontana road course, Tracy has run laps there before, and he
suggested using the track to simulate the configuration Team Player’s
will be running on in Monterrey. Fontana, the site of a race in the
Champ Car World Series, is best known as a super speedway, but within
the facility there is a 1.5-mile road course that is used as a test
circuit. “The track served its purpose for what we were working on
over the last two days,” commented Tracy. “It’s a track that is
especially hard on left front tires, and since you’re only allotted
three sets of tires per day, you have to be careful how you use them,
so that you don’t wear them out before you’ve done many laps. We
didn’t make many runs of great length. We did three or four laps at a
time and then headed back to the pits to allow the crew to work on
different aspects of the car.” Team Player’s manager Phil LePan said
the crew worked on various components on the first testing day,
including brake calipers, the front suspension, front wing position,
steering arms and dampers, before using the second day to try
different underwings and make changes to the differential. “Both days
went off very smoothly, with no mechanical problems,” said LePan. “We
obtained some solid information that should definitely help us as we
prepare for the race in Monterrey.”
3/12/03
Tony George to speak on panel
Indy Racing League and Indianapolis Motor Speedway President
and CEO Tony George was one of six influential sports leaders
on a panel March 12 as part of the first day of the
prestigious 2003 World Congress of Sports in New York. George
represented the motorsports industry on “The Powers That Be”
panel. As president and CEO of IMS, he presides over three of
the largest single-day sporting events in the world, the
Indianapolis 500 IRL IndyCarTM Series race, Brickyard 400
NASCAR Winston Cup race and the United States Grand Prix
Formula One race. Joining George on the panel at the
Waldorf-Astoria hotel in New York were Mark Cuban, owner of
the NBA’s Dallas Mavericks; Jerry Colangelo, owner of the
NBA’s Phoenix Suns and Major League Baseball’s Arizona
Diamondbacks; Robert Kraft, owner of the NFL’s New England
Patriots; Bob DuPay, president and chief operating officer of
Major League Baseball; and Robert Johnson, owner of the NBA’s
new franchise in Charlotte, N.C. George said he was bullish on
the future of motorsports. He cited how NASCAR has grown the
market for racing, which will benefit the Indy Racing League
because of new facilities and new racing fans. While George
admitted the economy is a problem now for motorsports, he sees
optimism for the future. “A rising tide lifts all boats, and
we expect the future to be brighter,” George said. More than
600 influential leaders from the sports industry are attending
the conference.
3/12/03
Da Matta tops charts in Spain
Jerez day 1 (unofficial) Pos Driver Chassis-engine Tires Time Laps
1 Cristiano da Matta Toyota M 1m19.647s 67
2 Alex Wurz McLaren-Mercedes M 1m20.285s 32*
3 Marc Gene Williams-BMW M 1m20.385s 64
4 Pedro de la Rosa McLaren-Mercedes M 1m20.561s 61
5 Takuma Sato BAR-Honda B 1m21.708s 74
B = Bridgestone
M = Michelin
* denotes 2002 car
3/12/03
NASCAR hands down more fines
NASCAR Winston Cup Series crew chiefs James Ince and Mike Ford
were fined $1,000 each for rules violations that occurred
during Sunday's Bass Pro Shops MBNA 500 at Atlanta Motor
Speedway, NASCAR officials announced today. Ince, crew chief
for the #10 Valvoline Pontiac of driver Johnny Benson, was
fined for an unapproved fuel filler check valve assembly. He
was in violation of the following in the NASCAR Winston Cup
Series Rule Book: Section 12-4-Q, "Any determination by NASCAR
Officials that parts and/or equipment used in the Event do not
conform to NASCAR rules"; and Section 12-4-A: "Actions
detrimental to stock car racing." Ford, crew chief for the #9
Dodge of driver Bill Elliott, was fined for altering the car
on pit road after the car had passed template inspection
(Section 20-3.12.1) and actions detrimental to stock car
racing (Section 12-4-A). NASCAR
3/12/03
Roush team discovers engine
problems Immediately following the race Sunday
in Atlanta that saw four of the six teams that use Roush
engines fall from the race, Jack Roush summoned his team of
top level engineers in Livonia, Mich. and set out for Concord,
NC on a mission to search out, identify and remedy the causes
that forced the cars from the race. Roush was relieved when
the engine teardown revealed that only overly aggressive
engine tuning and oil starvation triggered the engine
failures. " The good news is that none of the very substantial
horsepower gains that we have been making caused any of our
problems. The bad news is that the tuning mistake was my own.
Now I know how Rick Hendrick's engine guy felt after Talladega
last fall," said Roush. " I hurt pistons on the #6, #21,and
#97 by tuning for fuel economy that just wasn't attainable for
Atlanta and the #99's problem derived from a new oil pan that
resulted in oil starvation," continued Roush. "We'll increase
the piston-to-cylinder wall clearance somewhat, and enrich the
carburetor modestly to solve the fuel tuning problem. We've
got some room in the carburetor due to our exceptional fuel
mileage history. To solve the 99's oil starvation problem
we'll slightly increase the oil-tank volume and perform a
minor change to the new oil pan." "So we'll be fine in the
future with both of these changes." Roush says he is very
pleased with the progress made by his engine department over
the past year. "Our 10 wins in 2002, including wins at
horsepower tracks like Atlanta, Homestead, Charlotte and
Texas, and our strong start in 2003 demonstrates the strength
in our engine program." "We've had good finishes this year and
two of our drivers have led in the points," said Roush. "It
would be even better, but Kurt got in an accident at Las
Vegas. Also, Las Vegas was the last race that we ran with the
2002 crankshaft configuration which we had earlier discovered
couldn't keep up with our horsepower gains. "Unfortunately one
of the last of the obsolete crankshafts chose to fail on
Mark's car in Las Vegas. We received our supply of the updated
crankshafts, which had been strengthened 30 percent in the
area of Mark's failure, just in time for Atlanta. "Definitely,
the sky is not falling. Our horsepower is improved from last
year and it's improving every race. So, in summation, we hurt
a piston reaching for fuel economy that just wasn't attainable
for Atlanta, we hurt a bearing due to an oversight in the
revision of the oiling system and proved the necessity of our
most recent crankshaft revision. "It will be great to have all
of that behind us, as we mount championship efforts for all of
our drivers throughout the year." "After only four races, Kurt
has led the points and Matt is leading the points right now.
Mark has run well in all but one race so far, Jeff Burton is
in the top 10 and Greg Biffle has run respectably as well." To
back up Roush's sentiments, Matt Kenseth has one win and
posted three top-five finishes in the season's first four
races, and Kurt Busch not only led the points for a week, but
opened the season with two consecutive top-two finishes at
Daytona and Rockingham. Furthermore, the facts do indeed back
up Roush's assessments, with the group having posted one win,
six top five and eight top 10 finishes before even rolling
into Darlington.
3/12/03
Bentley fastest on Wednesday
morning
Bentley muscle began to flex Wednesday morning at Sebring
International Raceway in the first official practice session
for Saturday’s 51st annual Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring.
The Bentley Speed 8 Prototype driven by Tom Kristensen,
Rinaldo Capello and Guy Smith set the fastest time in a
one-hour practice session, the first official session after
two days of unofficial testing. The British Green racing
machine turned a lap of 1:49.980 on the historic 3.7-mile
circuit, fastest of the 51 cars that participated in the
session. American Le Mans Series cars will have a second
practice session at 2:40 p.m.Wednesday. IMSA Live Timing and
Scoring and the American Le Mans Series Radio Web will be
active for the session at www.americanlemans.com. The ADT
Champion Racing Audi R8, which had been the fastest car the
past two days in testing, was second-fastest on Wednesday
morning at 1:51.221. Emanuele Pirro, JJ Lehto and Stefan
Johansson will share the car in the race. The Infineon Team
Joest Audi R8 of Frank Biela, Marco Werner and Phillip Peter
was third at 1:51.884. Leading the LMP 675 class for smaller
Prototypes in the morning session was the Dyson Racing Lola
EX257-MG of Didier de Radigues, Chris Dyson and Chad Block,
which was fourth fastest overall at 1:52.093. The second Dyson
machine of James Weaver, Butch Leitzinger and Andy Wallace was
second in class at 1:52.618. In the GTS class for production
cars, the Veloqx Prodrive Ferrari 550 Maranello of Anthony
Davidson, Darren Turner and Kelvin Burt led the way with a lap
of 2:00.408, followed by the Chevrolet Corvette C5-R of Oliver
Gavin, Kelly Collins and Andy Pilgrim at 2:00.896. The GT
class was led by the two-car Alex Job Racing team with its
Porsche 911 GT3 RS machines. The car of defending ALMS
champions Lucas Luhr and Sascha Maassen was first at 2:06.559,
while the Jorg Bergmeister/Timo Bernhard car was clocked at
2:07.235.
3/12/03
Gordon wants full time rescue workersUPDATE A reader writes, In
my opinion, there is only one explanation for NASCAR not
having the very best safety team in the business....greed.
There is not one case or situation where the local volunteer
help can even come close to a fully staffed mobile trauma
center and ready-rolling specially trained racing emergency
physician-staffed safety response team. Even if the word
"adequate" were true, describing the current system, this is
not enough for a series that is basking in money, power and
resources. They should do everything possible and feasible.
There is no excuse. Isn't a couple billion dollars enough?
Lets not even mention that the incredible NASCAR marketing
machine could surely find a sponsor for the program, and make
some more money. Or perhaps they find it acceptable that a
driver might get hurt once in a while. Although this though
does not apply to myself personally...after all, racing's
supposed appeal to many is that it is dangerous. If nobody
ever gets hurt or dies...how dangerous can it be? Its already
safer than professional football, though the perception is not
as such. I am sure this is a position that almost anyone, fan
or otherwise would deny, but the things the American public
seem to enjoy often involve the element of danger and possible
injury, or even death as a consequence. I applaud Jeff Gordon
for speaking up. Unfortunately, he might get fined with the
old "actions detrimental to stock car racing" rule, which is
doled out to anyone that does not sing the praises of the
NASCAR government. Sounds a lot like a dictatorship to me.
