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Gin Blossoms to perform at Long Beach
Multi-platinum recording artists the Gin Blossoms will add their name
to the growing list of popular rock bands that have performed at the
Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach’s Rock-N-Roar Concert Series when they
take center stage after the races on Saturday, April 12. The concert
will be held on the Fountain Music Stage, located in front of the
Terrace Theater at the Long Beach Convention and Entertainment Center,
at approximately 5 p.m. on Saturday and is free to all Toyota Grand
Prix of Long Beach Saturday ticket holders. Last year, over 7,000
race-goers enjoyed the music of the Goo Goo Dolls, while in 2001 Third
Eye Blind headlined Saturday’s Rock-N-Roar Concert. “Not only are the
Gin Blossoms a great addition to our event lineup, but they will
continue the blending of music and racing which makes our event
weekend so exciting,” said Jim Michaelian, president and CEO of the
Grand Prix Association of Long Beach. The Gin Blossoms – currently
featuring Robin Wilson on vocals, Jesse Valenzuela on guitar and
vocals, Bill Leen on bass, Scott Johnson on guitars and Scott Kusmirek
on drums – formed in 1987 in Arizona and have sold more than six
million albums. Their single “Til I Hear it From You” hit number one
in 1996 and the band received a Grammy nomination for “As Long As it
Matters.” Their 1992 quadruple platinum album New Miserable Experience
spawned four Top 25 hits including “Hey Jealousy,” “Mrs. Rita,”
“Allison Road” and “Found Out About You.” Their other hit songs
include “Follow You Down,” “Day Job” and “As Long As It Matters.”
After taking a break in 1997 to work on solo projects, the band
reunited in February 2002 for a tour and to celebrate the release of
the 10th anniversary two-CD Deluxe Edition, New Miserable Experience
(A&M/UME) and the DVD Collection.
3/21/03
Hand wins provisional pole
After a disappointing season in 2002 in which he missed six
races due to injury, DSTP Motorsports driver Joey Hand (#27 BG
Products/DSTP Motorsports Toyota/Swift) took the first step in
putting those painful thoughts behind him as he placed his car
on the provisional pole for Sunday's Tecate/Telmex Monterrey
Grand Prix (SPEED, 11:30 a.m. ET). As time expired on the
initial qualifying session, Hand clocked a best lap of
1:26.519 (87.546 mph) to knock rookie A.J. Allmendinger (#4
RuSPORT Toyota/Swift) off the top spot on the speed charts.
Hand's time eclipsed the previous track record of 1:27.089
(86.973 mph) established by Luis Diaz (#33 Telmex
Toyota/Swift) in last year's inaugural Toyota Atlantic event
at Monterrey'sFundidora Park. In the process, Hand earned his
first championship point of the season, and guaranteed himself
a front row starting spot for the race. Allmendinger, the 2002
Barber Dodge Pro Series champion, held the top spot for most
of the final 15 minutes of the session before Hand's
last-minute flyer. Nevertheless, Allmendinger acquitted
himself well in his first day of official CART Toyota Atlantic
Championship competition, and appears to be well-positioned
for a solid starting position. Qualifying third today was
Californian Alex Figge (#69 Pacific Coast Motorsports/Patrick
Racing Toyota/Swift), who turned in a best lap of 1:27.003
(87.059 mph). Figge posted his best Toyota Atlantic qualifying
effort at Chicago Motor Speedway last season when he put his
car on the outside of the front row, but he is poised to equal
of eclipse that performance with a solid showing tomorrow.
3/21/03
Brack leads practice at Phoenix
Kenny Brack hasn’t raced at Phoenix International Raceway
since March 1999, but you’d never know it by looking at the
time charts after the first day of practice for the Purex Dial
Indy 200 on March 20. 1998 IRL IndyCarTM Series champion Brack
was the fastest driver overall with a lap of 20.3160 seconds,
177.200 mph in the No. 15 Pioneer/Miller Lite
Dallara/Honda/Firestone. 1999 Indianapolis 500 winner Brack,
from Sweden, rejoined the IndyCar Series this year with Team
Rahal after competing in CART from 2000-02. He started his
American racing career in the IndyCar Series from 1997-99. “We
are working our way through our program,” Brack said. “Phoenix
is a tricky track. It has always been that way. It has two
different ends on it. It requires quite a lot from the car.” MBNA Pole Qualifying is scheduled for 2 p.m. (EST) Saturday on
the 1-mile desert oval. The race is at 3:30 p.m. Sunday and
will be televised live on ABC. “We have a good car for that
kind of a one lapper right now, I think,” Brack said of
qualifying. “So we can continue to work on that and refine
that package a little bit. If you are struggling today, then
you have to guess on that tomorrow. Chances are, you can go
wrong. At least we have a stable platform for tomorrow to try
to improve. I guess being fastest helps a little bit that
way.” Series points leader Scott Dixon was second overall at
20.4459, 176.074 in the No. 9 Target Chip Ganassi Racing Panoz
G Force/Toyota/Firestone. Andretti Green Racing teammates
Dario Franchitti and Tony Kanaan were third and fourth,
respectively. Franchitti’s best lap, which led the second
practice, was 20.4861, 175.729 in the No. 27
Alpine/Archipelago/Motorola Dallara/Honda/Firestone. Kanaan’s
top lap was 20.4980, 175.627 in the No. 11 Team 7-Eleven
Dallara/Honda/Firestone. Defending event champion Helio
Castroneves rounded out the top five at 20.6018, 174.742 in
the No. 3 Marlboro Team Penske Dallara/Toyota/Firestone.
Two-time defending series champion Sam Hornish Jr., who won
this event in 2001, struggled. His best lap was 21.0811,
170.769 in the No. 4 Pennzoil Panther
Dallara/Chevrolet/Firestone, good for 15th overall.
3/21/03 Industry News
Facelift for Phoenix
Phoenix International Raceway is getting a face lift.
Construction soon will begin to build a vehicular/pedestrian
tunnel beneath Turn 4 and to reconfigure Turn 2 and the dogleg
forming the back straightaway. PIR President Bryan Sperber
said construction on the two projects, although still on the
architectural drawing board, likely will begin in May, and
completion is expected long before the next scheduled event in
early October. Sperber, who has discussed the Turn 2 project
with NASCAR and Indy Racing League officials, wants to widen
the turn and make it more of a sweeping corner, similar to
Turns 3 and 4. Currently, the outer concrete wall is designed
in such a way that it pinches and significantly narrows the
turn. "I believe a redesign would enhance the racing action,"
Sperber said. "Right now they (drivers) sort of get choked
down coming out of that turn. If it were wider, it would open
things up and create another passing zone. "I think drivers
are happy the way it is now, but I think they'll be more happy
with a new reconfiguration." Sperber said part of the grassy
infield along the dogleg could also be paved to create more
racing surface. "Until we see the final design, I'm not sure
exactly how it will look," Sperber said. "But I haven't gotten
any negative feedback from the sanctioning bodies." Drivers
expressed mixed emotions with the planned Turn 2 changes.
"Turn 2 is a real challenge for us, and I kind of wish they
would leave it alone," said Buddy Lazier, a past winner at PIR.
"Mind you, I don't have a particular love for the turn,
because that's where I crashed and broke my back a few years
ago. But that turn is really unique. From my experience, races
are won and lost in that turn." There's a lot of crashes in
Turn 2, but opening up the radius of the corner could make it
safer for us," Lazier said. "But even that could be a wash,
because we would be going faster."
3/21/03
Alex Yoong replacing Roberto González
in MonterreyUPDATE
We have added a photo pf Alex Yoong as he waits for his car to
be prepared this morning in Monterrey. Photo by Mike Levitt/LAT
courtesy CART. Official CART announcement - One of the Far
East’s brightest racing stars will make his Champ Car World
Series debut a little earlier than planned as Alex Yoong will
take over the controls of the #11 Dale Coyne Racing
Ford-Cosworth/Lola/Bridgestone for this weekend’s Tecate/Telmex
Monterrey Grand Prix. Yoong will make his first start in the
Bridgestone Presents The Champ Car World Series Powered by
Ford in Sunday’s 105-lap event in Monterrey’s Fundidora Park.
Yoong takes over the #11 car from Roberto Gonzalez, who
finished 17th in the season opener in St. Petersburg. “We’ve
talked to Alex on and off and we have a lot of faith in his
abilities,” said car owner Dale Coyne. “We’ve had drivers from
Minardi in the past with Tarso Marques and we feel they are
well prepared. It’s going to be tough initially with no
testing but we think that Alex will come up to speed quickly.”
Yoong comes to Champ Cars after running a full season of
Formula 1 competition last year, competing with the Minardi F1
squad, where he earned a top finish of seventh in the season
opener in Australia. The 26-year-old native of Kuala Lumpur is
the only Malaysian driver to have competed in Formula 1 and is
the first non-Japanese from the Asian continent to drive in F1
since the 1950s. “This came together quite late but when Dale
called and said that there was a possibility that the ride
might be open, I jumped on a plane straight away,” Yoong said.
“It’s going to be a bit of an uphill battle but I think with
my experience in Formula 1, it shouldn’t be that much of a
problem. It will take me a little while to find out how to
make the car fast, but I don’t think it will be that much of a
problem.” The Champ Car rookie will have a teammate to lean on
in Joel Camathias, the Swiss rookie that made his first series
start in St. Peteresburg last month, bringing the #19 Coyne
machine home in ninth place. Yoong will be making his first
Champ Car laps Friday morning when the opening practice
sessions for Sunday’s race get started. You can follow the
progress of Champ Car’s newest driver and the rest of the
field via live timing and scoring on
www.champcarworldseries.com. 3/20/03 - See our Rumors page for more on the reports
that Alex Yoong is replacing Roberto González this weekend in
Monterrey, Mexico and exclusive AR1 sources tell us it will be for the
remainder of the year. Exclusive AR1 sources say there is a
definite China & American connection to his sponsorship, a deal that
we were aware of since Spring Training but finally got done now.
This will strengthen CART's link to China when they race in Beijing,
rumored to be in 2005. Related article - Alex Yoong interview
3/21/03
Paul Tracy leads opening
practice in Monterrey St. Petersburg winner Paul
Tracy turned the fastest lap in opening practice for this
weekends Champ Car race in Monterrey Mexico. He was
followed by Herdez driver Mario Dominguez and rookie Mario
Haberfeld. This mornings practice was, for all intents
and purposes, a track cleaning exercise.
More.....
3/21/03
GPWC hires PR agency
The GPWC company has appointed the Communication & Network
Consulting agency to manage its communications and develop its
PR strategy in its ongoing bid for control of Formula 1.
According to PR Week, the account will be led out of CNC's
London office, with assistance from its Paris and Munich
operations.
3/21/03 Industry News
Goodyear expects to avoid cash
crisis
Shares of Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. moved up yesterday after
the Akron company said it expects to have adequate liquidity
to meet its financial obligations once its bank loans are
modified. The company still is negotiating with its banks, but
the proposed $3.3 billion financial package would give
Goodyear more time to pay its debts and improve its
operations. It has a waiver until April 4 on its bank-loan
covenants. Standard & Poor's Ratings Services said the
three-part package Goodyear currently is negotiating with its
lenders includes $1.5 billion in revolving lines of credit and
$1.8 billion in term loans. Of the term loans, $1 billion
would mature two years from now, while $800 million would come
due in three years. Currently, Goodyear faces repaying $378
million on its long-term debt in the next six months, and
another $809 million next year.
3/21/03
No gag orders at BAR
BAR boss David Richards insists he will not gag feuding
drivers Jenson Button and Jacques Villeneuve. "I do not
believe they should be gagged for some sort of corporate
speak, but allowed to get on with things unless it goes too
far and damages the team," said Richards at the Malaysian
Grand Prix in Kuala Lumpur. "I very much have the opinion that
the drivers should be individuals and characters in their own
right. "You have to accept that inside teams the biggest rival
is going to be your team-mate. They both now see that they
have a competitive car, they can both prove themselves, they
have got a lot at stake. "They are both clearly highly
competitive so these odd little eruptions are going to happen
and it's not an issue. I am not worried about it in the
slightest."
3/21/03
Wilson raises $750K
Justin Wilson plc has so far raised $750,000 from its initial
public offering on the London Stock Exchange. This means that
the 24-year-old is well on his way to reaching the $2m he is
looking for to secure his Minardi drive this year. The deal
offers shareholders the chance to double their money and then
share 10% of Wilson's income until the year 2012. Wilson's
manager is former F1 driver Dr. Jonathan Palmer and he reckons
that the share issue is going to be a huge success despite the
fact that the minimum investment is $750. "I think it will be
oversubscribed," Palmer said in Malaysia. "And I believe that
even the share certificates are going to be worth more than
$750 one day. They will be collectors' items!"
3/21/03
F1 bosses support
Mosley/Ecclestone Jaguar Racing's John Hogan
has spoken out on his views about McLaren and Williams going
to arbitration over the Formula 1 rules. Hogan is new to his
role in F1 but has 30 years of experience as a Formula 1 fixer
when he was in charge of Marlboro's F1 program. "At the end of
the day," Hogan said, "it is a sport and arbitration has
nothing to do with sport. I respect them for what they are
trying to do but it isn't smart." Hogan's views were echoed by
both Flavio Briatore and David Richards. "I respect Frank and
Ron's views as very sincere in the way they put this forward,"
said Richards. "I don't share them but they are doing it for
their own valid reasons but I just feel it was unnecessary to
bring it out into the public domain a week or 10 days before
the start of the season when everything was looking so
positive and there was such a positive momentum behind the
championship at that time." Briatore said: "I think F1 needs
to talk about sport and not arbitration. It's not nice. It's
not good. It doesn't bring good to us. Wew have so many
controversial issues and we need to talk about these and you
need to make sure that the people who are watching the races
are enjoying watching the races."