Everyone under the wing and whimsy of the king. I guess it has
worked for them business-wise, but it certainly has its
drawbacks. Jeff Gordon should enlist Alex Zanardi as a
spokesperson for his case. If Alex were at a cup event, he
would not be alive today. Scott Morris, Florida3/12/03 - Four-time Winston Cup champion Jeff Gordon wants NASCAR to hire
full-time rescue workers for tracks. "I have some concerns because
it's basically local (fire and rescue workers) that they kind of train
once they get (to races)," Gordon said. "I think we should have a team
that travels with us that know the cars, know the tracks, know the
drivers. Have these local people assist them." CART and the Indy
Racing League have teams of rescue workers who travel to each race and
receive extensive training related to racing accidents and other
safety issues. NASCAR relies on tracks to hire local fire and rescue
workers. Three times in the past eight months, twice at Daytona and at
Las Vegas, workers' response abilities have been questioned.
USA Today
3/12/03
Changes made to autopsy law
A Florida state law approved after Dale Earnhardt's death that
restricts access to autopsy photos or tape recordings was
modified by a state Senate committee Monday to allow grieving
relatives to appoint a person such as an attorney, a doctor or
a family friend to get autopsy records for them from a medical
examiner. The current law, passed at the request of the late
stock car driver's widow, allows only relatives to get such
photos or recordings. The change recommended Monday would
broaden that slightly to allow the family to designate someone
else in writing to pick up the items. "That's all it does,"
said the sponsor, Sen. Rod Smith, D-Gainesville. "Some of the
medical examiners were requiring the actual relatives to come
down. This just allows you to send a medical representative,
an attorney, or someone else." Smith said that Earnhardt
attorneys did not object to the change and that it will not
affect public access to such records to the press or others.
3/12/03
Will there be any cars on Indy
Bump Day? This TCPalm
article says, What if "Bump Day" arrives at the
Indianapolis Motor Speedway and there are no cars to bump? No
drivers "on the bubble" sitting on pins and needles to see
their name in the starting lineup for the Indy 500?
OK, so it's early in the racing season and it might sound a
bit foolish to suggest that the Indy Racing League's newly
labeled IndyCar Series won't be able to rustle up the
traditional 33 cars for the 87th running of The Greatest
Spectacle in Racing on May 25. It is reasonable to say,
though, that the bump line figures to be a lot shorter and
therefore not nearly as bumpy as in the past.
More...
3/12/03
Dodge increases NASCAR
involvement Automotive manufacturer Dodge has
furthered its investment in NASCAR after signing a new
grass-roots racing sponsorship deal.
Dodge has increased its commitment to NASCAR’s grassroots
racing program, signing a multi-year agreement to be the
exclusive title sponsor of the newly renamed NASCAR Dodge
Weekly Series. Explained NASCAR chief operating officer George
Pyne: "This is a major milestone in the history of the Weekly
Series. This is the foundation of our sport, and with the
increased support from Dodge, the Weekly Series will advance
into the new century. Fans of weekly racing represent our most
passionate fans, and this new sponsorship will deliver
excitement to them as well as opportunities for teams and
tracks across the country." "The NASCAR Dodge Weekly Series
provides Dodge and its 3,000 Dodge dealers tremendous
marketing and promotional opportunities at the local level,"
said Jim Yetter, director - Dodge Motorsports and PVO
Marketing. "We’re able to take racing to our customers in the
heart of America, and help those with a passion for racing and
for life achieve their aspirations and dreams. At the same
time, the NASCAR Dodge Weekly Series helps us complement our
presence in NASCAR Winston Cup and the NASCAR Craftsman Truck
Series, allowing our dealers who do not have a large track
near them to leverage motorsports to drive traffic and
generate sales."
3/12/03
Arnold Motorsports update
We caught up with Billy Bigley Jr to inquire about his Winston
Cup deal to drive the Arnold Motorsports #79 Ford this year.
The team had originally hoped to debut in Vegas and run the
rest of the Winston Cup season, but a sponsorship deal that is
becoming difficult to seal has delayed the program. Bigley is
confident the deal will get done, but he couldn’t offer a time
frame or race that the team had hoped to debut at. Until then,
Bigley will continue to run his ALLPRO car and also race at
some select Florida venues. We updated our team driver chart
accordingly (see NASCAR page).
3/12/03
Why gasoline?
In this Autoweek
article, Chris Pook talks about some of the reason for
CART to switch to gasoline engines in 2005. “We’ll go to
gasoline for two reasons,” he said. “No. 1, that’s a sensible
thing to do, because that’s what real cars run on. Yes, there
are diesels, but we’re not ready to go to diesels yet. And No.
2, the money from oil companies now is not in lubricants, as
it once was. It’s in gas, and we want gasoline companies in
our series, because when they come, they bring their retail
stores with them, and when they bring their stores, then
retail products like potato chips and Pepsi-Cola and all the
other stuff you see in the stores can come too. “When we sat
down to talk to Shell and Chevron, we were told, ‘We have no
gasoline money in this series whatsoever. That’s lubricant
money. When you have a gasoline product in your series that we
can sell to customers, come back and talk to us.’”
Of course there are other reasons - a gasoline engine is
easier to start with an onboard starter, it provides far more
power per a given volume (meaning better fuel mileage & less
fuel onboard), and F1 uses it.
3/12/03
Coulthard predicts Ferrari backlash
David Coulthard expects Ferrari to come out all guns blazing in
Malaysia next week. He told The Herald: "I'm extremely pleased to have
started the season with a victory, but people who are writing off
Ferrari are making a big, big mistake. "They are going to come out for
the next race more fired up than they have been for years and if you
thought Sunday was action-packed, I have a feeling Malaysia will be
even better." Coulthard admitted that his Australian Grand Prix had
been less than spectacular but said he was still a worthy winner. He
said: "It had really been pretty uninspiring until I took the lead.
All I had been doing was going as fast as I could, staying out of
trouble and hoping that things might happen ahead of me. "I know that
I was in a position to take full advantage of the problems guys like
Michael, Juan, Kimi and Rubens had during the race, but the point is I
was there when it mattered – leading at the end of the race when they
weren't."
3/12/03
Gordon wants full time rescue workers
Four-time Winston Cup champion Jeff Gordon wants NASCAR to hire
full-time rescue workers for tracks. "I have some concerns because
it's basically local (fire and rescue workers) that they kind of train
once they get (to races)," Gordon said. "I think we should have a team
that travels with us that know the cars, know the tracks, know the
drivers. Have these local people assist them." CART and the Indy
Racing League have teams of rescue workers who travel to each race and
receive extensive training related to racing accidents and other
safety issues. NASCAR relies on tracks to hire local fire and rescue
workers. Three times in the past eight months, twice at Daytona and at
Las Vegas, workers' response abilities have been questioned.
USA Today
3/12/03
Infiniti Pro series to race at Indy
For the first time in Indianapolis Motor Speedway history,
another automobile race will share the famed 2.5-mile oval
with the Indianapolis 500 during the month of May, Speedway
officials announced March 12. Featuring the cars and drivers
of the IRL Infiniti Pro Series, the Freedom 100 will be run on
Armed Forces Day, Saturday, May 17, at the Indianapolis Motor
Speedway. The 40-lap race will see the green flag at 2 p.m.
local time. “This is an exciting day for the Indianapolis
Motor Speedway and the Indy Racing League,” said Tony George,
president and CEO of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. “The
Freedom 100 will be a great addition to the second week of
activities for the Indianapolis 500. It’s a perfect fit to the
schedule and makes sense for many reasons.” IRL and IMS
officials accelerated the possibility of the Speedway playing
host to an Infiniti Pro Series race after the successful debut
of the series in 2002. A.J. Foyt IV won the inaugural
championship and the Firestone Firehawk Cup that accompanies
it. The decision to move forward with the race was solidified
after the successful first event of 2003 at Homestead–Miami
Speedway. “The growth of the Infiniti Pro Series has exceeded
the IRL’s expectations,” said Brian Barnhart, senior vice
president of racing operations for the Indy Racing League.
“Roger (Bailey) was given a clean sheet of paper to build a
series which will prepare drivers, mechanics, teams and
sponsors for the IRL IndyCar Series. We all saw the Pro Series
at the Speedway eventually, but its rapid growth made the
Speedway race a real possibility in 2003.” The IRL Infiniti
Pro Series serves as an essential stepping-stone for drivers
striving to reach the pinnacle of open-wheel, oval-track
racing in America – the IRL IndyCar Series. “This is great
news for the teams and drivers of the Infiniti Pro Series,”
said Roger Bailey, executive director of the IRL Infiniti Pro
Series. “Clearly, racing at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway is
the goal of these drivers. This race will provide them a great
opportunity to get experience there before competing in the
Indy 500.” A quality field of teams and drivers competes in
the Infiniti Pro Series, which grows from seven to 12 races in
2003. The lineup of drivers comes from a variety of
disciplines. Mark Taylor, winner of the first race in 2003, is
joined by Arie Luyendyk Jr., son of two-time Indianapolis 500
winner Arie Luyendyk, and 2002 race winner Cory Witherill.
Short-track open-wheel stars Aaron Fike, Ed Carpenter and
Ronnie Johncox are back in 2003 and compete against road
racers Paul Dana and Jeff Simmons, to name a few. Tickets for
the inaugural Freedom 100 are $5, which is the normal Month of
May practice day ticket price. The day will include the final
IndyCar Series practice leading up to Bump Day, the final day
of qualifying for the 87th Indianapolis 500.
Danica Patrick appears in FHM spread
Arguably the best looking race driver worldwide, CART Toyota Atlantic
driver Danica Patrick appears in this FHMUS magazine
spread.
3/11/03
In Indianapolis, racing is NASCAR
As a result of the CART/IRL split, more evidence that Indy Car racing
doesn't stand a chance. NASCAR's TV ratings continue to dwarf
the IRL and CART, even in their hometown Indianapolis market for which
their cars are named after. A spokesman for Fox Sports said
Monday that the city's viewership of Winston Cup races has improved 10
percent since this point last season. Indianapolis has not dipped
below a 13.4 rating this season, led by a 19.3 for the Daytona 500. A
rating is the percentage of all households. Fox realized a 13.7 in
this market for the Las Vegas and Atlanta races and a 13.4 for the
event at Rockingham, N.C. "That's the best Indianapolis has ever done
for the regular season," network spokesman Tim Buckman said Monday.
"Those numbers are way above the national average, too." The national
average is a 6.3 rating for non-Daytona races. Indianapolis is fourth
nationally behind Greensboro, N.C., Charlotte and Greenville, S.C., at
13.5, up from 12.3 last year. The Indy Racing League's season-opening
race March 2 at Homestead, Fla., on ABC drew a 4.6 in Indianapolis. We
don't have CART's number for Indy, but being it's opener was on SPEED
Channel, you can bet it was a low rating.
3/11/03
CART releases 2002 Q4 financials
Championship Auto Racing Teams, Inc. (NYSE: MPH) today announced
financial results for the fourth quarter and year ended December 31,
2002. The number of events held in a particular quarter affects
the comparability of earnings information from quarter to quarter.
CART conducted four events in the fourth quarter of both 2002 and 2001
periods. As previously reported, race promotion expenses associated
with the Grand Prix of the Americas event, held October 6, 2002, were
recorded in the company’s third quarter results. Toyota Atlantics did
not have any races in the fourth quarter of 2002, compared with two
races in the prior-year season. Indy Lights, which was discontinued
for 2002, conducted two races in the fourth quarter of 2001. More....
3/11/03
Pacific Coast Motorsports
becomes Patrick racing development team
Pacific Coast Motorsports today announced it has become the
official Developmental Team of Patrick Racing. As the official
Developmental Team, Pacific Coast Motorsports will work with
Patrick Racing throughout the 2003 season to promote and
enhance both teams. The teams will co-ordinate and execute
various activities, as well as share information and
resources. In addition, Pacific Coast Motorsports driver Alex
Figge will have access to the knowledge and expertise that
Patrick Racing and driver Oriol Servia bring to every event.
"I am very excited to announce our association with Patrick
Racing," said Tyler Tadevic, Pacific Coast Motorsports Team
Director. "Mr. Patrick and the entire team are leaders in the
sport and committed to the development of young drivers. I am
confident this partnership will be very beneficial to Patrick
Racing and Pacific Coast Motorsports." A founding member of
the series in 1978, Patrick Racing is the most experienced
team in the Bridgestone Presents The Champ Car World Series
Powered by Ford. Owned by U.E. "Pat" Patrick, the team has
fielded cars for some of the biggest names in Champ Car
racing, with names like Andretti, Johncock, Fittipaldi,
Sullivan, and Fernandez. In addition to the vast experience of
Patrick, the team enjoys the leadership of the winningest
Chief Mechanic/Team Manager/General Manager in the history of
Champ Car racing, in Jim McGee. The team has 45 victories, 27
in CART competition, and has won two Champ Car national
championships. In 2003, Patrick Racing will field one car in
Champ Car with Servia behind the wheel. Pacific Coast
Motorsports is a newly formed team focused on winning the CART
Toyota Atlantic Championship. Based in Santa Barbara, Calif.,
the team features a vast amount of Atlantic Championship
experience. Pacific Coast Motorsports will begin its 2003 season
March 23, at the Tecate Telmex Grand Prix, in Monterey,
Mexico.
3/11/03
IRL fans can clean up One
lucky race fan has a chance to clean up – literally and
financially – via the “Be A Clean Winner Sweepstakes”
presented by Firestone, Purex and the Indy Racing League. The
grand prize winner in the sweepstakes takes home a nicely
equipped 2004 Chevy Tahoe LS, valued at $35,000, with the
opportunity to win $100,000 if Robbie Buhl or his designated
driver in Dreyer & Reinbold No. 24 race car wins the IRL
IndyCar Series season-ending race Oct. 12 at Texas Motor
Speedway. The sweepstakes is open to legal residents, at least
18 years of age, in the 48 contiguous United States.
Contestants may enter online at
www.firestonetire.com,
www.purex.com or
www.indyracing.com, or
by submitting name, address and phone number on a 3” x 5”
card, mailed in an envelope, to: Purex Clean Winner
Sweepstakes, P.O. Box 14681, Dept. PX0113, Mascoutah, IL
62224. Entries must be received by 11:59 p.m. (EDT) Sept. 21,
2003, the ending date of the sweepstakes. Complete contest
rules are available online or by writing the above address. No
purchase is necessary. The grand prize winner, selected by
random drawing, will travel with a guest to Texas Motor
Speedway for the season finale. This package for two includes
air travel, three days and two nights lodging, grandstand
tickets, pit passes and $200 spending money. To promote the
contest, life-size photo stand-ups of Buhl will be displayed
in approximately 750 outlets selling Purex laundry detergent
in IRL race markets and in approximately 2,000 participating
Firestone retail locations nationwide. At IRL races, special
events and participating Firestone locations during the
promotion, Firehawk discount coupons will be distributed,
permitting fans to purchase any Firestone Firehawk street tire
with UNI-TÒ, including the new Firehawk Indy 500 tire, for 10
percent off everyday retail price. Race fans also may pick up
an IRL poster at participating Firestone outlets while
supplies last.
3/11/03
NASCAR statement on Mike
Wallace appeal The National Stock Car Racing
Commission heard and considered the Appeal of Mike S. Wallace.
The Appeal concerned a $3,000 fine issued by NASCAR under
Section 12-4-A; actions detrimental to stock car racing; use
of improper language. The penalty stemmed from the live
broadcast of the NASCAR Busch Series race at North Carolina
Speedway on February 24, 2003 in which Mr. Wallace was a
driver. During the hearing, Mr. Wallace acknowledged that the
infraction had occurred, but argued that he had been unaware
of the presence of a television camera/microphone during an
exchange of words with driver Shane Hmiel in pit lane.
Furthermore, he believed that he had just waived off a live
broadcast interview. The Commission found Mr. Wallace’s
testimony to be succinct and sincere. The Commission notes
that Mr. Wallace conducted himself in a professional manner
during an ensuing broadcast interview in that same race
telecast. In considering the Appeal, the Commission recognized
that NASCAR drivers in the top tiers of the sport are
high-profile celebrities. They should expect to be subject to
media coverage in all working areas at the racetrack and
conduct themselves accordingly. In this specific case, the
Commission felt that there were mitigating circumstances and
that NASCAR was correct in issuing a lesser penalty than had
been issued to others in the past for similar language
infractions. A further reduction of the penalty was not
warranted. It is therefore the unanimous decision of the
National Stock Car Racing Commission to uphold the original
penalty issued by NASCAR. The Appellant has the right under
Section 15 of the Rule Book to appeal this decision to the
National Stock Car Racing Commissioner.
3/11/03
Will Toyota help or hurt NASCAR
truck series? This
Stock Car City
article talks about Toyota's entry into the NASCAR
Truck Series and what it may ultimately mean for the series.
3/11/03
Three support races for
Malaysian GP
The Petronas Malaysian F1 Grand Prix, which will be held at
the Sepang F1 Circuit from March 21-23, will not be just all
about Michael Schumacher and company. For the first time ever,
the F1 race will be complemented by three supporting events –
the Formula BMW Asia, Porsche Carrera Cup Asia and Formula
Malaysia. The Sepang International Circuit (SIC) press
officer, Azhar Ghazali, said yesterday that the inclusion of
the three events had received approval from the International
Automobile Federation (FIA). In the Formula Malaysia
competition, competitors race in a single-seat 1300cc Formula
Hayabusa Suzuki machine. The event is organized by SIC for
local drivers. “The three supporting races have been included
in the FIA race calendar for the Malaysian GP,” said Azhar.
“We will have not just one but three supporting races this
time. This is generally good for Malaysian motor-sports. With
all these additional events, I believe there will be much more
excitement throughout the whole weekend for the fans. “It will
be better value for money for everyone attending the F1 race.”
There was only one support race last year – the Formula
Malaysia.
3/11/03
Road America expects to resolve
dispute with CART According to this Green Bay
News Chronicle
article, track spokeswoman Cheryl Barnes said Road
America management believes it has met its financial
obligations. "Our understanding, from the way we've executed
such agreements in the past," said Barnes, "is we're in
absolute financial compliance with (the contract)." She said
the track has made its initial payment on the 2003 fees, and
management expects to run a CART race Aug. 3, to the point
that a replacement for CART hasn't been discussed yet. "It's
way too early to even start thinking about that," she said.
"We've got a contract for 2003. If we settle this, we'll be
back to promote the race. We're sure we'll get it resolved.
"We truly support CART. It's the best cars, the best drivers,
the most exciting racing in the world."
3/11/03
Badoer crashes new Ferrari
again
Ferrari test driver Luca Badoer has crashed the new F2003-GA
for the second time in two tests. Badoer crashed at Mugello
today and is reported to have caused serious damage to the
car. This morning, Badoer shunted heavily in testing at
Mugello. According to
www.gazzetta.it, Badoer went off the track at the Curva
dell'Arrabbiata and hit the barriers, causing serious damage
to the car. The cause of the crash is suspected to be another
mechanical failure. Badoer has been taken to hospital for a
check-up.
3/11/03
Cancellation of CART race front
page headlines In this Sheboygan
newspaper, cancellation of the CART race at Road
America has made front page headlines. It is interesting
that with all the rumors the IRL will race at Road America in
2004, this
article states that C. Joseph Russell, an
Indianapolis-based attorney is representing Road America.
Indianapolis based? Why would an Indianapolis attorney
represent Road America, and not say a Chicago based attorney,
a city larger and much closer to Road America? We
can only assume because CART's lawsuit was filed in Indy.
This
article talks about the $ million in economic loss for
the region because of the cancellation of the race.
Local fans have started a
petition to reinstate the race. Meanwhile, Road
America continues to
deny any dealing with the IRL.
3/11/03
Schumacher not worried
Five time F1 World Champion Michael Schumacher has rejected
claims by David Coulthard that he is in anyway 'rattled'
following his disappointing fourth place finish at the
Australian GP. Schumacher told news agency, Reuters: "I
can be satisfied with fourth place. The season is still long
and the title is not decided over one race. "It is too early
to have a clear picture of the other team's strengths." The
German added: "In retrospect our choice of tires could be
described as wrong but it was too damp at the start for us to
start with tires for a dry surface. "Just after the race
started we could not change tires either because it had then
rained on the opposite section of the track. "Obviously this
is not the result we had hoped for but you must not forget
that many things went our way last year. "It was always clear
to us that things could not always work out that well. And
that race was somewhat chaotic." Speaking to British
newspaper, The Daily Telegraph, he continued: "The
result does not mean the new car will come earlier. Our car
was competitive. If the circumstances hadn't been so unlucky
for me I think I would have had a realistic chance to win."
3/11/03
More on Road America
This Milwaukee Journal
article talks more about the CART and Road America
situation. The CART press release stated - "In the
future, Champ Car would consider returning to the storied
Wisconsin race circuit providing a satisfactory and
professionally responsible business arrangement can be reached
with an appropriate race promoter." Bruggenthies said he
didn't know what, exactly, to make of the statement. He said
he hoped the track could play host to the series again at some
point but admitted that litigation would make such a return
difficult. "Obviously if they don't want to come here, I can't
force them to come here," Bruggenthies said. "They've taken us
off their schedule. I guess that's probably irreversible."