3/21/03
Lights tested at airport
Lights were tested last night at Burke Lakefront Airport in
preparation for the annual Cleveland Grand Prix set for Fourth of July
weekend. The race will be run at night, so portable lights will be
used to brighten the runways and taxiways at Burke.
3/21/03
Walker Racing's 300th start
Walker Racing will reach a milestone 300th team start when rookie
drivers Mexican Rodolfo Lavin and Briton Darren Manning take the green
flag for this weekend’s Grand Prix of Monterrey, Round 2 of the 2003
Bridgestone Presents the Champ Car World Series Powered by Ford. Since
the team’s first season in 1991 to the 2002 season-finale at Mexico
City, 14 drivers have piloted Walker Racing entries for a combined
total of 296 Champ Car starts. At the 2003 season-opener Grand Prix of
St. Petersburg, Manning’s 11th qualifying effort and Lavin’s 19th
place made the 297th and 298th Walker Racing starts respectively.
“It’s not a number we watch, so it’s amazing to have it come up,” said
team owner Derrick Walker. “Basically I love what I do and it’s great
to have been able to do what I love for so long, and to continue to do
it. “In 13 years, a lot has happened and changed in racing. It’s no
longer just about nuts and bolts, engineering the car successfully,
etc., although those are obviously key elements, but it’s also about
making racing a feasible business venture for all involved. It’s been
a challenge to change with the sport, a challenge that I enjoy. There
are more challenges, more accomplishments for us as we look ahead and
we look forward to that.”
3/21/03
CART Stars move race
The Champ Car Stars of Tomorrow karting series announced today that
the national event on August 1-3, 2003 slated for the Briggs &
Stratton Motorplex at Road America has been moved to Trane Motor
Speedway (formerly Norway Motorsports Complex) in Sheridan, Illinois.
The date of the event will remain the same. “The recent developments
between CART and Road America forced us to examine the value of
returning to that fine facility only weeks after our June event with
the SCCA,” said Stars Operations Director Paul Zalud. “We scheduled
two events in succession at Road America to honor our commitments with
the SCCA in June and Champ Car in August,” said . “Since Champ Car is
now not running at the Road America, it makes sense for us to provide
a more varied venue lineup for our racers. Trane Motor Speedway is a
valued partner with the WKA and is popular among competitors. We are
looking forward to putting on a great event in northern Illinois in
early August. Likewise, we anticipate a great event at Road America in
June with the SCCA.” The 6/10ths mile sprint circuit is located near
Sheridan, Illinois, about 45 miles from the greater Chicago area. More
information on the facility can be found at www.cartstars.com under
“Racing”.
CART's cash burn has slowed
According to this Autoweek
article, CART lost considerably less money than many analysts
expected in the final quarter of 2002. Yet if smaller-than-anticipated
losses can be construed as good news, that was balanced by television
ratings for the season-opening race in St. Petersburg, Florida. The
race drew a 0.2 national rating, according to Nielson Media Research,
not the worst rating CART has ever drawn. In the fourth quarter of
2002, CART lost seven cents a share, compared to 57 cents per share
the previous quarter and projections of between 30 cents and 50 cents.
Moreover, revenue from races and sponsorships for the fourth quarter
was flat compared to the same period in 2001, after steep declines the
previous three quarters on a year-by-year basis, suggesting CART’s
tumble in income might have bottomed out. Regardless, no one is
expecting CART to turn a substantial profit anytime soon. More crucial
is how quickly CART depletes its cash reserve, which is largely
residual from its original public stock offering. CART subsidized
itself to the tune of $17 million in the fourth quarter of ’02,
compared to $16 million the previous quarter. That left liquid
reserves of approximately $86 million. In a worst-case scenario,
burning its cash at roughly $16 million a quarter, CART would be able
to keep itself in business most of the way through the 2004 season.
And that’s the apparent, if unspoken, plan. Pook has warned stock
analysts that CART doesn’t expect a significant change in its balance
sheets before 2005. CART’s fourth-quarter loss caused nary a ripple on
Wall Street, and some brokerage houses maintained a hold rating on its
stock, primarily because the stock has become so cheap (less than $3
per share), according to analysts.
3/21/03
Coulthard leads Friday AM times in
Malaysia
P. No Driver Team - Engine Tires Times
Ave/Gaps Laps
1. 5 COULTHARD McLaren Mercedes M 1'36"102 207.642 Km/h 20
2. 8 ALONSO Renault M 1'36"231 + 0'00"129 15
3. 7 TRULLI Renault M 1'36"372 + 0'00"270 13
4. 3 MONTOYA Williams BMW M 1'36"998 + 0'00"896 18
5. 4 R.SCHUMACHER Williams BMW M 1'37"045 + 0'00"943 21
6. 17 BUTTON BAR Honda B 1'37"060 + 0'00"958 23
7. 1 M.SCHUMACHER Ferrari B 1'37"313 + 0'01"211 20
8. 16 VILLENEUVE BAR Honda B 1'37"357 + 0'01"255 22
9. 2 BARRICHELLO Ferrari B 1'37"497 + 0'01"395 20
10. 20 PANIS Toyota M 1'37"748 + 0'01"646 18
11. 11 FISICHELLA Jordan Ford B 1'37"847 + 0'01"745 20
12. 9 HEIDFELD Sauber Petronas B 1'37"906 + 0'01"804 17
13. 10 FRENTZEN Sauber Petronas B 1'37"951 + 0'01"849 11
14. 21 DA MATTA Toyota M 1'37"992 + 0'01"890 24
15. 6 RAIKKONEN McLaren Mercedes M 1'38"515 + 0'02"413 15
16. 12 FIRMAN Jordan Ford B 1'38"516 + 0'02"414 13
17. 15 PIZZONIA Jaguar Cosworth M 1'38"839 + 0'02"737 13
18. 14 WEBBER Jaguar Cosworth M 1'38"870 + 0'02"768 3
19. 19 VERSTAPPEN Minardi Cosworth B 1'39"183 + 0'03"081 13
20. 18 WILSON Minardi Cosworth B 1'39"695 + 0'03"593 14
3/20/03
Walkway collapse award made
A Virginia couple was awarded more than $4 million US by a jury
Thursday for injuries suffered in the 2000 collapse of a pedestrian
walkway at Lowe's Motor Speedway. Cindy and Marty Taylor of Nelson
County, Va., sought $27 million in damages from the speedway and from
Tindall Corp. of Spartanburg, S.C., which built the pedestrian bridge
over U.S. 29 in Concord. Fans were leaving the track after the running
of The Winston, a NASCAR all-star race, when the bridge collapsed May
20, 2000. More than 100 people were injured, none fatally. The Taylors
sought damages for head, back and leg injuries.
3/20/03
Road America to shareholders - CART
cancelled race Road America held its annual shareholder
meeting Thursday, March 20, in Elkhart Lake, Wisc. The annual meeting
covered the state of the track and the racing industry. George
Bruggenthies, president and general manager emphasized that Road
America is in full financial compliance with its amended 2002 CART
agreement and with the modified agreement for the 2003 race. Relying
on the modified contract for 2003, Road America started promoting the
race and taking ticket orders. Due to CART's cancellation of the race,
Road America is refunding CART ticket orders and a portion of season
ticket orders. Bruggenthies said that he is still disappointed with
CART's decision to cancel the historic race, thereby hurting race fans
everywhere. Bruggenthies also stated that there have been no
discussions with the IRL.
3/20/03 STRANA Trucks
TONKA
to sponsor STRANA
The Super Truck Racing Association of North America (STRANA), which is
sanctioned by the International Motor Sports Association (IMSA),
announced that it has reached a preliminary agreement on principal
business terms for the TONKA brand to become title sponsor of its
super truck racing series. In addition, it was announced that ESPN2
will be the series’ broadcast partner for its events in 2003. The
announcements were made today at the Mid-America Trucking Show in
Louisville, Ky., one of the largest shows of its kind in North
America. Under the proposed arrangement with TONKA, STRANA’s events in
2003 would be called the “TONKA 2003 Super Truck Celebrity Challenge,”
and events starting in 2004 would be called the “TONKA Super Truck
Racing Series.” The TONKA 2003 Super Truck Celebrity Challenge will
showcase superstars of road racing competing in STRANA trucks for
charity. The races will be run in support of IMSA-sanctioned American
Le Mans Series events at Infineon Raceway in Sonoma, Calif. (July
25-27), Mosport International Raceway near Toronto (Aug. 15-17) and
Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wis. (Aug. 22-24). “Securing title
sponsors in motorsports is difficult at best in today’s uncertain
world, and that’s why this deal would be so significant,” said STRANA
Executive Director Brian Till. “It speaks volumes about the unique
nature of our motorsports property and its value in the marketplace.
“The name TONKA has meant big, tough trucks for generations of North
Americans. It’s also synonymous with fun, family entertainment,” Till
said. “That’s exactly what STRANA is all about and why this matchup
would be perfect.” “STRANA is bringing some of the toughest, most
powerful trucks to the U.S. and that’s what the TONKA brand is all
about,” said Todd Rywolt, Vice-President of Marketing for Hasbro’s
vehicles group. “Generations of boys and their dads have played TONKA
tough and together with the STRANA series, we would be able to bring
them more action and excitement.”
3/20/03
Bernie's ultimatum
Bernie Ecclestone has issued an ultimatum to car manufacturers in
connection with a threatened alternative race circuit, a German
automotive magazine has reported. "Either they stand by their series.
Then we will part in 2008. Or we we continue the Concorde agreement
until 2020," Ecclestone said. The current Concorde agreement, which
effectively is the Formula One "constitution", runs until 2007.
3/20/03
Dixon trying to get F1 test
Scott Dixon is set to have a Formula One test drive later in the year.
Dixon confirms he has had talks with the Toyota F1 team, as well as
other outfits, with a view to testing for them during a break in his
American campaign later in the season. Dixon says his ties to Toyota
make sense to keep in close contact with them, but they are in
constant contact with the F1 teams, which is a huge buzz. Dixon says
considering where they started out from, to be talking to Formula One
teams is a dream come true.
3/20/03
Mosley calls F1 summit
FIA president Max Mosley has invited team bosses to a meeting to
discuss F1’s new rules. The sport’s new regulations were successfully
introduced at an entertaining Australian Grand Prix a fortnight ago.
But most team bosses insisted that the excitement of the race was more
down to the weather than the rules. Mosley said and FIA race director
Charlie Whiting would be meeting bosses to discuss the changes after
the Brazilian Grand Prix. He said: "The team managers and
technical directors will meet Charlie Whiting on April 9 to review the
detailed workings of our procedures in the light of experience at the
first three races. "We have invited the team principals to a meeting
on April 11 to consider the outcome of Charlie's meeting and discuss
whether any procedural changes appear necessary." However, Mosley said
it was unlikely that any major rule changes would follow the meeting.
He said: "I think most of the teams will feel we need more time to see
the full effect of the new rules. After all, they were only voted last
October."
3/20/03
Greg Ray's new team to debut at Motegi
Greg Ray, the 1999 IRL IndyCarÔ Series champion and 2000 Indianapolis
500 polesitter, has assumed an ownership stake in the new
Indianapolis-based Access Motorsports team and will compete in the
2003 IndyCar Series season as an owner-driver beginning April 13 at
Twin Ring Motegi, Japan. The new team ownership also features team
manager Ted Bitting, technical director Jeff Britton, crew chief Jamie
Nanny and New York businessman Brent Townsend. The team will field a
Honda Indy V8-powered Panoz G Force chassis on Firestone tires for
Ray. Longtime Ray supporter EDS, headquartered in Ray’s hometown of
Plano, Texas, provides associate sponsorship for the new team. EDS PLM
Solutions, Panasonic Computer Solutions Company (PCSC) and Spirian
Technologies are on board as technical partners and will provide
additional support. Promotional partners include American IronHorse
Motorcycle Company, Chapparal Boats and Firestone Tires. “It is our
goal to be a two-car team, but we are still searching vigorously for
the primary sponsorship that can fully fund Greg’s (No. 13) car,”
Bitting said. “For now, our goals are very realistic, and I think we
can be competitive at the races to which we are able to commit. A
solid organization surrounding a championship driver like Greg Ray is
a solid foundation to build upon as we search for the sponsorship
needed to reach our goal of being a two-car team.”
3/20/03
Sponsorship for Fisher for Phoenix
GM and Upromise, an innovative service that enables families to fund
higher education, will sponsor the Chevrolet-powered Dreyer & Reinbold
Racing Dallara driven by Sarah Fisher at the Purex/Dial Indy 200 at
Phoenix International Raceway on March 23. GM and Upromise join
Raybestos and WeGotGear in support of Fisher's drive for victory in
the second round of the Indy Racing League IndyCar Series.
3/20/03
Chevy engine Q&A
Chevrolet's 2003 Chevy Indy V8 racing engine, which was designed and
developed in-house by GM Racing, debuted at the season-opening event
of the 16-race Indy Racing League IndyCar Series in Homestead, Fla.,
on March 2. In the following Q&A, Joe Negri, GM Racing Group manager,
and Steve Shannon, GM executive director - marketing services, discuss
the progress of Chevrolet's IRL program going into the second round of
the IndyCar Series, the Purex/Dial Indy 200 at Phoenix International
Raceway on March 23. More
3/20/03
Ferrari bonus payments
Today's Wall Street Journal reports in today’s paper edition,
page A10, that Ferrari SpA’s Net Profit fell 54% last year
amid bonus payments totaling $22.5M to Luca Cordero di
Montezemolo ($18.2 million) and Jean Todt ($3.0M).
3/20/03
IRL's Japan race might be
cancelledUPDATE A statement from
Indy Racing League President and CEO Tony George regarding
upcoming IRL events at Phoenix and Motegi, Japan: After
reviewing information available to us, the Indy Racing League
will continue with its current schedule of racing events,
including Sunday, March 23 in Phoenix and Sunday, April 13 in
Motegi, Japan. We hope and expect to maintain this schedule.
As the country carries out its commitment in Iraq, we are
mindful of President Bush’s admonition to carry on with our
lives. In America, racing has always been identified with
patriotic support of our men and women in uniform. We intend
to continue that tradition, working closely with our promoters
in the United States, with Twin Ring Motegi and Honda Motor
Company in Japan, as well as with the governments of United
States and Japan to monitor any issues that might arise which
could compromise our ability to protect the health and safety
of our fans, teams, drivers and staff. 3/18/03
- According to this Autoweek
article, The Indy Racing League’s first foray overseas
might not happen after all. Series officials are keeping their
options open in the event a war with Iraq breaks out and keeps
them from traveling to Japan. League vice president Brian
Barnhart said a decision doesn’t have to be made until April
2, the day the cars are scheduled to leave Indianapolis for
the April 13 race at Motegi. Barnhart said he didn’t consider
the possibility of the race not happening until he read about
a Japanese volleyball team recently canceling a trip to the
United States. The IRL’s contingent to Motegi will number
about 600.
3/20/03
Massa on standby for Ferrari
Former Sauber star Felipe Massa, now employed by Ferrari as
test driver, is on stand-by as the Scuderia's official third
driver in Malaysia this weekend. The Brazilian replaces
the team's regular third driver Luca Badoer who has had two
heavy crashes in the F2003-GA recently. Both crashes have been
traced to 'technical problems' and as result testing on the
new car has been temporarily suspended.
3/20/03
Malaysia ticket sales downUPDATE Some 75,000 tickets
have been sold for this weekend's Malaysian Grand Prix due to
take place at the Sepang circuit near Kuala Lumpur. Organisers
target selling some 100,000 tickets for this weekend's big
race though. The Sepang facility can host up to 130,000
spectators. 3/18/03 - Looming war with Iraq was today blamed for the decrease in the
number of requests for tickets by the European fans. Jamaluddin Jarjis, Malaysia's junior finance minister admitted
there is a problem but he added that the race will go on
anyhow even if a war breaks out before the race day on Sunday.
Mr Jarjis was quoted by The Sun as saying: "We admit there has
been a lower demand for tickets from European fans as compared
to previous years - but the race will take place."
3/20/03
Dale as himself
Dale Earnhardt Jr. (No. 8 Budweiser Chevrolet) has a cameo
role, playing himself, in a March 28 episode of the FOX show
“Fastlane” (8 p.m. ET and PT). The show is about two
undercover police officers fighting crime in Los Angeles; the
show stars Peter Facinelli ("The Scorpion King," "Riding in
Cars with Boys"), Bill Bellamy ("Any Given Sunday," "The
Brothers") and Tiffani Thiessen ("Beverly Hills 90210," "The
Ladies Man") and airs Fridays.
3/20/03
Remembering a champion
Ten years ago, Alan Kulwicki, the 1992 NASCAR Winston Cup
champion, died in a plane crash en route to Bristol Motor
Speedway, along with pilot Charlie Campbell and two men
affiliated with Kulwicki’s sponsor, Hooters Restaurant: Mark
Brooks, son of Hooters Chairman Bob Brooks; and Dan Duncan,
vice president of motorsports marketing for Hooters. Those
four will be honored this weekend at Bristol as Hooters will
field a “memorial car.” The No. 11 Hooters Ford, driven by
Brett Bodine, will have a special paint scheme of platinum and
orange and will have a “Four Champions Memorial Crest” on the
hood.
3/20/03
NASCAR preps for 2000th race
Bristol Motor Speedway has been spiffed up, just in time for
the 2000th race in NASCAR Winston Cup Series history, Sunday’s
Food City 500. Sunday’s race will be Bristol’s 85th as
far as the NASCAR Winston Cup Series is concerned. The
milestone event will be watched live by a crowd of
approximately 160,000, an increase of approximately 13,000 via
completion of the track’s latest expansion project. Over the
last seven months, the new Dale Earnhardt Terrace was built,
along with three new grandstands (named Petty, Yarborough and
Johnson) and 52 new suites. Thus, Bristol’s half-mile of
high banks will have added excitement, as drivers negotiate
the first short-track race of the season. The stadium setting
is an imposing challenge, especially for some of the series’
younger drivers. "I remember the first time I ran there
I was completely in awe of the place,” said Jamie McMurray
(No. 42 Havoline Dodge). “With each time that I come back to
Bristol I get more comfortable with it. Bristol's definitely
one of those tracks that keeps you on your toes each lap
because things happen so fast there. If you can avoid the
wrecks and be around at the end, you'll get a good finish.
3/20/03
A
lap around Sepang with Wurz ”Crossing the start line
at the Sepang circuit, you reach 190mph / 303kph in seventh
gear on the long pit straight before braking dramatically for
the tight complex, which incorporates a downhill gradient. As
the track is fairly wide at this point of the track there are
often good opportunities for overtaking under braking.
Accelerating out, the track leads to the long right-hander of
turn three that sweeps you round onto a short straight.”
”Pushing hard on the throttle, you reach some 180mph / 290kmh
in sixth gear before braking sharply, dropping down to 64mph /
103kph in second for the tight right-hander of turn four. The
sweeping esses of turns five and six follow, and require that
you maintain as much speed as possible before you slingshot
down to the two right-handers of turns seven and eight. Turn
seven is taken at 120mph / 193kph, the slightly more open turn
of eight sees your speed increase by 10kph.” “As you exit the
corner, you continue to push hard on the throttle along the
straight that leads to the very tight turn nine. Braking hard
as you enter the complex at the back of the circuit, the
left-hander, is negotiated in second gear at 50mph / 80kph. On
the throttle as you exit, you build and maintain your speed
through the long, right-hander of turn ten before braking for
the 90-degrees right hander of turn eleven.” “The sharp right
of turn fourteen swings you round almost 180- degrees onto the
straight that runs parallel to the start-finish straight,
separated by the massive grandstand. Powering along the
straight and 181mph / 290kph in seventh, you then braking
sharply to negotiate the hairpin which flips you back onto the
start- finish straight to begin another lap.”
3/20/03
Mosley to miss another race
Once again Max Mosley has called off his trip to the Grand
Prix and won't be present for today's opening press
conference. The FIA President was supposed to attend the
season opener in Australia two weeks ago but called the event
off due to inability to obtain a flight in time. After
his no show in Melbourne, the FIA released the press
conference schedule for round two and Mr. Mosley was there,
scheduled to meet the press on Thursday, today, presumably to
answer a battery of questions about the new rules and
regulations for the 2003 season. Just why the President is not
attending Malaysia this weekend is unknown at this point in
time, however it could have to do with the killer virus doing
the rounds in Asia or the war in Iraq.
3/20/03
Jaguar and McLaren sponsor
deals The Jaguar Racing F1 team has entered into a
new, multi-year technical partnership with US company Pioneer
Automotive Electronics Sales in Farmington Hills, MI. The
marketing arm for OEM automotive electronics products for
Pioneer North America joins Michelin, Castrol and Lear as an
official technical partner of the Ford-owned team. Pioneer is
also supporting Mo Nunn Racing and Team Rahal in the US-based
IndyCar Series. The McLaren International F1 team has joined
with the British subsidiary of US toy manufacturer Mattel in
Berkshire to launch the Hot Wheels World Race Car Design
Challenge. McLaren driver David Coulthard will act as the
public face of the project, which challenges children aged
4-13 to design a car of the future, and marks the 35th
anniversary of Mattel's 'Hot Wheels' brand.
3/20/03
Luyendyk to drive for Nunn at
Indy
Two-time Indy 500 winner Arie Luyendyk will team with Felipe
Giaffone and Tora Takagi in this years Indy 500.
3/20/03
CEO of Lexmark 300 resigns,
replacement namedUPDATE Former IMG
executive James Ashworth has been named the new general
manager of CART's Lexmark Indy 300 in Australia. Ashworth, 34,
replaces Geoff Jones who was recently appointed as the General
Manager, Queensland, Carlton & United Breweries – a long-term
major sponsor of the Lexmark Indy 300. Originally from
Adelaide, Ashworth joins the Lexmark Indy 300 after close to
four years as Director of Licensing, Asia Pacific, for IMG. In
this role he managed a number of large sporting and cultural
licensing programs in Australia including the Australian Rugby
Union, Sydney Opera House, Soccer Australia and numerous golf
and motorsport events. Ashworth and his team also secured the
rights to act as the licensing agent of the Rugby World Cup to
be held late this year. Prior to his role at IMG, Ashworth was
the Manager, Marketing and Sales – Consumer Products for the
Sydney Organizing Committee for the Olympic Games (SOCOG).
Ashworth said he was excited by the prospect of leading an
experienced and enthusiastic team and maintaining the Event’s
growth. “The Lexmark Indy 300 has built its reputation as one
of Australia’s premier events and there is still so much
potential to grow,” said Ashworth. “We are coming up to the
13th Lexmark Indy 300 on the Gold Coast, and the attendance
has increased from 150,000 in the inaugural year to close to
300,000 over the four days. “This is testament to the work of
Geoff and the team behind the scenes in implementing a truly
magnificent Event. “I am looking forward to working with a
great team and volunteer base that has so much experience and
knowledge already, maintaining and growing relationships with
sponsors and Government, and bringing the audience an exciting
and entertaining spectacle.” “James has the knowledge,
credentials and vision to take the Lexmark Indy 300 to another
level. “He was right in saying that the Event still has much
more potential for future growth, and I am sure you will see
some exciting and new initiatives implemented this year by
James and his team. “He comes to an Event in great shape in
terms of public, sponsor, government and other stakeholder
support. I wish James and his tremendous team of staff and
volunteers all the very best.” Ashworth relocates to the Gold
Coast with wife Julieanne and daughter Jessica. He commences
with the Lexmark Indy 300 on March 31. 2/28/03 - After four years of sparking the Champ Car World Series event
in picturesque Surfers Paradise to new heights, Geoff Jones
stepped aside today as the CEO of what is now known as the
Lexmark Indy 300. “The Lexmark Indy 300 has been a tremendous
achievement for Queensland and it has the potential to grow
for many years to come,” Jones said. “The Lexmark Indy 300 is
a great event and one that all Queenslanders can be proud to
own. I have certainly enjoyed every moment and have been
fortunate to lead a great team in putting together a truly
magnificent event.” Jones took over as the event CEO in
November of 1998 and raised awareness of the race in the
Queensland and Gold Coast area, raising attendance numbers to
nearly 300,000 for the four-day event. He will move on to
become the General Manager, Queensland, for Carlton and United
Breweries – a company that is a major sponsor of the Champ Car
World Series weekend, which is scheduled to take place on
October 26th of this year. “This was a difficult decision, but
I will continue to stay involved with the event. Perhaps now I
can sit down over the four days and actually watch the racing
and entertainment,” Jones said. “Indy has grown every year
particularly in the diversity of entertainment it provides.
This remains an area of growth that will see spectator
numbers, corporate support and general interest continue to go
up.” The search is now underway for a replacement for Jones
while preparations continue for the 2003 event, which will
again include not only the 750hp Champ Cars but also the
popular V8 Supercars. Lexmark Indy 300 Chairman John Cowley
said the new CEO has “big shoes to fill” but will benefit from
the policies, strategies and procedures that Jones has
established. “The Board has been delighted with Geoff’s
performance and he will be a difficult person to replace,”
said Cowley. “He has great corporate potential and will be a
tremendous asset to CUB. I wish him extremely well, and look
forward to doing future business with him.”
3/20/03
Rubens to use modified HANS
Device Ferrari's Rubens Barrichello will use a new
type of head and neck protection system in Sunday's Malaysian
Grand Prix. The Brazilian had blamed the device for his crash
during the opening race of the Formula One season in
Australia. He lost control of his car on lap seven after an
air cushion under the carbon fibre collar around his neck
deflated. The new device, which is worn on the shoulders and
connected to the helmet by tethers, has become mandatory this
season despite complaints from drivers. But Barrichello told a
Ferrari news conference on Thursday that he was using a
modified device at the Sepang circuit. "It is a bit wider so
it doesn't really sit on top of the collarbone. We made some
changes to the air bag as well," he said. "But I feel that we
must all understand that it is for our benefit. It is
something that is better for ourselves and we should get used
to it." Michael Schumacher stated, "To go against a safety
system will be obviously not the GPDA's position," he said.
"My opinion is simply that it is a safer system, that whoever
can get on with it should use it and whoever maybe cannot get
on with it shouldn't be obliged to use it.
BBC
3/20/03
Schu comments on war
World champion Michael Schumacher said he was happy to race
this weekend, but would rather military action been avoided in
the first place. "I think it is a matter of mentality because
I guess, in particular, Americans are very, very concerned,"
he said. "I noticed one event where Tiger Woods was supposed
to do a golf tournament in Dubai and he cancelled that, but in
those circumstances it is a single person's decision and it is
easy for him to do so. "Here though, we have quite a big
structure and it is not a single man's decision except for
maybe Mr. Mosley, whether it is safe or not safe. I guess they
have looked into that and made a decision that it is safe to
carry on. "Sometimes you raise a question – like we did in
2001 after the [terrorist] attack – about whether it is safe
to go on. It is very difficult for us sometimes. Personally I
would be much happier if we could have talked a bit more about
avoiding the war but everybody talked more about when it would
start, not about if or why it would start. But we keep on
doing our job just as everyone else does."
3/20/03 Industry News
More trouble for big tobacco
The New York Times reports in an article written by Eric
Lichtblau, that the U. S. Justice Department is seeking $289
billion more from the tobacco industry. The Justice Department
is citing new evidence just uncovered, that big tobacco began
an illegal collusion beginning 1954. The Justice Department
goes on to state in its action that the tobacco industry is
running what amounts to a criminal enterprise.