3/11/03
CART down to just 10 USA races
With the elimination of Road America from its schedule, CART is now
down to just 10 USA races in 2003, and 18 total races (10 USA, 3
Canada, 2 Mexico, 1 Australia, 2 Europe). The reduced sanction
fee for Road America is $1.75 million and the first $262,500
installment of that payment was due January 1st and not paid.
One of our forum members reminded us why CART rejected Road America's
check and sent it back. Sending a check to CART for this year's down
payment is a clever tactic, but if you are engaged in litigation with
somebody, you don't accept their checks in that kind of situation,
since it may be construed that you accept their legal position and
their interpretation of the
contract. CART could choose to
replace Road America with Road Atlanta by installing a quick chicane
before the dangerous last turn (to slow the cars - see
illustration to right) and making some
other minor safety upgrades. CART has looked at Road Atlanta for
many years. Perhaps now is the time to give the Atlanta market a try for
1 year with the assumption Road America will be back in 2004.
CART may be pleasantly surprised with the attendance and it would give
them a much needed SE USA race if successful. Although the August 1-3 weekend
is rather hot in Georgia, CART does have a huge hole in their schedule
in September to fit the race in. Should the race not draw a big
attendance, CART could chalk it up to an experiment. We are
well aware that CART and the IRL have failed in the Atlanta
market previously, but that was on an oval. Working
against Road Atlanta is Chris Pook's insistence that CART race
within big cities, not 40 miles away. Mark C.
Schu offered $32.1 million
Michael Schumacher has been offered a cool $32.1 million (US dollars)
per season to keep steering his scarlet cockpit beyond 2004. The
reigning world champion's manager, Willi Weber, told a German daily
newspaper that the Scuderia handed him an offer at Albert Park that
extends beyond the terms of his current contract. He said:
'Michael will let me know when he is ready to talk about it.'
The five times a title winner joined Ferrari in 1996 but failed to
land his first scarlet championship triumph until 2000. Since
then, though, he has been unstoppable winning triple back-to-back
championships and setting new records for all-time victories and total
points hauls.
3/11/03
Road America and Houston feedback
A reader writes, Dear AR1, Here's my backlash regarding the potential
divorce between CART and Road America: it would be a tragedy to be
sure- for both parties and for the fans. As someone who grew up in the
area, first attending the June Sprints in 1964, I can say I truly the
love the place and I truly love CART. Having said that, I want to
express a backlash against some readers who feel compelled to use the
CART/RA situation as a reason to take a shot at street races- Houston
in particular. As a Houston resident and an avid supporter of the
Houston event I'd like to fill them in on a few things... 1) As the
4th largest city in the country, with some of the best CART TV
ratings, and as the only CART venue between Long Beach and St.
Petersburg, Houston is a market that cannot be ignored. 2) If properly
promoted, particularly to the large Hispanic community in the area,
attendance would be superb. Now that Carl Haas and Jim Melvin are out
of the picture perhaps someone with some marketing savvy will bring in
Adrian Fernandez, Michel Jourdain, Mario Dominguez, Luis Diaz, Rodolfo
Lavin, et. al. to pump up the excitement. 3) In the George R. Brown
Convention Center, Houston has the best garage facility in CART-
period. 4) With the brand new Hilton Hotel of the Americas across the
street from the pits, race and team headquarters are right at the
track. 5) Street re-construction will allow a new and better course to
be laid out (1/2 mile longer we hear). Let me know when the proposed
Dallas road course sees the light of day. Until then, Houston needs to
be back on the schedule (and Road America needs to stay on schedule).
Steve Dannenbrink, Houston, TX
3/11/03
CART cancels Road America2nd UPDATE We did finally get a
statement from Road America's Cheryl Barnes about the rumor that
Toyota and Roger Penske were recently spotted at the track. "We
are not talking with the IRL. We haven't been talking with Roger
Penske nor the good folks at Toyota. They haven't been here to see our
beautiful snow-covered race track. George Bruggenthies was at St. Pete
and went to Daytona for part of Bike Week, while continuing to
negotiate with CART. His first day in the office was this morning
(Monday)." 3/10/03 - Road America issued this
statement today - We were surprised and disappointed to learn of
CART's recent statements and actions, especially CART's announcement
today that they are canceling the Grand Prix of Road America, which
was scheduled to be held at Road America on Aug. 3, 2003. Road America
has a contract with CART and we have been preparing to host the fifth
race under that contract in August. In fact, Road America has been
attempting to negotiate a renewed contract with CART for 2004 and
beyond. Road America has been acting in good faith in its dealings
with CART and we have met all of our financial obligations under our
agreement with CART. Road America has supported CART since 1982,
through the series' highs and lows, making CART's recent behavior even
more disappointing. Road America has been proceeding with preparation
for the 2003 race and CART's sudden decision to ignore its contractual
obligations causes inconvenience to not only Road America, but to all
race fans as well. We have been assured by our legal counsel that the
true facts of our discussions and understanding with CART will
eventually be made known through the litigation process but we felt an
obligation to our business associates and fans to assure them of Road
America's continuing commitment to quality racing. While the track
management and board members remain staunch CART supporters and have
every hope for an amicable resolution of this unfortunate turn of
events, the issue in our disagreement with CART is the value of the
series to race fans and sponsors. 3/10/03 - Champ Car today announced that it is regretfully removing the
Grand Prix of Road America from its 2003 Bridgestone Presents
The Champ Car World Series Powered by Ford schedule. In
February, CART, Inc. filed suit against Road America for
failure to pay the final installment on the agreed-upon
sanctioning fee for last season's Champ Car event, as well as
the first sanctioning fee payment for this season's race at
the Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin track. The balance of last year's
sanctioning money remained unpaid at the close of business
Friday, March 7, and Road America was also unwilling to adhere
to the current sanctioning agreement and failed to pay initial
installments of this season's sanctioning fee. Furthermore,
the Road America race organizers rejected a reduced and
revised financial arrangement that was offered by Champ Car
management as a settlement of the lawsuit. As a result, the
series was forced to remove this year's race from its schedule
in order to give its teams, sponsors and broadcast partners
proper time to adjust travel and logistics schedules. The
Champ Car World Series has competed on the 4.048-mile Road
America road course since 1982 and the series had every
intention of continuing the rich tradition of Champ Car racing
on the circuit this season. Regrettably, the decision to
remove the Grand Prix of Road America, Round 12 of the 2003
Champ Car World Series scheduled for August 1-3, was brought
about by the continued refusal of the track to comply with its
sanctioning agreement. In the future Champ Car would consider
returning to the storied Wisconsin race circuit providing a
satisfactory and professionally responsible business
arrangement can be reached with an appropriate race promoter.
{Editor's Note: We here at AR1 expect the IRL might announce a
race at Road America before long, their first road race, and
it will be on the USA's best road course. However, that
would mean the IRL races on six consecutive weekends, so maybe
they won't race there until 2004. Our sources say Toyota
might sponsor the race it if were to happen. Unconfirmed
reports had a Toyota rep and Roger Penske visiting Road
America a few weeks ago, though that has not been confirmed
because no one is talking on the record due to the lawsuit.
That means CART's 2003 schedule is down to 18 races, and this
cancellation will be played as more negative PR for CART, even
though it is not their fault that Road America could not meet
their financial obligations. If there is any way CART
could make a race at Road Atlanta happen, now is the time to
do it. Put a quick chicane up before the dangerous last
turn to slow the cars and lets go racing].
3/10/03
NJ firm dropped from Lowes lawsuit A
New Jersey company that makes grout was removed Monday as a defendant
in a $27 million lawsuit by a couple injured when a pedestrian walkway
collapsed at Lowe's Motor Speedway. After plaintiffs Marty and
Cindy Taylor of Nelson County, Va., rested their case Monday, the
judge granted a motion to remove Anti-Hydro International Inc. of
Flemington, N.J., from the case, said Doug Ey, the company's lawyer.
The Taylors' claim continues against Lowe's Motor Speedway and the
company that built the walkway. "The judge found no evidence of
negligence on the part of Anti-Hydro," Ey said. "That ended the case
for them."
AP
3/10/03
Atlanta TV Rating Nielsen's
overnight figures show that Fox's broadcast of Sunday's Bass Pro Shops
MBNA 500 Winston Cup race from Atlanta Motor Speedway was the
weekend's most-watched sports program, today's Sports Business Daily
reports. The race, which was won by Bobby Labonte in Joe Gibbs
Racing's No. 18 Chevrolet, drew a 6.0 rating and 14 share to easily
outdistance the 4.2/9 for ABC's broadcast of the NBA game between the
76ers and Lakers. The preliminary race figures are close to last
year's 6.0/15 final figures but would need a considerable boost from
small markets to match the 6.7/17 the race drew in 2001.
Winston Cup Scene Daily Newsletter
3/10/03
(L to R) CART President
and CEO Chris Pook, Honorable City of Miami Mayor Manny Diaz, Grand Prix
Americas Vice-President & General Manager Chuck M. Martinez.
Photo by Alberto
Tamargo
CART Acquires 100% of Miami race
As an AR1 subscriber you read it first on our rumors page weeks ago -
Having made a successful return to the Miami market with the Champ Car
World Series in 2002, Championship Auto Racing Teams, Inc. (NYSE: MPH)
ensured the long-term future of the Grand Prix Americas event today
when it acquired Raceworks LLC, the Miami-based company that was the
promoter for last season’s successful race. The acquisition gives CART
the license to conduct a street race in South Florida for the next 15
years, and also gives the company 100 percent of the equity in the
Raceworks entity. “We are pleased to have taken these steps to secure
the Miami race for the foreseeable future,” said CART President and
CEO Christopher R. Pook. “As I have often said, I believe Miami to be
the gateway to what is a very important Latin American market for us,
and the fact that we can showcase our teams, drivers and sponsors in
this market is a key point for us and for our future.” In addition to
the Latin American market, the race gives the Champ Car World Series a
solid foothold in one of the key U.S. urban markets, keeping the
series in step with the successful business model that has brought
races to major cities such as Los Angeles, Denver, Tampa/St.
Petersburg, Cleveland, Portland and Milwaukee. “I am extremely
pleased that with the staging of the inaugural Grand Prix Americas
last October my dream has been fulfilled,” said Peter Yanowich,
co-founder of Raceworks, who helped bring the street race to Miami.
“With the acquisition of Raceworks, LLC by CART, I am turning the
reins of this important project over to one of the greatest race
promoters this country has ever seen, Chris Pook, and the staff he has
assembled at CART, including (Grand Prix Americas General Manager)
Chuck Martinez. I am confident that they will bring great leadership,
experience and financial support to enable the Grand Prix Americas to
continue to be enjoyed by South Floridians for many years to come.”
“The racing fans of South Florida have always been supportive of
world-class racing,” said Martinez. “We look forward to producing an
incredible event worthy of them and the City of Miami.” CART will own
and run the event beginning in 2003, taking over the promotion of the
race as it has with five other races this season. Coming on the heels
of a successful event last year, the series is already taking steps to
improve the 2003 race, including the construction of a new section of
the track that will result in the temporary circuit extending further
to the North along Biscayne Boulevard. “Aside from bringing together
two premier races with the Champ Car World Series and the American Le
Mans Series, the Grand Prix Americas adds to the list of world-class
sporting events taking place in Miami,” said Mayor Manny Diaz. “With
ownership by CART, the Grand Prix Americas can only get better.” The
Grand Prix Americas – the 15th round of the 2003 Bridgestone Presents
The Champ Car World Series Powered by Ford – will be held September
26-28 with the Champ Cars taking center stage along with the cars from
the American Le Mans Series on the streets of Miami.
3/10/03
Road America's Cheryl Barnes radio
interview
Cheryl Barnes, Road America's communications manager just finished an
interview on WTMJ radio (5:00p.m. CST) and informed the interviewers
that CART's cancellation of the Aug.1-3 Road America Grand Prix took
them "totally by surprise". She said Road America had sent a check to
CART on Friday and it was returned today. She said that they hoped
that RA's lawyers could "overturn" the cancellation, and that they
were receiving hundreds of calls from fans and many "vitriolic emails"
regarding the cancellation. She also answered a question submitted by
the broadcasters regarding the IRL racing at Road America. "We have
not been in contact with them, she said. "We are behind CART 100%. We
love CART. I'm not saying that this race won't happen until our
lawyers tell me it's over".
3/10/03
IRL testing news Two
former Indianapolis 500 winners and IRL IndyCar Series
champions were among the drivers testing March 9 at Phoenix
International Raceway in preparation for the Purex Dial Indy
200 on March 23. Kenny Brack, the 1999 Indianapolis 500 winner
and 1998 IRL IndyCar Series champion, tested his No. 15
Pioneer/Miller Lite Dallara/Honda/Firestone along with 1996
Indianapolis 500 winner and 2000 IndyCar Series champion Buddy
Lazier, who tested a Dallara/Chevrolet/Firestone for Hemelgarn
Racing. Rookie Roger Yasukawa tested his No. 55 Panasonic ARTA
Dallara/Honda/Firestone. The private session March 9 wrapped
up three days of testing at PIR since March 6. On March 6-7,
Felipe Giaffone, driver of the No. 21 Hollywood Panoz G
Force/Toyota/Firestone, tested along with teammate Tora
Takagi, driver of the No. 12 Pioneer Mo Nunn Racing Panoz G
Force/Toyota/Firestone. “We had the ill feeling that Homestead
and our cars were not going to agree with each other,” said
Peter Parrott, team manager for Mo Nunn Racing. “But we don’t
feel that way at all about Phoenix. We had a good race car
here last year. We ran well here during the Test in the West.
And we got a lot done here yesterday and today. “Felipe
finally got the car to where he was comfortable and running
quick laps. Tora has been going faster and faster each time he
steps into the car. We’re encouraged.” “After Homestead,
Phoenix is a whole different story,” Takagi said. “The lap
times we turned here in race setup were very competitive. And
we tried many different setups and learned a lot about our
cars. I am looking forward to race weekend here.” Also on
March 6-7, two-time Indianapolis 500 winner Helio Castroneves,
driver of the No. 3 Marlboro Team Penske
Dallara/Toyota/Firestone, tested along with Kelley Racing
teammates Al Unser Jr. and Scott Sharp. Two-time Indianapolis
500 winner Unser tested the No. 31 Corteco
Dallara/Toyota/Firestone, while Sharp tested the No. 8 Delphi
Dallara/Toyota/Firestone. Two-time IndyCar Series champion Sam
Hornish Jr. tested his No. 4 Pennzoil Panther
Dallara/Chevrolet/Firestone on March 6 while Jaques Lazier
tested the No. 2 Menards/Johns Manville
Dallara/Chevrolet/Firestone on March 6-7. Buddy Rice, who
drives the No. 52 Red Bull Cheever Racing
Dallara/Chevrolet/Firestone and lives in Phoenix, was also on
hand to observe the test, working with engineers from Menard
Cheever Technologies. But he did not drive.
3/10/03
Paul Newman on Biography
ChannelUPDATE Apparently the air
date has changed. According to their website, it will be shown
next week. Multiple airings are listed below:
Tuesday, March 18 9:00 PM-10:00 PM
Wednesday, March 19 1:00 AM-2:00 AM
Wednesday, March 19 12:00 PM-1:00 PM
Wednesday, March 19 6:00 PM-7:00 PM 3/10/03
- The Biography Channel will be presenting a special Biography
of Paul Newman tonight (March 10) at 8:00 PM ET. It will
feature the life of a remarkable man and will be a lead in to
the upcoming Academy Awards Show later in March.
3/10/03
Another turbo hits the streets
We could not help but notice that yet another turbocharged
passenger vehicle is coming out. Note the massive HP
produced by the turbo version of the Porsche Cayenne in the
ALMS Porsche Cayenne Hot News item below. As we
understand it quite a number of turbocharged and supercharged
cars are in the design pipeline at most of the car companies,
so the notion of a long-term 1.5L or 1.8L turbocharged
gasoline engine platform for CART and F1 makes more sense with
each passing day. Like we have said in the past, you
probably won't be buying a V-10 passenger car anytime soon (although
BMW is coming out with a 500 HP V-10 in their M5 and 6 Series cars).
We are seeing Turbos used on small fuel efficient,
low-emission car engines, as well as massive HP versions like
in the Mercedes. Turbos are now very reliable and have
little maintenance compared to years gone by. When was
the last time a turbo didn't win LeMans? Turbos reduce
the need for high RPM to make HP and Torque, increasing engine
longevity. Turbos eliminate the noise issue on street
circuits, provide for a 20-year engine platform (that is how
long CART's current engine has been around) and are more
in-tune to what the engine manufacturers are doing/planning
for many of their passenger vehicles. Mark C.
3/10/03
Porsche Cayenne part of ALMS
safety team
The exciting new Porsche Cayenne luxury SUV will be part of
the safety team of the International Motor Sports Association
(IMSA) at all races for the American Le Mans Series in 2003.
IMSA is the sanctioning body for the professional sports car
racing series. The Porsche Cayenne goes on sale in North
America on March 15, corresponding perfectly with the opening
of the 2003 season for the American Le Mans Series. The
Porsche Cayenne will debut as part of the safety team in the
Mar. 12-15 Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring at Sebring (Fla.)
International Raceway. A Porsche Cayenne Turbo will be the new
Emergency Rapid Response Vehicle, carrying IMSA’s medical
doctor and an extraction specialist from Amkus Rescue Systems
in a speedy fashion to the scene of any accidents that occur
during the course of competition. The Cayenne Turbo, though
street-legal, is powerful and fast enough to chase a field of
world-class racing sports cars when needed, and will do so on
the opening lap of each race, the same procedure used in the
24 Hours of Le Mans and in Formula 1 racing. IMSA will also
use a Porsche Cayenne S model as a Course Safety Vehicle,
performing sweep laps prior to the start of the race and
standing by for use during the course of practice, qualifying
and racing action. The Cayenne S features a Porsche-designed
340-horsepower, 4.5-liter V8 that can propel it from 0 to 62
mph in 7.2 seconds and to a top test-track speed of 150 mph.
The Cayenne Turbo – positioned as the best on-road performing
SUV – has a twin-turbocharged 4.5-liter V8 that produces 450
horsepower and 457 pounds-feet of torque. It can accelerate
from 0 to 62 mph in 5.6 seconds, and can achieve a top
test-track speed of 165 mph.
3/10/03
Wallace brothers in Hot Water This
Times Argus
article talks about the Hot Water the Wallace brothers
have gotten themselves in with NASCAR based on recent comments
made in the public.
3/10/03
Lots
of empty seats at AtlantaUPDATE
The attendance was estimated at 106,000, still a healthy
number. 3/9/03 - As can be seen in this wide angle shot
from Atlanta, there were a lot of empty seats for today's MBNA 500,
indicating that many fans can no longer afford the expensive Winston
Cup tickets and are staying home to watch on TV for free. This
of course has helped NASCAR's TV ratings.
3/10/03
Chat with Mario Dominguez
For our Mexican readers, you can join Mario Dominguez in a
live chat on the Spanish version of ESPN.com. Here is
the
link.
3/10/03
SPEED to telecast Sebring
12-Hours Flag-to-Flag
SPEED Channel will kick off the American Le Mans Series season
with live, flag-to-flag coverage of the 51st Annual Mobil 12
Hours of Sebring, offering 13 hours of coverage from Florida's
famed 3.7-mile Sebring International Raceway. Using
multi-shift production teams, SPEED Channel will deliver
comprehensive coverage from Sebring with 25 cameras, including
multiple on-boards and the popular Visor Cam used in SPEED
Channel's coverage of The Champ Car World Series. Coverage
from the track, built on a World War II military training
airfield, begins at 10 a.m. ET with a half-hour pre-race
program. "SPEED Channel is proud to be able to bring our
viewers one of the finest endurance races of the year," said
Doug Sellars, SPEED Channel VP and Executive Producer/Remote
Productions. "The American Le Mans Series will grid more than
60 cars at this year's race, making it arguably the finest
field of cars and drivers this event has ever seen." Audi
drivers Emanuele Pirro, the 2001 ALMS champion and a
three-time 24 Hours of LeMans winner, and former Formula One
driver JJ Lehto, a 1995 winner at the 24 Hours of Le Mans,
will be outfitted with SPEED's Visor Cams. The Visor Cam
consists of a Sony camera body with a spy-camera head and some
magical lens work. The result -- a control box that is ¾ of an
inch in diameter and about 1½ inches long with a camera head
that is less than ½ inch in diameter and a little more than 1½
inches in length. The camera head fits inside the visor behind
the driver's field of vision in the helmet padding, giving the
SPEED audience a true driver's eye, panoramic view of the
race. As the oldest endurance race in the United States,
Sebring attracts a road-racing crowd second only to the 24
Hours of Le Mans. The on-air talent, which will split into two
shifts for Sebring, includes play-by-play specialists Bob
Varsha and Leigh Diffey, color commentators David Hobbs and
Bill Adam and pit reporters Calvin Fish, Brian Till, Andrew
Marriott and Martin Haven.