Karl Kling dies Our
condolences to the family of great German driver Karl Kling,
who reportedly died today at the age of 93. He drove eleven
grands prix for Mercedes-Benz in 1954 and 1955, before the
tragic Le Mans disaster ended the silver marque’s motor sport
involvement.
3/19/03
No more changes for F1 in 2003?
Formula One's rules are likely to remain unchanged for the
rest of the 2003 season, according to FIA President Max
Mosley. The sport's governing body, the FIA, is due to
meet the F1 teams on 11 April to discuss how the rule changes
are working - but FIA president Mosley said only procedural
changes would be made after the meeting. "The rules
cannot be changed during the season without unanimous
agreement and I think most of the teams will feel we need more
time to see the full effect of the new rules," he said.
"If you want the teams genuinely to qualify the cars they
race, you have to make sure all the cars are adjusted with
full race settings and no potentially dangerous compromises,"
he said. "This means that, among other things,
they have to qualify with the settings and fuel load they use
for the race." He admitted this removed the
spectacle of cars and drivers on the absolute limit in
qualifying. "Now we have single-lap qualifying you
won't see this even if they run with minimal fuel. "With
single-lap qualifying, the driver must avoid an 'off', he must
not even get the car out of shape. This is because a few
tenths can be several rows on the grid."
3/19/03
Chassis change for Hattori
Shigeaki Hattori will drive a Dallara chassis in the Purex
Dial Indy 200 on March 23 at Phoenix International Raceway
after starting the season in a Panoz G Force chassis. “This
EPSON Dallara/Toyota will be a totally new car for me – I was
just in Houston last Friday getting the seat fitted,” Hattori
said. “We didn’t have time to test it, but I am looking
forward to driving it at Phoenix. It looks very different from
the EPSON/G Force/Toyota car I drove in Miami, so I’ll be
interested to see how different it is to drive. “One thing I
do know is that it will have good power.” A.J. Foyt IV,
Hattori’s teammate with A.J. Foyt Racing, will remain in a
Conseco-sponsored Dallara chassis. Foyt made the switch a few
days before the season-opening Toyota Indy 300 on March 2 at
Homestead-Miami Speedway.
3/19/03
GP
of America's makes $0.5 million scholarship donation
The Grand Prix Americas, Downtown Miami’s premier auto street
race, has committed to a $500,000 donation for scholarships to
the Miami-Dade Community College Foundation to help students
in need, announced Chuck M. Martinez, president and general
manager, Grand Prix Americas. Miami-Dade Community College
will be one of the beneficiaries of the Grand Prix Americas
Foundation which will feature the Charity Ball taking place
Thursday night September 25, 2003 (Photo - Chuck M. Martinez,
president and general manager Grand Prix Americas, presenting
check to Miami-Dade Community College Board Members). The
Grand Prix Americas donated $25,000 after last year’s
inaugural race, and will continue to donate money to the
Foundation for the next 9 years. "We are extremely happy to
help
the students of Miami-Dade Community College receive
scholarships,” stated Martinez. “Miami-Dade has been a
cornerstone of education in Miami, and we look forward to
continuing our rewarding relationship with the college.” "This
$500,000 pledge is a symbol of the Grand Prix of Americas’
commitment to this community,” said Dr. Eduardo Padron,
president of Miami-Dade Community College. “The entities that
contribute to the M-DCC Foundation make it possible for the
college to provide the innovative educational programs,
high-tech equipment and scholarships that help the members of
our community find better jobs and live richer, fuller lives.”
Miami-Dade Community College’s Wolfson Campus will continue to
be the media center for the Grand Prix Americas. The college
will also serve as the registration and accreditation center
for the race. Last year the Wolfson Campus received praises as
its staff delivered a top-notch media center including two big
screens showing the races. “We are excited to partner with an
event such as the Grand Prix Americas,” said Dr. Wasim J.
Shomar, president of Miami-Dade Community College, Wolfson
Campus. “Many students at Miami-Dade Community College will be
able to benefit from the generosity of the Grand Prix
Americas.” Miami-Dade Community College is nationally
recognized as the largest and one of the best community
colleges in the country. It is the nation's top producer of
associate of arts degrees. M-DCC's six campuses and numerous
outreach centers offer more than 150 degrees and vocational
credit certificates, along with continuing workforce, adult
education, recreation and leisure studies. It is Miami-Dade
County's sixth largest employer with an estimated gross
economic impact of about $800 million in the local economy
every year.
3/19/03
Milka Duno joins Toyota
Celebrity field Racer Milka Duno will join
stars from film, television, music and sports to face off in
the world’s longest-running, most successful celebrity auto
racing event. Toyota Motorsports has announced its exciting
lineup for the 27th annual Toyota Pro/Celebrity Race on
Saturday, April 12, in Long Beach, CA – and they have asked
Milka to participate in this year’s event in the “pro”
category. The 10-lap charity race, held on the 1.99-mile
downtown Long Beach Street circuit and broadcast to a national
TV audience, is annually part of the Toyota Grand Prix of Long
Beach race weekend. Milka, a multi-disciplined race car
driver, has recently been focusing her efforts on North
America’s premier sports car series – the American Le Mans
Series – where Milka became the first woman in history to
pilot the world’s fastest sportscars, and throughout Europe
and South America in the World Series by Nissan – where she
also became the first woman in history to drive the fastest
open-wheel cars in Europe, other than Formula One. The World
Series by Nissan is the last step on the ladder toward Formula
One. Milka has also competed the last two years in the most
famous sports car race in the world, the 24 Hours of Le Mans
in Le Mans. Toyota’s expected field of 17 features an eclectic
group of entertainment personalities, internationally renowned
celebrities, and figures from sports and media. Stars joining
Milka in the race include the following: Angie Everhart
(Actress and model), Buzz Aldrin (Apollo 11 astronaut and 2nd
man to walk on the moon), Picabo Street (Olympic Alpine Skiing
Champion), Adam Carolla (Co-creator and co-host on Comedy
Central’s “The Man Show” and “Crank Yankers,” and host of the
nationally syndicated radio show “Loveline”), Jesse James
(Host of Discovery Channel’s “Monster Garage”), Carlos Bernard
(‘Tony Almeida’ on FOX’s “24”), Gary Dourdan (‘Warrick Brown’
on the CBS hit show “CSI: Crime Scene Investigation”), Tommy
Shane Steiner (American Music Awards nominee for “Favorite New
Artist Country Music”), Peter Reckell (‘Bo Brady’ on NBC’s
daytime soap “Days of Our Lives”), Steve Hartman (KCBS-TV and
XTRA Sports 690 Broadcaster), and Tony Potts (“Access
Hollywood” correspondent). Josh Brolin (Senator ‘Bill
Sterling’ on NBC’s “Mr. Sterling”) and the 2000 Toyota
Pro/Celebrity race champion, is returning for this year’s
classic. As a former participant, Brolin will compete with
three other drivers in the “pro” category this year. In
addition to Brolin, Milka was chosen by Toyota to compete in
the “pro” category alongside Jeremy McGrath (Seven-time AMA
Supercross Champion) and Leilani Munter (NASCAR Touring Series
driver).
3/19/03
More on Chicago's Sportsmans
Park This
article
appears in this week's Crain's Chicago Business... a popular
Chicago business paper. The article appears part way down the
page and is titled "Cicero jockeying to acquire track from
Bidwells". You may need to register to access the full
article. The Bidwell family, which owns the facility as
a part of their National Jockey Club, think the property is
worth $16 to $20 million. The favored developer, DiMucci Cos.,
has a vision of building a $150 million convention center
project on the 80 acre site, but hasn't yet begun negotiations
with the National Jockey Club. Apparently, the speedway isn't
dead yet, and this redevelopment project isn't as far along as
was reported a couple of weeks ago.
3/19/03
NASCAR President Mike Helton
statement on impending war
Everyone in the NASCAR family is keenly observing the latest
news regarding the situation in Iraq. We at NASCAR and our
fans across the United States and around the world are praying
for the safety of our nation’s brave men and women in uniform
as well as those of our allies. NASCAR plans to continue with
our current 2003 racing schedule while closely monitoring the
unfolding situation in the Middle East. As part of our
contingency preparation, we are in close and constant contact
with all the relevant authorities necessary to ensure and
maintain the security of our drivers, teams, tracks and fans.
We will do whatever is necessary to continue supporting our
country’s efforts, including schedule adjustments if deemed
appropriate. We believe there is a special bond between our
troops and our sport. Every branch of the American military is
represented in NASCAR racing and our Chairman, Bill France,
has always described NASCAR fans as “the kind of people who go
to war and win wars for America.” Many of those fans are
currently deployed throughout the world, doing just that. To
that point, we should all be mindful of the sacrifices our
troops and, just as important, their families are making
during this difficult time.
3/19/03
Kyle Krisiloff ready for Mexico
U. S. Grand Prix Formula One/Camerson Motorsports driver, Kyle
Krisiloff enters his second season, and first full season, of
CART Toyota Atlantic Championship Series competition beginning
this weekend at the season opening Tecate Telmex Monterrey
Grand Prix at Fundidora Park in Monterrey, Mexico. Krisiloff
is the youngest competitor in the Toyota Atlantic Series. He
joins a new team in 2003 and will drive the #13 U. S. Grand
Prix Formula One/Cameron Motorsports Toyota/Swift/Yokohama
entry, which is owned by 21st Century Technology, sponsored by
U. S. Grand Prix Formula One and managed by Cameron
Motorsports. "After getting a full preseason of winter testing
with the U. S. Grand Prix Formula One/Cameron Motorsports
Team, I feel we have learned a lot and are prepared for the
start of the 2003 CART Toyota Atlantic Championship season
next weekend in Monterrey, Mexico,” Krisiloff began. “I am
looking forward to being very competitive in my first full
season in Toyota Atlantics,” he noted. Krisiloff went on to
say, "Because I competed in six CART Toyota Atlantic
Championship races last year I have a little more experience
going into the 2003 season. The first six races will be new
for me, so I still have a lot to learn at those events.
However, by the second half of the season, when we compete on
tracks where I have already raced, the experience I gained
last year should really help me in both qualifying and the
races." Krisiloff made his Toyota Atlantic Championship debut
last year running six races for the U. S. Grand Prix Formula
One/Patrick Racing Team. The talented native of Indianapolis,
Indiana finished five of the six events he contested placing
in the points three times. His best qualifying position was
14th and his best finish was 13th both achieved at the season
finale in Denver. Krisiloff placed 28th in the championship
standings with six points. Krisiloff is the son of former
Champ Car driver Steve Krisiloff. His mother is Josie George,
sister of Indianapolis Motor Speedway President Tony George.
3/19/03
Smaller spoilers coming?
Rusty Wallace says that NASCAR's John Darby will cut half an
inch or so off the rear spoiler "within the next six weeks."
That timetable would point toward an aerodynamics change at
either the fast two-mile California track April 27 or the
3/4-mile Richmond track the following week.
Winston Salem Journal
3/19/03
New Crew Chief for Harvick
Kevin Harvick was reunited with crew chief Todd Berrier on
Tuesday, a little more than a year after the two teamed up to
win the 2001 Busch Series. Berrier replaces Gil Martin, who
was moved to team manager. "Todd and Kevin worked great
together in the Busch Series so we made the change to
jumpstart the season," car owner Richard Childress said. "Gil
has won races for us with Harvick and Robby Gordon, so we're
glad that he is staying and will be playing a key role with
the team." Berrier was the crew chief for Harvick's Busch team
in 2000 and 2001, when they teamed to win eight races, eight
poles, 2000 rookie of the year honors and the 2001
championship. AP
3/19/03
Jordan team signs key agreement
in China Jordan Grand Prix has signed a
groundbreaking co-operation agreement with China Central
Television (CCTV) and Shanghai International Circuit Co. Ltd
(SIC). Under the terms of the agreement Jordan Ford will
become the preferred team of CCTV, featuring heavily in CCTV
broadcasts through footage generated to introduce every aspect
of Formula One to viewers in China. The agreement sees the
Shanghai International Circuit and CCTV brands displayed on
the Jordan Ford EJ13 cars at this weekend’s Malaysian Grand
Prix. “I am thrilled that Jordan Ford has been chosen by
Shanghai International Circuit and CCTV as their partner for
commencing Chinese involvement in Formula One,” said Eddie
Jordan, Chief Executive of Jordan Grand Prix. “The deal will
ensure the popularity of both Formula One and Jordan Ford in a
vitally important region. We are looking forward to working
together on preparations for next year’s inaugural Chinese
Grand Prix and I’m sure Jordan Ford will be a big success with
the Chinese people.” “For 2003, CCTV will cover every round of
the FIA Formula One World Championship for the first time, an
important development in building further the interest in
Formula One across China.” said Mr Yu Zhifei, Deputy General
Manager, SIC. “I am very glad that Shanghai International
Circuit and CCTV have come to an agreement with Jordan Ford
for the team to be our partners in creating exciting Formula
One footage and help interest still more people in China about
Formula One. The behind the scenes access that Jordan have
offered to CCTV will provide a fascinating insight into the
sport as we work towards to the 2004 Chinese Grand Prix at
Shanghai International Circuit." The agreement also creates an
exciting promotional platform for Jordan’s partner Ford.