3/10/03
Hans Stuck Joins BMW Team PTG
in Third BMW M3
International racing veteran and television commentator Hans
Stuck will drive a third BMW M3 for BMW Team PTG in the SCCA
Pro Racing SPEED World Challenge GT event at Sebring (Fla.)
International Raceway on March 14, 2003. Stuck, of Austria,
winner of five American Le Mans Series races for BMW Team PTG
from 1999-2001 and three-time 12 Hours of Sebring champion,
will join Bill Auberlen and Boris Said in the team's first
entry into the World Challenge Series. Stuck will drive the
McMillin Motorsport BMW M3, which Jeff McMillin, the 1997
Speedvision Cup and 2000 Speedvision GT champion, drove to
fifth in the GT point standings last year. "It's great to have
Hans joining us in Sebring," said BMW Team PTG owner Tom
Milner. Hans has been part of the team for many years and
we're happy to have him back. He won the race for us in the
Petit LeMans event in 2001, our last sports-car race, and
there have been many other times when Hans has pulled the hot
iron out of the fire for us. We know he's capable of doing
that again."
3/10/03 Announcement
Simple Green Truck contest #4
On our Home Page we have started our Simple Green Truck
Contest #4. If you know of any friends who are thinking
about signing up for AR1, they can do so at a discounted rate
(20% of) and a chance to win a die-cast Simple Green CART
Safety truck until April 4th. Congratulations to our
previous winner, Robert Schmitt of Studio City, California.
3/10/03
1.9 million Aussies watch raceUPDATE That 1.9 million
number is pretty awesome, if you add the perspective that the
country has a population of just under 20 million total. The
same percentage in the US would mean about 25 million people
watched a race . . . 3/10/03 - An audience of 1.9 million Australian viewers tuned in to see David Coulthard's victory at the Fosters Australian Grand Prix yesterday,
the first race ever hosted by Network Ten. Overall the 105-minute race
secured an average audience of 1.7 million, while an average 1.18
million people watched the 10-hour broadcast. “TEN's telecast was the
most comprehensive coverage of an Australian Grand Prix ever, and an
indication of our commitment to Formula 1 and Motorsport,” Network
Ten's general manager for sport David White said. However,
because the the weather, the race attendance was down 10% from 2002.
The 2003 attendance was 116,700.
3/10/03
Interlagos improvements
Improvements to the Interlagos circuit should be ready in time for the
upcoming 3rd race on the F1 calendar. The April 6th event in São Paulo
will see improvements to the draining system, curbs, tire walls and
run off areas. In addition, new fences similar to the ones found at
the Indianapolis Motor Speedway will be in place to keep spectators
safe from any type of problem. Crews are also working hard to fix
three sections of the track, located between Lago and Laranjinha
corners, Pinheirinho and Bico de Pato and from the beginning of the
Pit Straight thru to the Pit Entrance. All these sections are being
resurfaced in order to eliminate the bumps. Teams will also find at
their disposal a new complex of offices that has been built right
behind the garages. These have been fitted with a small kitchen,
meeting and rest room as well as other facilities.
F1-Live.com.
3/10/03 Karting
Formula Kart and Skip Barber announce
details
Formula Kart Productions announced today the dates and locations for
the 2003 FL Region Rotax Max Challenge program. This program is part
of the "FL Karters Awards Partnership" between Formula Kart
Productions and Skip Barber Racing School. Skip Barber Racing
School, through the Formula Kart Florida Karters Awards Partnership (
FKAP ), will award FL Region Rotax Max Challenge Competitors racing
school certificates with a total retail value of $10,500. Competitors
will qualify through "local" Rotax Max Challenges for the opportunity
to compete for the Skip Barber awards at the first annual FL RMax
State Championship event. "This is an unprecedented
opportunity for amateur Florida kart racers to compete for a
prestigious State Championship title, and the amazing Skip Barber
Racing School awards" commented Formula Kart President Bill Wright. "
Through our partnership Skip Barber has made it clear they support
amateur level karters. I couldn't be more excited about this year."
"Skip Barber has a long tradition of reaching out to the grass roots
of motorsports to breakdown the barriers to participation," said
George Tamayo, Director of Marketing & Communications for Skip Barber.
"It is one of the core philosophies that the company was founded on
and we remain committed to. Our affiliation with Formula Kart is a
further extension of that commitment and we couldn't be more pleased
with it so far." Founded in 1994, Formula Kart Productions is an
event promotion company. Formula Kart Productions is the contracted
administrator for the FL Region of Rotax Max Challenge competitions,
the contracted administrator for the FL Region of Superkarts!USA
competition, and the event coordinator for the 2003 FL RMax State
Championship event. 3 separate Challenges, 5 races each with one
drop. Competitors must declare which Challenge they will contest.
Competitors will be allowed to change their declared Challenge, but
can only change once, and will not transfer points to the new
Challenge. Spec fuel and Oil is VP Motorsports 98 and C2 @ 50to1. Spec
tires are Bridgestone YGK slick and YGR rain. North FL RMax Challenge
Jacksonville 103rd Street
April 12th
April 26th
May 10th
June 14th
June 28th
For information about the North FL RMax Challenge contact Bill Wright
at FK Motorsports 850-258-0846. You can get information about the
Jacksonville complex and the North Florida Kart Club at their official
web site at www.nfkc.us . South FL RMax Challenge
Homestead Karting
April 13th
May 4th
June 15th
July 20th
August 10th
For information about the South FL RMax Challenge contact Rudy
Ramsaroop at Rysa Racing 305-687-8711. You can get information about
the Homestead Karting Complex at their official web site at
www.homesteadkarting.com
. Central FL RMax Challenge
Ocala Gran Prix and St. Pete/Tampa
Dates TBA
For information about the Central FL RMax Challenge contact Bill
Wright at FK Motorsports 850-258-0846 2003 FL RMax State Championship Event
August 30-31. Location TBA.
3/10/03
JML
Panoz team shows off livery
One of the newest team's in the American Le Mans Series, JML Team
Panoz, is set to kick off its 2003 assault next weekend in one of
America's oldest motorsport events - the 51st Annual Mobil 1 Twelve
Hours of Sebring. The team will field two Panoz LMP-01 cars at
Sebring with an international driver line-up including former ALMS GTS
champion Olivier Beretta (Monaco), young star Gunnar Jeannette (USA)
and experienced CART and sportscar ace Max Papis (Italy) combining
aboard the #10 car. The #11 Panoz will be piloted by experienced
Canadians Scott Maxwell and John Graham and young Swiss ace, Benjamin
Leuenberger. The team completed its preparations on Friday when
Beretta drove the #10 car at Road Atlanta. The Georgian team is
motivated to complete a strong result for team owner John McLoughlin
who is recovering in hospital after a recent stroke. "We
shook down the car on Friday afternoon and everything felt really good
- I am really looking forward to heading down to Sebring for the
race," Beretta said.
"The
team has done a great job in preparing the cars and everybody on the
team is very motivated to do well for John (McLoughlin). "I have
really strong team mates for this weekend and it is also great to be
back in the American Le Mans Series on a full-time basis. "It is
the best sportscar championship in the world with great tracks, great
crowds, great events - I am very happy to be back." The 2003
Sebring event features one of the strongest entry lists in recent
history including the North American debut of the Bentley GTP
prototype. Leuenberger, a former winner of the BMW ADAC Formula
Junior Cup in Germany, is eagerly awaiting his prototype debut and
first race in the United States. "I never expected to get this
opportunity so early in the my career," Leuenberger said. "It is
really exciting for me because the track has so much history - I can't
wait to get in the car at Sebring. "From Formula Renault and
Porsche Carrera Cup, this is a big step for me, but I really am
grateful for the opportunity." JML Team Panoz will take part in
unofficial testing on Monday and Tuesday at the historic Florida venue
before official practice begins on Wednesday. Saturday's race
begins at 10.30am and will be telecast live on Speed Channel - flag to
flag. Race fans can also log on to
http://www.americanlemans.com
to listen to the entire race on American Le Mans Radio Web.
Should CART adopt F1's 1-lap qualifying
rule?
A reader writes, Dear AutoRacing1.com, I think the new F1 rule whereby
the cars have just one lap to qualify and then impound the cars until
race time could be used by CART to spice up the races.
Enrique Gonzalo, Monterrey, Mexico, Dear Enrique, we don't agree.
The problem with 1-lap qualifying is when it rains half way through
the qualifying session. Those that go out on a wet track will be
10 to 15 seconds slower and forced, through no fault of their own, to
start from the back. We can hear the whining and protests now.
While it would not be so bad if the fast guys start in the back
sometimes, in CART it's near impossible to pass on many of its tracks.
Forcing a driver to start at the back because of Mother Nature would
be too stiff a penalty to impose on anyone until CART fixes it's
impossible to pass problem. One thing CART can get rid of is the
ridiculous mandatory pit stop window. That makes everyone run
the same pit and fuel load strategy and takes away some of the
jumbling up of the field that F1 is trying to create. And until
CART switches to gasoline, they can't adopt the rule of no refueling
after qualifying (a brilliant rule if you ask me). Methanol is
corrosive and can't be left in the car overnight. The engines
are flushed with gasoline each night, a process called pickling.
This would prevent CART from adopting this cleaver rule until 2005
when V-10 engines and gasoline are used. You should also know
that in 2005 Champ Cars will carry on-board starters which will enable
a driver to restart their car after a spin and continue, eliminating
the need for CART's ridiculous multitude of full-course yellows, which
only portrays the series as Mickey Mouse. Mark C.
3/10/03
NASCAR drivers to attempt Indy 500 runUPDATE Indy car ready,
sponsor not - John Roberts: Is the Indy 500 in your plans again for
this year? Robby Gordon: I've been working really hard on an Indy 500
program with Richard Childress. We've got an engine package lined up.
We've got chassis lined up. We don't have a major sponsor right now so
we're working hard, trying to get that put together. Hopefully we can
get something put together here in a little while. It's tough right
now with the situation we're in with America right now. If we're going
to go to war, not going to go to war. People don't know if they want
to spend money or not so that's making it a little more difficult.
Fox
Sports Net's NASCAR This Morning2/10/03 - Add Jason Leffler's name to the list of NASCAR drivers who
plan an attempt at the Indianapolis 500 in May. Leffler,
former USAC Midget and Silver Crown champ, drove in 2001 for
Roger Penske and retreated last year to Craftsman Trucks with
Ultra Motorsports. He's back in Ultra's No. 2 Trucks this
year. Leffler and team officials revealed Friday night that he
would try to make at try at the 500, with details not yet
clear, such as whose car he might drive or what sponsorship is
available. John Andretti and Robby Gordon also have been given
permission to run in the 500, with Gordon running the past two
years there in cars co-owned by Cup car owner Richard
Childress. Neither Andretti nor Gordon has made clear exactly
what the plans are. Andretti says he wants to race at Indy
because his cousin Michael will be making his final drive at
the Speedway before retiring.
SPEED TV
3/9/03
F1 cars so much faster than Champ Cars
A reader writes, Dear AutoRacing1.com, I could not help but notice how
much faster the F1 cars look on a street circuit than CART Champ Cars.
What gives, I thought the Champ Cars were supposed to be the fastest
cars in the world? Pete Kremer, Harrisburg, PA.
Dear Pete, Champ Cars are so heavy they can't get out of their own way
on a street circuit. Anyone who watched the Australian GP can
appreciate just how fast a F1 car is, and the super quick reflexes
needed to drive them fast. We saw some spectacular driving in
Australia, by the best drivers in the world. Too bad the 2005
Champ Car couldn't be about 200 pounds lighter. It could use the
diet. They are so heavy, the racing so slow, Niki Lauda coined
it "Lazy Racing". If the plan is for CART to develop future F1
drivers, the cars had better have about as much HP and weigh within
200 Lbs (with driver), or it will continue to be "Lazy Racing" and
CART Champions in F1 (think da Matta, Michael Andretti, Zanardi) will
continue to be in for a rude awakening when they graduate. Mario
Andretti, Juan Montoya and Jacques Villeneuve made the transition, but
they were each a special talent. Mark C.
3/9/03
Will noise be an issue for CART?
A reader writes, Dear AR1, I read with interest the Washington Post
article regarding the cancellation of the ALMS race at DC. I wonder if
anybody at CART has taken notice of this and any notes. The only
reason I say this is, because of Chris Pook's near obsession with
street races, the issue of noise abatement and public opposition will
become more prevalent, especially when CART adopts the 3.0L V-10
format. In a series made up primarily of street courses...eventually
this issue will pop up.....and CART could be drawn into more ugly PR
and legal battles it does not need. Regards, Joe Angers, Boston, MA.
Dear Joe, The 1.8L turbo engine (the turbo muffles the sound somewhat)
was probably the best engine for CART long-term given they race on so
many street circuits and so many more passenger cars are now being
built with them. However, the decision to go with the V-10 has
been made. Hopefully it screams loud as hell (like a F1 car).
If citizens in certain cities raise a fuss, it's easy enough to slap
mufflers on them. Mark C.
3/9/03
Bad day for Roush engines Roush
Racing teammates Mark Martin and Kurt Busch made early exits for the
second week in a row, and teammate Jeff Burton also lost an engine
here in Atlanta, leaving team owner Jack Roush to wonder about the
reliability of his engines.
3/9/03
Waltrip brothers form truck team Michael
and Darrell Waltrip are going racing in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck
Series. The brothers have formed Leroy's Boys Racing -- in honor of
their late father and an offshoot of Michael Waltrip Racing -- and
will field trucks in at least two races for Darrell, a three-time
Winston Cup champion. The elder Waltrip came out of retirement in 2002
to drive in two Truck Series events. "I'll probably end up driving a
race somewhere," Michael said Sunday morning at Atlanta Motor
Speedway. "But Darrell is going to do Martinsville and IRP
(Indianapolis Raceway Park)." Michael Waltrip Racing's crew chief,
Bobby Kennedy will oversee the truck operation as well, but Buddy "Red
Dog" Barnes, who left Ultra Motorsports on Friday, will assemble the
trucks. "Red Dog has got a lot of experience in the Truck Series and
he's been a friend of mine for many years," Michael said. "So he's
going to be helping us out."
3/9/03
Childress leaves track after mother
dies Just hours after signing Kevin Harvick and Goodwrench to a
contract extension, team owner Richard Childress received news that
his mother had died. Virginia Hodge, a resident of East Bend, N.C.,
was 79. She passed away Saturday night after a brief illness,
according to a team press release. Childress flew back to North
Carolina on Sunday morning to be with family.
3/9/03
Denver Post talks about CART
Contrary to last year when many of the articles in the Denver Post
were rather negative towards CART, this
article paints a more favorable light. One key point
that Chris Pook keeps hammering home is the fact that CART is bringing
the racing to downtown areas, just like the late Pete Rozelle did with
the NFL years ago. It worked for them and it is working for CART
from an attendance standpoint. However, with not enough sponsors
that are willing to feature the CART drivers in their TV ads, the
drivers will not become household names and CART will never develop
the mainstream following that NASCAR enjoys. NASCAR has been
able to get nearly all of the sponsors in the series to feature their
drivers in their print and TV ads, and that has led to the average guy
on the street recognizing the drivers names and faces and this is the
primary reason for NASCAR's meteoric TV rating growth. CART may have
big events, but the fans don't go home and watch on TV
week-in-and-week-out. They will only do that if and when CART is
able to build the drivers into heroes.
3/9/03
More on Washington DC cancellation
This Washington DC Post newspaper
article sheds more light on why this years ALMS and Trans-Am
races were cancelled. Although there were several reasons, the
fact that the promoter was not able to abate the noise stands out as
the primary reason.
3/9/03
Mosley satisfied with new rules
"I followed the race as a television viewer and I found the race
exciting. I think Raikkonen was particularly unlucky. What he did was
remarkable", Stated FIA's president Max Mosley, speaking on the
telephone with AFP from his home in London. "I think that the new
procedure is partly responsible for the excitement we have seen. Even
if the conditions were a major factor, of course. As a matter of fact,
with these new rules, the starting order was kind of unusual... apart
from Ferrari's front row. All this combined with slightly difficult
climatic conditions gave us an outstanding race.", said Mosley. Some
situations were however surprising, notably Minardi's strategy, their
drivers Justin Wilson and Jos Verstappen not finishing their
qualifying laps, giving the team the opportunity to work freely on
their cars by not having to put them in parc fermé. "We were also
surprised", admitted Mosley. "even if they had the right to do that.
We will have to think about keeping that open or not in the rules. We
could argue that the small teams in the back of the field can try
that. It will not make a big difference. But we have to think about
it. I believe we will probably forbid this situation but we will have
to talk to the teams about that. We will have a meeting all together
after the first three races." "No, I don't think that we will agree to
that because this is one of the major change in the new rules. In my
opinion, this aspect of the rules went really well." "Apart from
one or two team bosses (allusion made to Ron Dennis and Frank
Williams), we have a complete collaboration with chief mechanics,
engineers, everybody. We are on a permanent dialogue with Charlie
Whiting (FIA technical delegate) because F1 is very complex. There
were many things difficult to foresee.", admitted Max Mosley. "As for
now, I am really satisfied. I was also very impressed by the drivers
who managed to avoid accidents in the first two laps. They drove
carefully. I think the new rules are also the reason for that."
3/9/03
Harvick re-ups for 3 years Richard
Childress Racing locked up its driver and primary sponsor of the No.
29 Chevrolet through the 2006 Winston Cup season, announcing
three-year extensions yesterday for Kevin Harvick and GM Good wrench.
3/9/03
Button fumes at teammate
Jenson Button was furious with BAR teammate Jacques Villeneuve after a
mix-up in the pit lane cost him the chance of taking points from the
season-opening Australian Grand Prix. When Button went in for his
scheduled pit stop after 25 laps, he found Villeneuve already there
and the 23-year-old was forced to queue up behind his teammate.
"When we did the pit-stop for fuel Jacques came in on the wrong lap,
he came in on my lap and that completely buggered my race," he said.
"It cost me a hell of a lot of time, it's like doing two pit stops.
There is nothing you can do then, it completely destroyed the race. "I
was very frustrated, the things I was saying on the radio. I was
pretty annoyed. I couldn't drive for another lap as I would have run
out of fuel. "Jacques did not come in when he was supposed to. I was a
little bit shocked when he came in because I knew I was on the right
lap. "He did apologise which was needed I think. But I am not very
impressed, it is very annoying. "In effect I did four pit-stops, I
came in and sat behind my teammate while he did his pit-stop and
obviously the guys had to run back in and come back out because I was
supposed to be coming in."
3/9/03
McGehee on RPM2Night
Robby McGehee is scheduled to be John Kernan's guest on RPM2Night
(Sunday). The program airs from 11:00 p.m. to 11:30 p.m. Eastern time
on ESPN2. McGehee will be interviewed remotely from a studio in his
hometown of St. Louis. He will talk about his recent flight with the
U.S. Navy's Blue Angels, sharing videotape of his ride taken from the
cockpit of the F/A-18 Hornet as it did various wild maneuvers over the
California desert while pulling over seven and a half Gs.
3/9/03
Spencer still bitter about Ganassi Jimmy
Spencer remains unhappy with the way his tenure ended last season at
Chip Ganassi Racing. Spencer lasted just one season in Ganassi's #41
Target Dodge and was replaced this season with rookie Casey Mears. "I
was doing everything I was supposed to do last year," Spencer said
Saturday. "I drove my heart out. I just didn't get along with the
people there. The most excited I've ever been in my life and the
greatest pleasure there ever was, was the day I got out of there."
Spencer has a lawsuit pending against Ganassi claiming breach of
contract. Spencer declined to comment on the status of the suit.
ThatsRacin.com
3/9/03
Stoddart Defends Rule Loophole
Paul Stoddart spent much of his Sunday morning at a sodden Albert Park
track defending his controversial team-tactics of a day earlier.
Justin Wilson and Jos Verstappen started the Australian Grand Prix
from pitlane today after the Anglo-Italian squad ordered its drivers
to abandon their one-shot qualifying laps. 'What we did was within the
rules,' said a defiant Stoddart, who found a loophole in the new rules
that state cars will be locked away in parc ferme 'if and when' they
complete the shoot-out. 'It was carefully thought out, it was checked
and re-checked before we did it - it was not a loophole,' he adds.