Martin Leach, President and COO, Ford of Europe said, “Formula
One is a great way to showcase Ford around the world. In China
the relationship between Jordan Ford and CCTV is a fabulous
opportunity to raise our profile. We are already expanding our
involvement in China through manufacturing and marketing
Fiesta and Transit models as well as selling the Mondeo. There
are more new and exciting models in the pipeline to meet the
needs of this rapidly expanding market.” CCTV is China’s only
national broadcasting network and reaches over 100 million
households across China. Its coverage of each round of the FIA
Formula One World Championship will include a 20 minute
preview to be aired on the Thursday before each race, live
coverage of Friday and Saturday qualifying as well as Sunday’s
event, and a 20-minute review on Monday. In addition, CCTV has
500 previews and over 300 special F1 news slots on CCTV’s
sports channel. The Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne on
March 9 attracted 26 million viewers on CCTV in the Beijing
area alone. Jordan
3/19/03
McLaren signs de la Rosa
Ex-Jaguar driver Pedro de la Rosa, sacked by the team after
last season, has signed to become a test driver for the
McLaren team.
3/19/03
Bahrain GP gets boost
Plans for a Formula One Grand Prix to be staged in Bahrain in
2004 moved a step closer to fruition after the national
government approved funding for a new racing circuit.
The $200million (£128m) project was approved after finance and
national economy minister Abdullah Said briefed the national
parliament about Bahrain's borrowing needs for economic
development. The country's 40-member Shura Council, appointed
by the government, now needs to ratify the funding and is
likely to give the project the green light.
3/19/03
Danica Patrick eyes full Toyota
Atlantic series
All the months of planning and anticipation are over. This
Friday morning Danica Patrick will take to the track in the
#24 Argent Mortgage Toyota/Swift at Fundidora Park in
Monterrey, Mexico and the 2003 CART Toyota Atlantics
Championship season will be underway. Patrick, the 20-year-old
protégé of three-time CART champion Bobby Rahal, will become
the first female to race a full schedule in the thirty year
history of the Atlantic Championship. "I have been preparing
for this day since I was ten and I first climbed into a
go-kart" said Patrick. "I am sure I might have a few
butterflies when I climb into the car on Friday, but it is a
racecar and I have been driving competitively for half of my
life. Once I get on track it will be me against the other
drivers and their cars." Rahal looks at his young charge and
realizes that there will be a lot of attention focused on her
in 2003. "I have told Danica on a number of occasions that she
will be in the spotlight all year and that people will be
following her every move. That can be a blessing and a curse
to a young driver. The blessing is when you succeed, your
success will draw a lot of attention and it will open doors
and create opportunities both on and off the track. The
downside is of course we are talking about a 20-year-old
driver, who like every young driver, is going to endure some
growing pains. When the spotlight is on you those can make for
some long days. That said, I think the future is very bright
for Danica. I think she has everything it will take to be
successful and to graduate to the next level." At first glance
Patrick would appear to be a college student or an aspiring
model, but the look is deceiving. Behind that smile is a
fierce competitor who is striving to become the best driver
that she can be. "People ask me if I want to be the next Lyn
Saint James or so and so, and I always tell them I want to be
the first Danica Patrick. I know I have a wonderful
opportunity with Team Rahal. Bobby has assembled a veteran
team that will help me with the learning curve of the series.
Walt Preston, my engineer, is one of the best in the business
and he has really helped me understand the car a lot quicker
than I thought I would." Patrick signed a multi-year driving
contract with Team Rahal in June of 2002 to be the pilot of
the team's entry in the CART Toyota Atlantic Championship. She
ran five races in the Barber Dodge Pro Series last year in
preparation for the 2003 campaign. The full-season single car
entry is sponsored by Argent Mortgage Company and Norwalk
Furniture Company. The entry in the CART Ladder System is Team
Rahal's first support program since the team ran a full-season
effort in Indy Lights in 1998.
Walkway lawsuit goes to jurors
Jurors began deliberations Tuesday in a $27 million lawsuit
brought by a Virginia family caught in the collapse of a
pedestrian walkway after a NASCAR all-star race. More than 100
people were injured when the walkway over U.S. 29 in Concord
collapsed as fans left the Lowe's Motor Speedway complex in
May 2000.
3/18/03
BRDC clarifies British GP
rumors According to this Grandprix.com article,
the British Racing Drivers' Club has given details of its
relationship with Octagon Motorsports and its plans for the
future. The club says that on December 19 2000 it agreed a
15-year lease of Silverstone to Octagon Motorsports. The lease
was underwritten by a guarantee from Interpublic, Octagon's
parent company. The BRDC says that on many occasions senior
personnel from Octagon/Interpublic have given "absolute
undertakings" of their intention to honor that agreement and
added that it has received no formal notification that Octagon
intends to sell their commercial rights to the British Grand
Prix. The BRDC says it does not have the financial depth to
operate an annual Formula 1 contract under the present terms
and conditions on offer from Formula One Management,
particularly without government support which, it says,
"exists in most other host countries".
3/18/03
Malaysia ticket sales down
Looming war with Iraq was today blamed for the decrease in the
number of requests for tickets by the European fans.
Jamaluddin Jarjis, Malaysia's junior finance minister admitted
there is a problem but he added that the race will go on
anyhow even if a war breaks out before the race day on Sunday.
Mr Jarjis was quoted by The Sun as saying: "We admit there has
been a lower demand for tickets from European fans as compared
to previous years - but the race will take place."
3/18/03
Barber Dodge Pro Series adds
oval The Barber Dodge Pro Series announced
today the addition of the an oval event to the 2003 season
with the third round of the championship now taking place on
the one-mile oval at the Milwaukee Mile on May 31st. As with
every round of the 2003 season, the Barber Dodge Pro Series
will be participating as a support event for the Champ Car
World Series at the Speed of Night weekend, which will feature
the first-ever running of the Champ Cars under the lights at
the famed Milwaukee Mile oval. The Milwaukee event will
replace the round scheduled for Road America, which has been
removed from the 2003 Champ Car schedule. The Milwaukee race
is the third new Champ Car venue to be added to the Pro Series
Schedule for 2003 along with St. Petersburg and this weekend's
race in Monterrey, Mexico. Series officials are excited about
the opportunity to participate at Milwaukee, which is the only
oval-course round of the 2003 season, hailing a return to
ovals for the series after having competed on only road
courses in 2002. Historically, Barber Dodge races on ovals are
ultra competitive affairs with the entire field normally
qualifying within one second of the pole as they did at
Chicago in 2001.
3/18/03
More on CART Long Beach Town
Meeting The panel lineup for the Champ Car
Town Meeting that will take place in Long Beach, California on
March 24 has grown by one person as the series announced
Wednesday that SPEED Channel President Jim Liberatore will
join the program. Liberatore, who oversees the cable network
that carries the majority of the Bridgestone Presents The
Champ Car World Series Powered by Ford events, will join 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 on the panel discussion, which will be hosted by
SPEED Channel race analyst and former Trans Am champion Tommy
Kendall.
3/18/03 Industry News
War could curtail racing action
Michael Andretti's Road to Indy retirement tour sidetracked.
It could happen. Imminent war with Iraq, the ongoing terrorist
threat and North Korea's nuclear menace are starting to have a
chilling effect on the American auto racing scene. The Indy
Racing League and Championship Auto Racing Teams are in an
immediate bind. The IRL has a race Sunday in Phoenix. At that
race, Andretti expects to celebrate Step 2 on his "Road to
Indy" driving farewell tour. With war perhaps coming as soon
as today, CART is in a similar boat as the IRL. This weekend's
Champ Cars race is in Monterrey, Mexico.
More..
3/18/03
Ticket sales in Germany going
well We
checked with the EuroSpeedway today and were told that ticket
sales are going well and they hope to get at least as many
fans as they had in 2001, which was announced as 87,000 on
race day. Mark C.
3/18/03
Disagreeing with Cortes
A reader writes, Dear AutoRacing1.com, I read Cássio
Côrtes' article titled "CART,
Driven to where?" and while I agree with most of Cássio
Côrtes says, I take exception one. He claims that losses of
races in Rio and Japan can not be made up by the new events in
Mexico and Canada. While the race in Japan will be missed (if
only slightly), the race at Rio won't be. Neither of these
races had the attendance needed for success. Mexico City and
Montreal were spectacular events and made up for those losses
10 fold, in my opinion. The fact that they are NAFTA events is
irrelevant! CART basically replaced low attended events with
very memorable ones. If we could only find venues like that
elsewhere? Hector Sanchez, Corpus Christy, TX
Dear Hector, you and other readers should be aware that CART's
last race in Rio, Brazil in 2000 was a complete sellout.
See photos below. Mark C.
3/18/03
Ticket sales picking up in
Monterrey
Ticket sales for this weekends Champ Car race in Monterrey,
Mexico have picked up in recent weeks, with over 41,000 3-day
tickets now sold. There are 59,000 grandstand seats so a
sellout is now in sight.
3/18/03
Chris Pook and Tony George to
speak together
Corporate sponsors, team owners, league officials, racetrack
operators, manufacturers and media executives involved with
open-wheel racing will assemble May 20-21 at the world famous
Indianapolis Motor Speedway for the 2nd Annual Open-Wheel
Racing Summit. Presented by Street & Smith's
SportsBusiness Journal, the 2nd annual Open-Wheel Racing
Summit will once again delve into the areas that are critical
to the worldwide future of the sport by examining the IRL,
CART, F1 and support series. The audience will hear keynote
presentations, first-hand case studies, best practices and
important lessons learned from the past racing season. Those
attending this insightful and exciting two-day program will
receive cutting-edge information on essential issues.
Confirmed speakers include Tony George of the IRL, Beatriz
Perez of The Coca-Cola Company, Al Speyer of
Bridgestone/Firestone, Eddie Gossage of Texas Motor Speedway,
Christopher R. Pook of CART, Ted Johnson from World of Outlaws
and Chris Economaki of National Speed Sport News. In addition
to in-depth panel discussions, case studies and the
opportunity to network with your peers the week of the
Indianapolis 500, there will be pace car rides, exclusive pit
area tours, guest appearances and credentials for Carb Day.
For more information or to register, contact Rob Berlinger,
Programming Director, SportsBusiness Journal Conference Group,
646-742-9763 ext. 57 rob@worldrg.com, or go to
www.SportsBusinessJournal.com. Seating will be limited.
SportsBusiness Journal
3/18/03
Why CART is so popular in
Mexico
This CART.com article
talks about how big CART has become in Mexico and how the
whole country now follows racing. One key point is that
the Mexican drivers are heroes to the Mexican fans and this
leads to big attendance and big TV ratings. CART won't
enjoy that sort of success in the USA until, like NASCAR, its
drivers become heroes to race fans. Related 2000 article
- Do heroes make a sport, or
does a sport make heroes? It's time for CART to engage
its sponsors?
3/18/03
F1 TV ratings still soft
Despite the praise lavished on Max Mosley's raft of new
regulations, and the claims from some sections of the media
that F1 has been re-born, TV viewers - the ones for whom many
of these changes have been introduced, especially those TV
viewers in pubs - remain unconvinced. According to the latest
figures from TV Sports Market, only in Britain - which like
Germany has four drivers in this year's World Championship -
were viewing figures up on 2002. In Germany RTL pulled in
2.36m viewers for the live coverage of the race compared with
2.57m in 2002 and 3.02 in 2001. The replay during more
sociable hours attracted 5.01m viewers almost one million down
on the 2002. 1.75m switched on in Italy for live coverage
compared with 2.07m in 2002 and 2.49m in 2001. The delayed
coverage was down on 2002 by 1.21m, a drop of 27.67%. In
France a mere 371,000 got up early to watch the season opener,
this compares with 477,000 in 2002 and 687,000 in 2001. Again
the delayed coverage saw figures plummet on previous years
with 1.75m tuning in compared to 2.07m in 2002. In America
where Speed Channel signed the deal to broadcast F1 just days
before the season got underway, 307,000 watched the race,
which was held at 21:00 Eastern time on Saturday. This figure
is up 32,000 on 2002 and according to Speed marks a
significant improvement. It should also be noted that Speed is
not widely available throughout the US. In Britain viewing
figures were up by 71% with 991,000 switching on for the race
which began at 03:00 GMT. This compares with 578,000 in 2002
and 883,000 in 2001. The delayed broadcast attracted 3.18m
viewers compared with 2.83m in 2002, a 12.36% rise. This
weekend's GP takes place at a slightly more acceptable time
(07:00 GMT) and no doubt Bernie, Max, team bosses and
advertisers will be hoping for another eventful race.
PitPass.com
3/18/03 Industry News
Goodyear to write down $1.1
Billion Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. will write
down $1.1 billion, or $6.17 per share, in its 2002
fourth-quarter results for unused tax credits. In addition,
the Akron tire maker has reduced its shareholders' equity by
$1.3 billion to reflect an increase in its unfunded pension
benefit obligations. Goodyear said that under financial
accounting standards it must reduce the value of its tax
credits because it has been losing money in its U.S.
operations. The company can restore those credits if it makes
money in the future, said Keith Price, a Goodyear spokesman.
3/18/03
CART is more than just a
business to its fans
This IndyStar
article says, Investors don't care much for CART. The
stock price proves that. The die-hard fans of the open-wheel
auto racing series, though, are an entirely different matter.
If a turbocharged ChampCar engine could run on blood instead
of methanol, these fans unhesitatingly would open a vein to
fill Paul Tracy's tank. That became clear after Thursday's
column, which reported 2002 losses for Championship Auto
Racing Teams, and took Chief Executive Christopher Pook to
task for downplaying the numbers. CART fans were not happy
with the column, to say the least. And they made themselves
heard. Remember, these are people accustomed to shouting over
the ear-splitting scream of 800-horsepower engines. Even in an
e-mail. If rotten tomatoes could be slung through fiber- optic
lines, red goop would still be oozing from the CD tray of the
personal computer employed to peck out that column. Here's a
sampling of their retorts:
• "Stop trying to kill off the series that I enjoy and have
loved so long," writes Leo Calabrese of Rochester, N.Y. "Your
attempts are futile." Any columnist who thinks a publicly
traded company can be killed off by 15 inches of newsprint
would be delusional. And any reader, too.