Paul said the contentious routine may never be repeated again but
explained how he grasped the opportunity to gain an advantage on rival
teams who could not work on their cars overnight. Because the black
racers did not complete their 3-lap Saturday run, they were not
subject to the rule forcing cars under lock-and-key. At a chilly 2pm
on Sunday afternoon, then, Wilson and Verstappen's racers were the
only ones completely topped up with fuel and with full wet-setups
after FIA's Charlie Whiting this morning allowed only very minimal
setting changes. 'We've not damaged the sport,' said Stoddart. 'We've
actually made the sport more interesting and our interpretation of the
rules is just another strategic decision that throws another aspect of
interest into the sport.' In the end, the rains stayed away for the 58
laps of Stoddart's home race leaving the Minardi boys without an
advantage nor a top-eight position. 'It was worth a try, and we'd do
it again,' the Australian boss adds.
3/9/03
Juan And Kimi Rue Lost Race
David Coulthard may have the champagne bubbling in his Crown Towers
suite tonight, but his podium cohorts will be ruing the day they lost
the 2003 Australian Grand Prix. Second across the line at an overcast
Albert Park track was Juan Pablo Montoya; but the Colombian actually
led for much of the race explaining his thunderous face in the
post-race press conference. Montoya started the Aussie race on dry
tires, unlike Coulthard and Kimi Raikkonen's McLarens who dropped into
the pack in the opening laps to change from unsuited intermediates. 'I
think it was a pretty disastrous race,' said the 27-year-old who
explained that lengthy spells in the lead were totally ruined with
Safety Car periods. 'We took the right tires and we had a 16-second
lead. Everything was going my way and then safety car came out.' He
then built a ten second lead until another on-track incident 'screwed'
Juan Pablo again. 'I went into turn one and when I picked up the
throttle the car just turned into me,' Montoya added. Kimi Raikkonen
and his McLaren strategists, meanwhile, pulled off a master stroke
when they sacrificed taking the race start to change tires from wet to
dry after the formation lap. 'We weren't really sure if it was ready
for dry tires before the start, but on the parade lap we decided it
was so we came in and changed it quickly,' the Finn explained.
'Unfortunately it didn't work out today because of the penalty,' he
added, referring to his drive-through sentence for speeding in pitlane
at 1km/h over the limit. 'It was a good race,' the 23-year-old
insists, although he freely admitted his disappointment at throwing
away the win.
3/9/03
Montoya Defends Williams FW25
Juan Pablo Montoya has defended his new Williams FW25 chassis after
the media painted its prospects as dim. 'I'm really behind the FW25
and I believe in the car,' said the Colombian, who qualified the
BMW-powered racer third before coming oh-so-close to the Albert Park
win. 'After all I left both McLaren drivers behind me and got really
close to the Ferraris,' he adds. 'Of course, we have to continue to
work on it.' Montoya says the media jumped on the early disappointing
test at Circuit de Catalunya with FW25 whilst insisting that the new
Williams is a 'huge step forward' on its predecessor. Sir Frank
Williams and technical boss Patrick Head were determined to pen
something new for 2003 after failing to compete with Ferrari's fifteen
wins last year. 'Last year's car looked like a boat, it looked huge,'
Montoya adds. 'This car is so tiny, every single detail of the car is
amazing.' He says Ferrari are still in pole position to soar to a
sixth consecutive constructors' championship but the FW25 could be the
foundation 'of a really good car. Montoya explains how, 'The car is
very responsive, it's pretty nice to drive too. It's not as good as a
Ferrari yet, but it is good.'
3/9/03
Webber With A Lot To Prove Mark
Webber has a lot to prove at the Jaguar Racing marque this season,
according to outgoing BMW boss Gerhard Berger. The 26-year-old
Australian, Webber, got a rapturous reception by his home crowd at
Albert Park today as he geared up for his first grand prix for the
Leaping Cat - which eventually ended with suspension failure. He said:
'Once the race began, the performance of the car was good and I
thoroughly enjoyed myself out there.' But Berger, 43 and a former
ten-time winner at the pinnacle of motorsports, is reluctant to give
the boy from Queanbeyan a Guernsey as rookies-to-watch like Kimi
Raikkonen or Fernando Alonso. 'Last year it was too difficult to tell
when Webber was driving at Minardi and he had a very weak team mate,'
Berger said at Albert Park. 'I will actually be surprised if Webber
can beat [Antonio] Pizzonia on a regular basis.' Another former ace,
1992 world champion Nigel Mansell, agrees that Mark is still an
unknown quantity. But the former Williams and Ferrari ace says that
22-year-old Pizzonia was also a strange choice for the re-building
marque in green. 'What qualities have Webber and Pizzonia really got,
other than youth and enthusiasm,' Nigel quizzed in an interview with
Australian Associated Press. 'Do they even know what grand prix racing
is all about? I doubt it.'
3/9/03
Team Orders Remain At Ferrari
Jean Todt has refused to rule-out the imposition of team orders in
2003, despite a new FIA directive banning them. The Frenchman's
Scuderia Ferrari threw motorsport into furor in May last year when
Rubens Barrichello and Michael Schumacher swapped positions on the
final corner in Austria. At the subsequent meeting of the World Motor
Sport Council, it was decreed that team orders that infringe on the
race result, or bring the sport into disrepute, would be illegal and
dealt with harshly. But Todt says the long-standing policy of the
Prancing Horse remains intact: 'We will always privilege the interest
of the company,' said the Ferrari sporting director. 'Motor racing has
always had team orders but we admit that in the past we sometimes we
did not apply them in the most clever way. 'We will take that into
account for the future.' For the first time in more than fifty Formula
One races, Ferrari did not have a driver representative on the
post-race podium in Australia this afternoon. Rubens Barrichello
fudged his race with a heavy shunt, whilst Michael Schumacher trickled
home for fourth after a three-stop strategy and bodywork damage. 'I
think our performance was actually quite good,' said Todt at the
chilly Melbourne track. 'Circumstance was not our friend today.'
3/9/03
DC Admits Ferrari Still Fastest
David Coulthard praised a superb strategy and solid performance for
his Australian Grand Prix win at Melbourne today. But the veteran
Scot, who added his thirteenth victory at the pinnacle of motorsports
in the picturesque Albert Park, admitted that Ferrari still remain
favorites for ultimate '03 glory. 'Under pressure Ferrari can make
mistakes, as today illustrated,' said David. 'But I admit that
conditions were a little bit unusual today. 'There is still work to be
done to be competitive against Ferrari.' David's keen strategy got off
to an early start when at the end of lap two, the 31-year-old pulled
into pitlane to swap his wet-weather tires for a fresh set of Michelin
grooves. 'During the installation lap, the circuit was still wet, so
we decided to start the race on wet tires,' he said, explaining that
he nearly followed his team-mate to swap his boots after the formation
lap. At the end of lap two, though, the silver machine swapped his
tires and benefited from the mistakes at Ferrari, Williams - and
team-mate Kimi Raikkonen - to earn his second Aussie win since 1997.
He said: 'I'm really happy with the result especially as it is such a
stark contrast to yesterday's qualifying.' Coulthard started the race
from a lowly eleventh position. 'The team did a great job and we had
the right strategy, which allowed us to optimize the unusual
circumstances with the weather and the safety car. 'I think our
performance showed that we have taken a step forward with the MP4-17D
and further improved our competitiveness and hopefully we are all in
for an exciting season.' Team boss Ron Dennis said the man whose
performance was most commendable in Australia today was the McLaren
strategist: 'Both our drivers excelled,' he started. 'But our strategy
was perfect in difficult conditions.'
3/9/03
Dennis Consoles Cheerless Kimi
Ron Dennis comforted a disconsolate Kimi Raikkonen in the Albert Park
pitlane this afternoon despite the Finn's strong podium finish. The
23-year-old, however, had looked set for glory as he fended off the
charging Michael Schumacher for the grand prix lead. Raikkonen's race
was shattered when he was called in for a drive-through penalty.
Dennis, McLaren boss, put the blame at his Woking-team's feet, not at
Kimi's who drove a 'truly superb race today.' 'Our apologies to Kimi
whose 1.1 kilometer pitlane entry speeding excess was caused by a team
error,' said the Englishman. 'We look forward to Malaysia which should
suit our package.' Kimi's team-mate in silver, David Coulthard, now
leads the 2003 Formula One championship with ten points, while McLaren
tops the charts in the constructors' chase with 16. Dennis said the
race stewards' decision to penalize Kimi was 'pretty harsh, really.'
3/9/03
Lock-And-Key Leaves Negative Vibes
Only the idle mechanics were cheering a new rule forcing Formula One
contenders into a locked parc ferme garage-area on Saturday evening.
Aimed at bridging the gap between pitlane's rich and poor, the FIA
deprived teams of tinkering with setups or installing special
qualifying components by insisting that the cars should remain under
lock and key before the race. While the smiling mechanics spent their
night having barbecues in the Albert Park paddock, though, McLaren
chief Ron Dennis confirmed that FIA observers watched over progress
when the cars were returned this morning. Only a very restrictive list
of set-up changes can be made prior to the race, although FIA delegate
Charlie Whiting allowed teams to make some safety provisions for the
wet-weather in Australia. 'I hope and believe that we are all an
honorable bunch but we have a couple of people in our garage whose
normal occupations I could not tell you,' Dennis told Autosport. The
Briton added that if McLaren wanted to cheat and work on the cars,
'I'm sure we could do.' Williams technical director Patrick Head added
that his couple of 'nice Australians' watching over progress in the
garage could also be easily led astray. He said, smiling: 'We haven't
given them tea with sennapods or offered them any brown envelopes, but
there is plenty of potential.'
3/9/03
Flawless Weekend Ends In Barriers
An error-free and blindingly-quick weekend for Rubens Barrichello came
to an abrupt halt when the Brazilian threw his Ferrari into the
barriers. The 30-year-old explained that the error was made as he
spoke - no doubt with his characteristically Latin fire - to the team
on the radio following news that he would be penalized. Rubens' F2002
crept over the line at 2pm and therefore incurred a drive-through
penalty for jumping the start. 'It was just one of those things,' he
explained after returning to the Albert Park pits and regaining his
composure with a quick shower. 'There is no need to panic about this
result. We just have to dig in and concentrate on Malaysia. The F2002
is still a very good car, as could be seen by Michael's lap times,
even when he had lost some bodywork.' Barrichello says the jump-start
will be subject to investigation as he held his scarlet boot on the
brake-pedal as hard as he could but couldn't stop it creeping. 'It
just wanted to start early today,' said the still-chirpy Brazilian who
had hoped to get off to a flying start in the 2003 championship after
declaring title ambitions. 'Just before the accident, we were talking
on the radio about my penalty. I went into Turn 5 too fast, had
understeer and could not hold it. 'The car was going well, but the
front tires were already in trouble, because the track dried quicker
than expected and I was still having to push hard. 'We must now put
this race behind us, look to the next one and get used to the new
rules.'
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