• "I read CART's annual report, as I am a stockholder . . .
and I've been buying more of it," wrote J. N. Anderson of
Chicago, "because at the end of the day, it's all about the
quality of racing." The quality of a product doesn't always
square up directly with the soundness of the business
producing that product. However good the racing may be, CART
still needs to function as a business to survive.
• "CART has a cash pile from going public to shore up the cash
flow," writes Richard Dawson of Liverpool, England. "Bernie's
probably going to buy it anyway." Who knows, Formula One
magnate Bernie Ecclestone may yet be CART's rescuer. But no
cash pile can last if losses keep climbing at CART's present
multiples.
More.....
3/18/03
War won't stop F1UPDATE This Grandprix.com
article
says, Although the Formula 1 teams are already in place in
Kuala Lumpur in preparation for the Malaysian Grand Prix on
Sunday, the expected onset of war in the Gulf, coupled with a
new threat posed by a mysterious pneumonia-like virus in Asia,
is causing many of those involved who are not already in Asia
to ponder staying in Europe and not taking any chances. The
outbreak of the virus seems to emanate from southern China
with Hong Kong reporting 83 cases. Singapore has discovered a
further 20 cases of the illness and the first signs of the
disease have been seen in recent days in Europe, mainly from
people traveling to Europe from Asia. Doctors have yet to
identify the virus and so there are naturally fears that the
disease will spread rapidly around the world with warnings
from the World Health Organization. 3/17/03 - Formula One bosses have insisted that it is "business as
usual" despite the looming threat of war with Iraq. The sport
has no plans to cancel Sunday's Malaysian Grand Prix in Kuala
Lumpur, the second round of the 16-race season. "It is
business as usual as far as we are concerned," said a
spokesman for the FIA, the sport's world governing body.
"There are no special plans."
Reader agrees with Moran,
disagrees with Pook
Dear AR1, After reading Rocky Moran's letter I have to say
that I am in agreement with him. I have been a huge fan of
CART for the past 20 years and I have attended the Long Beach
Grand Prix every year since 1984. Along the way I have
attended many CART races during the so called glory years at
Laguna Seca, Indianapolis and Phoenix. The reason I write this
is that I am alarmed by the direction in which CART is going.
CART has never been a feeder series in the past and if Chris
Pook has his way, CART will be a F1 feeder series run by ex F1
bosses. Personally, I have no interest in CART running at Spa,
Estoril or any other F1 track. CART, I am afraid will become a
sort of an American F3000 series and the driver turnover will
be the downfall. It's sad the CART Stars of Tomorrow had a
higher television rating than the first race of the season.
Maybe Pook under estimated the loss of household name drivers
and the value of having a good television package. I remember
the days when you could go into the pits and see guys like
Mario, Emmo, Sullivan, Michael, Rahal, Tracy, Little Al, and
Mansell for a couple years. These guys were cool and they were
not only good but they were stars. You would cheer for your
favorite guy at each race, year in and year out and after
awhile you felt like you actually knew the guy. I call those
years the Glory Years because the average race fan likes to
identify himself with something or somebody. Having the same
usual suspects year in and year out make for successful
business. Sure guys retire and move on but the most successful
businesses have the least amount of turnover. Why do you think
NASCAR is so successful? I personally am not a big NASCAR fan
but if you have a favorite driver, you can pretty much follow
him year after year. If CART becomes a F1 feeder series you
can forget about CART as we know it. I can see it now, F1
bosses farming out their test drivers to different teams to
gain experience for a year and then bringing them into F1.
CART was never a feeder program for any series in the world,
so why should it now? Because Pook says F1 is the pinnacle? I
don't buy that for a second. Sure the Europeans will always
follow their dreams to F1, but there are plenty others who
dream about being CART champion, and it is those that we need
to nourish and promote. If CART continues in the F1 direction
it will only fuel the IRL to become what CART was. Matt
Jones
3/17/03
Darlington TV ratings
Fox's broadcast of yesterday's Carolina Dodge Dealers 400
Winston Cup race at Darlington Raceway was the weekend's top
sports draw on television, today's
Sports Business
Daily reports. The Daily says overnight Nielsen figures
show the race with a 5.5 rating and a 13 share, well ahead of
the 5.0/9 that CBS drew for the second-highest rated sports
show, its coverage of the NCAA basketball tournament
selections. Final figures from last year showed the race with
a 5.8/14 on Fox, which was down from a 6.1/15 in 2001.
Winston Cup Scene
3/17/03
CART stock watch
Today's NYSE Trading In MPH
MPH closed at $3.22 UP $0.22 on Volume of 70,200 shares.
$2.55 Bid - $3.59 Ask on close.
Session Low/High $3.00 / $3.24
MPH Value Change UP 7.33%
DOW Jones UP 282.21 or 3.59% on Volume of 2.07 billion shares.
NASDAQ UP 51.94 or 3.88%
S&P 500 UP 29.52 or 3.54%
Courtesy of C3I.AndersonGroupe - Chicago www.andersongroupe.com
3/17/03
Walker Racing announces new
partner
Walker Racing welcomes new partners Vitro, TV Azteca and
InterProteccion in teaming with the Corona sponsorship of the
#5 entry piloted by Mexican rookie Rodolfo Lavin in the 2003
Bridgestone Presents the Champ Car World Series Powered by
Ford. Walker Racing has a successful history in developing
innovative and value-added motorsports marketing programs,
including fielding programs for African-American, female,
Japanese and, now, Latino drivers. "Corona, Vitro, TV Azteca
and InterProteccion have a global reach making for a perfect
fit in the Champ Car World Series, which has a global platform
as well with an especially strong presence in the growing
NAFTA region," said team owner, Derrick Walker. "These are
highly successful companies and we are pleased that they have
chosen to support Walker Racing." This partnership marks the
companies' first foray into motorsports sponsorship. "I want
to thank Vitro, TV Azteca and InterProteccion for their
support this year and I'm pleased we can announce their
participation going into a home race at Monterrey," said
driver Rodolfo Lavin. "The companies recognize the value of
motorsports sponsorship in the Champ Car World Series as well
as the value of entering into such a sponsorship with a
reputable brand such as Corona." Monterrey, Mexico-based Grupo
Vitro is a major producer of glass products serving a wide
variety of markets. The company has joint ventures with 12
major manufacturers that provide it with access to
international markets, distribution channels and state-of-the
art technology. TV Azteca is one of the world's two largest
producers of Spanish-language television programming. It
operates two national television networks through more than
300 owned-and-operated stations located throughout Mexico.
Additionally, the company recently launched Azteca America
Network, a strategic initiative aimed at the attractive,
fast-growing United States Hispanic market. InterProteccion is
the Mexican group leader in the brokerage of insurances and
guarantees of the market, which has provided service for over
40 years. Through consolidated international alliances and
joint ventures with other leading insurance providers,
InterProteccion offers coverage throughout the world.
3/17/03
F3000 ace to run Toyota
Atlantic CART
Toyota Atlantic Championship team owner Allen Berg announced
today that European driver Romain Dumas will race under the
Scuadra Fortia banner at CART's Toyota Atlantic season opener
on March 23, 2003 in Monterrey, Mexico. Dumas, from Ales,
France, will join teammate Eduardo Figueroa of Mexico City at
Fundidora Park. This will be Dumas's first Atlantic
competition. The versatile 26 year old Dumas has raced
and done well in many different types of cars. In the 2002
European F3000 series he won three of ten events and finished
second in the Drivers' Championship. He also recently tested
the Renault F1 Team, impressing the team by running within
half a second of F1 veteran and Renault driver Fernando
Alonso. "We welcomed our prior sponsors back this week
and added a new sponsor, Grupo Gigante; now we welcome Romain
to our team," said Berg. "We are looking forward to the first
Atlantic race and want it to be the first of many successes
this season. I believe with our 2001 experiences we have
consolidated our team and are hopeful for good results in
Monterrey. Romain will be a good teammate for Eduardo."
"This will be the first time for me to drive an Atlantic car,"
said Dumas. "We did not have time to test or shake it
down before the first practice in Mexico. This is a new team
to me; it is important to get good results for Scuadra Fortia.
To stay in shape for the 2003 season, I tested in Europe over
the winter and also drove a prototype this last weekend at
Sebring. This week there will be many first time
experiences for me: first trip to Mexico, a new track, a new
series and a new team. I am looking forward to it all. I've
been watching the CART Atlantic series and have wanted to race
there."
3/17/03
Tidbits from Darlington
This Winston Salem Journal
article says - Jeff Gordon on his rare mistake while
leading Sunday - "We got the track position, and we had the
car to beat," Gordon said. "The car wasn't perfect right
there, but it had been so good all day long. "I was tight, but
still I had the track position., I was out front, and all I
had to do was keep it out of the wall. Obviously that wasn't
as easy as I thought it was. "I just got in there, and it
seemed like the right rear caught it just a little bit and
sucked the right front in. It knocked the toe out, and it was
over. "I was trying every lap to stay out of the wall. The car
was really pushing and sliding the nose right up to the wall.
I was looking in my mirror, and I didn't have them covered, so
I had to hit every line just right. Those guys were right
there with me, and because I was so tight I wasn't as fast as
I wanted to be to be able to drive away. "Unfortunately we got
in the wall. My mistake ...and I'm going to make up for it
next weekend at Bristol." Softer tires? Forget it. For this
season at least. That's the word from Goodyear, and crew chief
Bill Wilburn, whose driver, Rusty Wallace, has been the
leading proponent of a switch to softer rubber, agrees. "We
make the tires to the car, not the car to the tires,"
Goodyear's Rick Heinrich says. So it's up to NASCAR to take
the first big step, which the sanctioning body shows no signs
of doing. "What tells me NASCAR isn't serious about it is they
haven't been taking any cars to the wind tunnel," Wilburn
says. However, Heinrich insists that Goodyear is ready to
provide a tire for whatever car NASCAR throws at them. While
much of the focus on the softer tire debate has been on the
downforce issue, with NASCAR planning to cut at least half an
inch off the rear spoiler in the coming weeks, the spotlight
should instead be on the speed at which these 3,400-pound cars
enter the corner, the engineers say. That speed determines the
dynamic force on the right-front tire, the single most crucial
aspect in this entire debate. With Winston Cup engine builders
now pumping up their motors to nearly 800 horsepower, that
first turn speed has increased significantly. Some engine men
like Robert Yates have been pushing NASCAR for nearly 10 years
to cut speeds, dating back to even before Ernie Irvan's crash
at Michigan. But NASCAR has done little to trim speeds
anywhere except Daytona and Talladega. How to cut speeds?
Lightening the cars is one proposal, cutting these 3,400-pound
stockers to 3,100 pounds. Cutting 200 pounds off shouldn't be
all that difficult, according to some engineers. And another
90 pounds or so could be cut by switching from cast-iron
blocks to aluminum blocks. "But I don't think cutting 200
pounds would make a significant difference," Heinrich said,
referring to the incredible force on the right-front tire in a
corner at 190-plus mph. So cutting engine horsepower is
another proposal, back to something like 600 horsepower. But
NASCAR engine men can get about 2.2 horsepower per cubic inch,
so to cut back horsepower by downsizing these engines NASCAR
would have to chop these venerable 358s down to 272 c.i. Mark
Cronquist, chief engine builder for the last three Winston Cup
champions, says that there is another way of looking at the
issue: "I think the tires themselves have a whole lot more to
do with our speeds than the motor. "If you go back and look at
some of the track records we have, some of them are back
three, four, five or six years ago, and we've got more motor
than we had then. "Two or three years ago we went to Michigan
in June and came back in the fall with maybe five or six more
horsepower ... but we ran a second faster because they had a
new tire. Now I don't care what a guy does to a motor, you're
not going to pick up or lose a full second. "The Busch guys
are 70 or 80 horsepower off our engines but they still run
within a couple tenths of what we run. So how much power do we
have to lose? "I don't think it's the motor that makes the
cars run so fast."
3/17/03
Yet another thriller at
Darlington
They weren’t locked fender to fender but the final run to the
checkered by Todd Bodine and Jamie McMurray in the
DarlingtonRaceway.com 200 shared the excitement created the
day prior as Ricky Craven and Kurt Busch battled for the win
in the Carolina Dodge Dealers 400. Stan Creekmore,
NASCAR Editor
3/17/03
War won't stop F1
Formula One bosses have insisted that it is "business as
usual" despite the looming threat of war with Iraq. The sport
has no plans to cancel Sunday's Malaysian Grand Prix in Kuala
Lumpur, the second round of the 16-race season. "It is
business as usual as far as we are concerned," said a
spokesman for the FIA, the sport's world governing body.
"There are no special plans."
3/17/03
Michelin's man speaks about
upcoming race Michelin's project manager Pascal
Vasselon speaks about the French manufacturers preparations
ahead of the upcoming Malaysian Grand Prix. The selection process….
“We finalized our tire specifications for Sepang in the wake
of the Australian Grand Prix. Our partner teams evaluated a
number of compounds when they tested last week at Jerez,
Spain. Three of these will be taken to Malaysia.” New rain tires…..
“The rain tires we'll be taking to Sepang differ from those we
used in Melbourne because the surface in Malaysia is more
abrasive and temperatures are likely to be much higher. We
have modified the tread pattern and, unlike the wets we took
to Melbourne, the fronts and rears will be quite similar.” Logistics, logistics….
“In order to facilitate the air freight process, our used
tires from Melbourne were taken straight to Malaysia. The
factory finished making the new tires we'll be using at Sepang
on Friday evening, March 14, and they were transported to
Amsterdam airport early the following day. They should reach
the track by Tuesday morning.” Strategic thinking…
“Last year Ralf Schumacher made a single stop en route to
winning this grand prix. This year we can expect to see some
drivers use the same tactic, but the new rules create
different strategic possibilities and a two-stop race might be
equally effective.”
3/17/03 Industry News
Most car companies still
hurting
Except for perhaps Toyota and Honda, The credit rating agency
Moody's Investors Service says that the automobile
manufacturers involved in racing are facing a tough year in
2003 with forecasts of sales being lower than in 2002, which
was already a bad year for many of the automobile firms,
notably Fiat Auto. At the moment Moody's has assigned negative
outlooks for DaimlerChrysler, Fiat and for Volvo. These are
based on expectations that European and North American
automobile markets will not see any growth before 2004.
Among the companies suffering the worst in January were BMW
down 15.8%, Renault down 8.4%, Volkswagen down 2.2% while Ford
and GM were in line with the market, i.e. also down.
3/17/03
Round 1 to Button
David Richards says his new driver 'had the better' of Jacques
Villeneuve at the Australian Grand Prix. Richards is pleased
that both Jenson Button and ex-world champion Villeneuve are
getting the most out of each other with a lively on and
off-track rivalry. 'I was very happy with Jenson's performance
in the race,' Richards said. 'He drove very sensibly and had
the better of Jacques, so he has to be encouraged by that.'
'He is now aware of Jenson's capability,' he adds, referring
to Villeneuve's insistence that Jenson should earn his
respect. 'This is exactly what we want. We need our drivers
pushing and getting the best out of each other.'
3/17/03
Rubens concerned with some
changes Rubens Barrichello has admitted some
concern with the latest Formula One reforms. The Sunday
morning warm-up has been cancelled for 2003 in exchange for a
shorter session just fifteen minutes prior to Saturday
qualifying. 'If you have an off in that warm-up, then you
could be in real trouble.' He is also concerned about he fact
the cars can't be changed after qualifying. 'The fact that we
no longer drive the cars between qualifying and the race did
not put any safety concerns in my mind. But the situation
might have been different if it had rained very hard. You have
virtually no time at all to work on the car in between the
very short Saturday warm-up and qualifying,' Rubens continued.
'That is a struggle.'
3/17/03
BMW to keep rev record
Mario Theissen is expecting BMW's high-revving record to be
broken one day, however he feels that with the proposed
single-engine regulations mean it could stand for a while,
perhaps forever. Last year the BMW P82 engine broke the
barrier of 19,000 revs during the Italian Grand Prix weekend.
"I think 19,000 revs will increasingly become normality for
Formula One. Teams will try their best to improve but I don't
expect giant leaps forward. I definitely don't expect a 20,000
rev engine for this year." "In 2004 the trend will go
backwards anyway [because of the 1-weekend engine rule]. There
are already tendencies that go towards a drop in rev numbers,
as we have to drive the qualifying engine in the race too.
This makes us think very carefully about how far we can go in
qualifying without losing the reliability of the engine in the
race." Another factor for the engine manufacturers to consider
is the fact that in 2004 engines will have to last an entire
race weekend. And by the 2006 FIA President Max Mosley would
like to see engines lasting six races, which will also force
engine suppliers to emphasize reliability.
3/17/03 Industry News
Phil Hill to return to The Glen
One of the most well-respected racing greats, Phil Hill, will
be returning to Watkins Glen International to serve as special
guest for the Chemung Canal Trust Historic Races weekend, June
6-8, track President Craig Rust announced today. Hill, the
first American to win the Formula One World Driver
Championship, will make several appearances throughout the
weekend and also has the duties of giving the command to fire
engines prior to the start of the Sunday's Jaguar feature
race. "Watkins Glen is a very special place for me as I had an
opportunity to race on the original road course in a
lightweight Jaguar XK120 against a great variety of cars and
drivers", said Hill, who also appeared at The Glen in 1958,
and 1961-1964 with a variety of duties including United States
Grand Prix Grand Marshal, practice driver and driver. "Many of
my competitors became very good friends in later years and I
hope to see some of them back at The Glen for the race
weekend. While many people connect me with Ferrari, I drove
Jaguars early on and had a great deal of success." The Chemung
Canal Trust Historic Races kick of a month jam-packed with
electrifying sports car racing. Fans are invited to travel
back in time and experience the nostalgia of the past, as the
cars that made The Glen famous take to the track in a weekend
filled with history, including Formula One, Indy cars, SCCA
Can-Am, Trans-Am, and prototypes. Tickets start at only $19
and are now on sale, with advance prices available through May
4th. Tickets for the Chemung Canal Trust Historic Races,
as well as the entire 2003 racing season at Watkins Glen
International, are now available by calling The Glen's ticket
office at 607-535-2481 or online at
www.theglen.com.
3/17/03
TSN drops SPEED Channel feed,
says not good The Canadian broadcaster TSN has
abandoned its use of the Speed Channel feed for F1 races and
will revert to the British ITV commentary. TSN had used
British feeds for almost 10 years. TSN and Speed did a deal in
order to share the costs of F1 which is expensive for any
broadcaster but the problem is that Speed's audiences are so
small that it cannot justify sending a crew to all the races
and the commentary struggled badly as they tried to commentate
of the Australian race from a studio in North Carolina. ITV
has a crew at every race and so is in a better position to
produce a good program. "The quality is better," says Phil
King, the TSN executive in charge of programming. "Our viewers
told us that and we agree. We were not satisfied with the
quality of the Speed Channel broadcast."
GrandPrix.com
Scenes from Sebring -
by Bill Kistler (More in the days ahead)
3/16/03
Road America starts to issue ticket
refunds
Even if the two sides could work out their differences, any hope of
CART racing at Road America this year is now gone. On Thursday,
Road America ended any hope of salvaging this year’s race and also
removed the event from its schedule and implemented a ticket refund
policy. In this
article, Paul Tracy says he thinks 2002 was not his last race
at the famous circuit. Unless he plans to move to the IRL in
2004, we think it is.
3/16/03
CART losing Road America is akin to F1 losing
Spa
For fans of road racing, especially almost anywhere in the upper
Midwest, the word Monday from CART was devastating. Because of its
alleged failure to pay fees in a timely manner, the series opted to
drop Road America from its 2003 schedule. The United States has
several famous road circuits. There's Watkins Glen in upstate New
York, where NASCAR Winston Cup has replaced Formula 1 and sports car
racing as the primary passion. There's Sebring in Florida, where
yesterday's 12-hour endurance race was the latest of one of the
world's classic road racing events. And there's Laguna Seca in
California, with its famed stomach-floating corkscrew turn. But in
terms of sheer beauty and challenge, none match Road America, the
four-mile circuit that an Elkhart Lake, Wis., businessman named Cliff
Tufte carved out of the rolling woods, glacial moraines and ravines
halfway between Milwaukee and Green Bay 40-some years ago. I remember
Mario Andretti telling me with those expressive eyes of his dancing
with delight about how it is his favorite road racing circuit and a
world-class venue, likening it to Spa.
More....
3/16/03
de la Rosa hurts back
Pedro de la Rosa suffered from a bad seat fitting by the McLaren team
causing him to injure his back. And while the problem has been
corrected, the former Jaguar man fears the damage has already been
done. De la Rosa told Autosport: “I had such a bad seat that it has
really done damage to my back. I could hardly sleep last night. The
team made a new seat for me based on Alex's one and that is much more
comfortable, but the damage has been done really.” “I've never, ever
experienced this amount of grip in my life before. It's a very, very
competitive car. It's a very good team, and it's so good to work with
an organization like that. I now know what testing really means,
because when you go testing with McLaren you really go testing!"
3/16/03
Reality TV almost a reality
Fox's proposed "reality TV" series with NASCAR drivers is "a done
deal," according to one NASCAR source who says seven of the planned 20
shows already have been sold to sponsors. Filming would begin in May
and would focus on three types of Winston Cup drivers: a high-flyer, a
more typical family-man, and a wilder, single guy - like Jamie
McMurray. Most stock-car drivers have been quick to say no to the
invasion of privacy.
Winston Salem Journal
3/16/03
Bruton Smith mock ISC tracks
Bruton Smith's organization is making the case that Atlanta's race-day
crowd last Sunday, while not a sellout, was still a bigger crowd than
eight of the 12 tracks owned by the rival International Speedway Corp.
can even seat. NASCAR's Bill France says that the 2004 schedule will
be developed to take Winston Cup races out of small, unproductive
markets and put them in larger, more productive markets.
Winston Salem Journal
3/16/03
More engine woes for Roush
Reconstruction of NASCAR's Homestead track is expected to begin soon,
according to NASCAR sources, who say that the banking, currently only
six degrees, will be increased to 20 degrees for the 11/2-mile
facility Roush Racing had more engine problems Saturday. Kurt Busch
was the latest victim after his engine broke down only moments after
the start of Winston Cup practice for Sunday's Carolina Dodge Dealers
400. That followed a disastrous day for Roush Racing at Atlanta last
week, when four of six Roush engines failed. Engines in the Fords
driven by Roush drivers Mark Martin, Busch and Jeff Burton, as well as
a Roush-built engine in Ricky Rudd's Wood Brothers Taurus, blew during
the 500-mile race at Atlanta Motor Speedway. That came a week after
Martin blew an engine in Las Vegas. After investigating, car owner
Jack Roush found pistons on cars for Martin, Rudd and Busch were tuned
"for fuel economy that just wasn't attainable for Atlanta," he said.
AP Story
3/16/03
Brundle blames Bernie
Former F1 driver Martin Brundle has accused Bernie Ecclestone of
trying to undermine the future of the British Grand Prix.
Ecclestone has been one of the Silverstone circuit's biggest critics
over the past few years. Ecclestone recently suggested that the
British Racing Drivers Club (BRDC), who own the Silverstone circuit,
should buy the rights from financially plagued Octagon. "The
BRDC should run the race and be the promoter," Ecclestone told The
Guardian. "We did a contract with them that was very cheap for
them to run. Once, the idea was to sell Silverstone. But they decided
not to do it - and got someone (Octagon) to rent it out. If the
British Grand Prix disappears from Britain, it will be because no one
can afford Silverstone's rent." Martin Brundle responded - "It
is clear for anyone to see that Bernie seems to have been trying hard
to destabilize the British Grand Prix, Silverstone and the BRDC," he
said. But whether or not Octagon succeed in selling the rights to the
race, Ecclestone is confident that the company, which is part of the
Interpublic Group of Companies in the United States, will continue to
honor their agreement. Octagon is committed to spending roughly £300m
to run the event for the next 13 years. "It's a pity Octagon entered
into an agreement not knowing what the commitments were, but have no
doubt they will honor those commitments," Ecclestone added. "They knew
what they were getting into - I told them not to do it. The contract
is guaranteed by Interpublic, but if no-one wants to run the race then
there won't be a British Grand Prix."
3/16/03
Stewart thinks Coulthard could dethrone
Schu Jackie Stewart
thinks David Coulthard could dethrone Michael Schumacher this year.
'After the way David drove to victory in Australia in the opening race
last weekend, I see no reason why he can't go on and become world
champion this year,' he said. 'We all know that Michael is still going
to be the man to beat in the championship race this year, but the
solid, professional and skilful way in which David drove in Melbourne,
capitalizing on the mistakes of others, proves he has the maturity and
knowledge to lift the championship.' 'Over the past couple of years
all we've seen is Michael driving off into the distance and
comfortably winning races. He really hasn't had to handle any pressure
and that's exactly what David has to do over the next couple of races.
He's got off to a brilliant start and heads to Malaysia next weekend
leading Schumacher by five points. Now what's crucial for David is
that he maintains that level of performance and keeps the pressure up
on both Michael and Ferrari. We know from what Michael has done in the
past when he's been under pressure that he doesn't really like it.
Just think about the title shoot-outs with Jacques Villeneuve and
Damon Hill. If David manages to get another couple of good results in
Malaysia and Brazil, and if ideally he could win one of them, then it
will be interesting to see how Michael and Ferrari respond.'
3/16/03
John Watson wants more wet races
Former F1 driver John Watson thinks all F1 races should have a wet
period. "I think all tracks should have sprinkler systems, which could
be turned on before a race. Just before the start they should be
turned off to let the track dry out naturally. Drying tracks always
provide entertaining Grands Prix and it will be compulsive viewing for
the fans,” Watson told People. “Last week was a great example of
exciting racing, but that was 95 per cent down to the weather.” “The
rule changes made hardly any difference. The qualifying was as dull as
ditch water. It did give all the teams an equal amount of TV coverage
but as a spectacle it didn't do anything for me at all. Qualifying is
supposed to be flat-out racing because it's not about running a
marathon,” he said. “It's all about blinding speed and that's what it
should be. The concept of single car qualifying doesn't appeal to me.
I enjoyed the build-up towards the end of the session when there were
four or five cars fighting for top spot. An audience should be sitting
on the edge of their seats biting their nails, but you can't get that
with single car qualifying. I don't have much interest in watching
Minardi's flying lap because they are not going to be challenging for
pole position."
3/15/03
BGN rainout in Darlington
Mother Nature continues to give NASCAR fits. For the second time in
four events NASCAR has been forced to postpone the Busch Series event.
The DarlingtonRaceway.com 200 never made it to the green flag. Rain
forced the field to a stop before the field could take the green and
after nearly two hours NASCAR officials decided they would wait until
Monday to run the event. Should the Winston Cup race also be run out,
the word is NASCAR would run it first on Monday and then run the Busch
event, time permitting.
3/15/03
NASCAR track in Meadowlands doubtful
George Zoffinger, chief executive of New Jersey Sports and Exposition
Authority, which owns the Meadowlands in East Rutherford, New Jersey,
said on Thursday that International Speedway Corp.’s proposal to build
a stock-car racetrack around the existing horse racing track is
unlikely to work. "Actually, I’d like to interest them in maybe some
other sites other than around the racetrack," Zoffinger told the
Orlando Sentinel. "We’re going to help them any way we can." The
decision on whether to build a NASCAR track ultimately lies with the
authority board, but Zoffinger plans to recommend against such a move.
Building the track would require the Meadowlands to halt Standardbred
racing, which would add to the costs. "You’ve got to factor in the
impact on our main business," said Zoffinger, alluding to the
Meadowlands’ premiere Standardbred race meeting.
3/15/03
Historic F1 cars to support CART in
Mexico City
The historic F1 cars will support CART at Long Beach this year and now
comes word they will support CART at Mexico City as well. 1966
to 1983 3-liter F1 cars will again do battle on the famed Autodromo
Hermanos Rodriguez circuit as the main support race for the Champ
Cars. A Ford Mustang Celebrity race will also be contested.
3/15/03 F-3000
Why isn't this guy in CART?
[With so many Indians living in the USA, we find it amazing that that
no sponsor or team has picked this kid up. Talk about an
untapped market. He's been trying to make it into F1, but can't
raise the money needed. He's fast. How fast? Former
F1 driver Enrique Bernoldi was only 3rd fastest in this last test
before the F3000 Dallara Nissan World Series begins.] Indian
driver Narain Karthikeyan set the pace in the final pre-season test
for this year's Dallara Nissan World Series, held at the Jarama
circuit in Spain yesterday (Wednesday). "There were a lot of red flags
but we managed to make some clear laps using fresh Michelin tires,"
said Karthikeyan. "We would like to start the season here at El Jarama
with some top positions. Carlin Motorsport is adapting very well to
this new series. I'm very confident." Former Arrows Formula 1 driver
Enrique Bernoldi set the third best time for RC Motorsport, ahead of
Frenchman Franck Montagny.
Jarama test times (unofficial)
Pos Driver Team Time
1 Narain Kartikeyan Carlin Motorsport 1m22.221s
2 Bruce Jouanny Carlin Motorsport 1m22.432s
3 Enrique Bernoldi RC Motorsport 1m22.545s
4 Franck Montagny Gabord Competición 1m22.581s
5 Felix Porteiro KTR 1m22.687s
6 Paul Edwards KTR 1m23 177s
7 Tuka Rocha 1m23.248s
8 Heikki Kovalainen Gabord Competición 1m23.260s
9 Polo Villaamil RC Motorsport 1m23.293s
10 Stephane Sarrazin Racing Engineering 1m23.347s
3/15/03
Gonzalo Rodriguez trial news - CART
wins2nd UPDATE
According to the
Monterey County Herald.....A Monterey County Jury ruled
against the Family of Gonzalo Rodriquez, and the track has been
dropped as a defendant in the Lawsuit filed on behalf of Gonzalo
Rodriquez after they settled for $10,000 prior to the start of the
trial. CART is extremely pleased with the verdict," said Andrew
Swartz, an attorney who helped represent both defendants. "This was a
very intelligent jury that was able to overlook the deep emotional
trauma of the loss of a son and followed the law." The family's
attorney, James O'Callahan, said the Rodriguezes were disappointed but
"would go on with their lives." They will return to Uruguay and
continue serving a foundation they started in Gonzalo Rodriguez's
name, encouraging youth to pursue their sports dreams. Bongol-Rodriguez
testified her son was greatly admired in Uruguay. O'Callahan said to
win the case he needed to prove that CART had acted with "reckless and
willful disregard," an insurmountable hurdle. Although much of
the testimony focused on whether Rodriguez died when he hit the
barrier or when his car landed, as the plaintiffs contend, O'Callahan
said it really doesn't matter when he died. CART was willfully
negligent because it failed to provide adequate protections to prevent
the fatality, he argued. The gravel pit, 45 feet wide, was too narrow
a space to slow a troubled driver's speed, said O'Callahan. Antonio
Ferrari, a racing team owner,
testified for the Rodriguez family, saying too few tires were used to
slow the car's speed. Ferrari also said netting above the concrete
barrier would have prevented Rodriguez's car from going airborne. O'Callahan argued that Rodriguez survived the collision with the
concrete barrier, and suffered his fatal injury when the car landed
upside down. The defense laid the blame for the fatality on Rodriguez
himself. Swartz said Rodriguez was traveling at 100 mph approaching
the corkscrew, a turn that is supposed to be a "slow turn," taken at
50 to 60 mph. "Nobody knows why he was traveling so fast, whether it
was driver error, whether the pedal was stuck or whether he was trying
to push the envelope. We don't know," said Swartz. The reality of
racing is that not enough safeguards exist to prevent injury or death
from occurring, Swartz said. 3/7/03 -
You might be interested in reading the pre-trial analysis of
this lawsuit done by our Mark Cipolloni back in November of 2000,
and a follow-up in November of 2001.
It will be interesting to see how it turns out.
3/7/03 - According
to this Monterey County Herald newspaper article,
testimony resumes Monday in the wrongful-death lawsuit brought by
relatives of an Uruguayan race car driver killed in a crash at Mazda
Raceway Laguna Seca in September 1999. The family of Gonzalo Rodriguez
is suing the the Championship Auto Racing Team, which sponsored the
race. Rodriguez, 27, died when his car skidded off the track, hurtled
through a gravel trap, slammed into a concrete barrier and then went
airborne, landing upside down. The $25 million lawsuit, filed in 2000
by Rodriguez's parents, Ruben Rodriguez Saldias and Lillian Bongol-Rodriguez,
alleges that the gravel pit was too small to slow a car leaving the
track and that the barriers provided insufficient protection. Antonio
Ferrari, a member of the Ferrari car family [Editor's Note: as
far as we know he is NOT related to Enzo Ferrari's family.
In Italy, Ferrari is as widely used as Jones and Smith in the
USA] and a racing team owner,
testified Tuesday that too few tires were used to slow Rodriguez's car
as it headed for the concrete barrier and that the tires present were
of poor quality. Ferrari also testified that netting was needed above
the concrete barrier to prevent Rodriguez's car from heading into its
fatal plunge. CART will present its defense next week.
3/15/03
Barrichello says 2002 car still
competitive Rubens Barrichello is back home in Brazil
in between the Australian and Malaysian Grands Prix and he has had
time to reflect on the first race of the season and the effect of the
new regulations. “The first point to make is that the F2002 is still
competitive, which was hidden by events in the race, particularly the
fact the track dried out much quicker than we expected,” commented the
Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro driver. “There is no reason for us to worry
about this as, up until the race, I had a very good weekend.”
Following the Australian event, the rule banning refueling between
qualifying and the race has met with a mixed response and Rubens still
maintains his original views on the subject. “As I said before, I like
the idea of one lap qualifying and the pressure that goes with it, but
I was not so impressed with having to do it with a big fuel load as it
means the cars are not perfect,” said the Brazilian. “During the
weekend, you have a tough time to find the limits of your car in these
conditions. Even if you chose to run with low fuel on Friday, the
track is still quite dirty and therefore you cannot get the maximum
out of it and we are a long way off where we used to be in terms of
performance and lap times. However, putting aside the weather on
Sunday, the new qualifying did make the race a bit more interesting.”
With only one flying lap in each qualifying session and no Sunday
warm-up, the drivers now get less track time, but Barrichello revealed
that the drivers are still as busy as ever. “We were still kept busy,
doing a lot of appearances for the sponsors and I think that will be a
trend through the year,” he said. “I don’t think it will reach a point
where we will end up having lunch with the sponsor guests, because the
drivers always have to eat something very early before the race,”
joked Rubens. “And of course, on Saturday, you now spend much more
time thinking about race strategy than in the past. It is a new
challenge because you have to guess the weather the following day and
there are so many other new factors to consider as well.” The change
to the weekend timetable did cause Barrichello some concern. “The lack
of a race morning warm-up was not too difficult to deal with, it just
meant you had to give a lot more thought to race set-up on Saturday,”
he explained. “However, the area that was a struggle was that you have
virtually no time at all to work on the car in between the very short
Saturday warm-up and qualifying. If you have an “off” in that warm-up
then you could be in trouble, so you cannot afford to push too hard in
that session. The fact that we no longer drive the cars between
qualifying and the race did not give put any safety concerns in my
mind, but the situation might have been different if it had rained
very hard.” Before the first race of the season, the Ferrari man had
tipped BAR and Toyota to have made a lot of progress over the winter.
Had anyone else caught his eye during the grand prix. “I was very
surprised to see Justin Wilson ninth on the first lap!” said
Barrichello. “Apart from that, the race performances followed the
current form guide. What did surprise me was that many drivers who had
problems appeared to stop in dangerous positions which caused the
Safety Car to come out. The race was a bit of a mess, but it made it
interesting for spectators. Here in Brazil, even though the race was
shown in the middle of the night, the viewing figures were good and
the reaction was positive, even though no Brazilian drivers finished
the race.” Ferrari
3/15/03
Mosley confident in policing driver
aids Max Mosley is confident that FIA policing of
electronic driver aids will make it "impossible for anyone to cheat".
The FIA president told an exclusive ITVF1
live chat that officials will definitely be able to root out anyone
covertly using systems like traction control and launch control.
Mosley said: "In addition to software inspection, we will have backup
to look at what is happening in the engine, plus we will have sensors
in critical parts of the car, like the throttle pedal, so we can
compare what the engine is doing with what the driver is telling it to
do. "A combination of these things will make it impossible for anyone
to cheat." The ban on electronic driver aids is not due to come into
force until the British Grand Prix. Mosley said this would give the
FIA – and not just the teams - the time to get things right. Asked why
there was such a delay, Mosley replied: "Some of the teams have to
make significant changes, to go back to a system with no traction or
launch control. "The other reason is that we want to be able to use
technology to observe what's going on in the engine and the people
providing this are not certain to be able to have it operational until
then."
3/15/03
Moran Jr. disagrees with Pook2nd UPDATE Two more people
responded with these comments.
3/14/03 - A reader writes,
"Rocky Moran says...The average American race fan does not
care about a bunch of rich, foreign drivers whose names they
can't pronounce." I don't buy that argument. It doesn't apply
to baseball - "The Great American Pastime." F1/CART/IRL racing
will NEVER appeal to the "average American race fan" because
it isn't "stock car" racing. Does he honestly think if half or
more of the WC field were foreigners that the attendance would
suddenly decline? Also, "Mario Andretti," "Rocky Moran," and
"Memo Gidley" aren't exactly "All-American" names. They sound
more foreign than American. Mark McCauley, Texas3/14/03 - In this
article Rocky Moran says, Watching the first CART race
of the 2003 season was very interesting and something I had
anticipated for a long time. The off-season really starts to
feel drawn out when you haven't watched any racing for months.
I love watching races on TV when I have a ride of my own, but
this year is really gonna be tough as I sit out, especially
when I look at the driver line-up in the current CART field.
It's really sad to see how many talented and qualified drivers
there are that have come up through the Stars of Tomorrow,
Barber Dodge, F2000, and Toyota Atlantic fields that are
watching Champ Cars on TV like me. The fact is, CART has made
a mistake in not making a better effort in assisting its
ladder series drivers and, in particular, its American drivers
into its top formula. The average American race fan does not
care about a bunch of rich, foreign drivers whose names they
can't pronounce......"Let's be realistic about CART's current
state. The TV ratings from the recent Stars of Tomorrow
go-kart race were better than CART's season opener in St.
Petersburg. How are drivers and team owners in Toyota Atlantic
going to continue raising over one million dollars per car
when Chris Pook is saying that "our feeder series cars are way
too easy to drive"? There is no such thing as a car that is
easy to drive when you're on the edge and pushing for those
last couple of tenths."
More....
3/15/03
New CART Architecture Former
CART Toyota Atlantic team owner submits his idea for the "new CART."
This is my unsolicited advice for some new architecture for the future
of CART for 2005:
1.
Rename the series to USF1 (see logo)
[Editor's Note: we have said all along F1, a branded name, should be
part of the "new" CART series name if Bernie takes partial ownership] 2. Use a 1-2 year old design of a current Formula 1 car
.... Jordan or BAR for example. Replicate 24 cars.
[Editor's Note: You probably want at
least two suppliers, not one] 3. Invite 6 different manufactures to supply engines for
4 cars each.... 24 total cars
BMW
Mercedes
Porsche
Ford
Honda
Toyota
[Editor's Note: why not 7
manufacturers for 28 cars? Ferrari and Renault come to mind, but
we doubt Toyota would come back into CART - they are NASCAR bound] 4. Take the series back to the streets ( which is
happening) and eliminate the ovals
[Editor's Note: streets and road courses, not just streets] 5. Rename the Atlantic Series to USF3 or USF3000 and
change the cars to the F3000 spec or F3.
This is all very brief .... and it would work with or without Bernie
[can't use the F1 name without Bernie, he owns it] ...... I’ll let the
critics fill in the details....Keith Hylton
3/15/03
General Admission anyone?
A reader writes, Dear AR1, we just got our set of season tickets for
Fontana for 2003. We opted to get the package deal because it seem to
be the best deal. The season tickets use to be NASCAR and CART, now it
includes 6 different races. Well you you find this pretty interesting,
for just the IRL race, we do not have a assigned seats. It says
general admission on the ticket, you can sit anywhere you want, first
come first serve. The package deal didn't sell well. The lady in the
ticket office said they only sold about 6,800. So what does that tell
you about the attendance for the IRL race. What a joke! We probably we
will sell ours if anyone will buy them. Cindy Adams Dear
Cindy, last year we heard they only sold 8,700 tickets for the IRL
race at Fontana, and by the looks of the grandstands, that probably
wasn't too far off. However, this year Honda and Toyota are in
the series and they will probably be giving tickets away for the race
at their local dealers, so that should bolster attendance somewhat.
Mark C.
Scenes from Sebring 1)
The #1 Audi of Frank Biela, Phillip Peter and Marco Werner will start
the 51st annual Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring from the pole
position. 2) Sebring is known for its colorful race fans.
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