Thanks for visiting our Hot News page
Please visit our
Rumors page for all the scuttlebutt. If you have some
news, or can supply more information about one listed here,
e-mail us with as much supporting information as possible
and we may post it. User agreement & disclaimer. Newer rumors supercede older ones of the same topic. Go to our
forums to discuss any hot news.
Mosley meets with teams FIA
president Max Mosley has confirmed at Imola that grand prix racing's
revised rules and procedures will continue unchanged, with just minor
modifications to those governing the use of the spare car. Mosley
said: “There is agreement with all teams to continue with the
procedures we have adopted at the beginning of the season and to
continue with rules adopted last October. The only minor changes are
that as far as the spare car is concerned, teams can use two cars in
the various practice sessions but those used in Saturday qualifying
have to be raced unless the team takes the spare car and starts from
the pit lane. “If there is an engine change (as McLaren and BAR were
permitted in Brazil without penalty), the relevant car will start from
the back of the grid,” Mosley said. This avoids any controversy over
whether or not the engine change was actually necessary.
4/17/03
Players team tests at Portland and
Homestead With a short break in the Champ Car World Series
schedule before races in England and Germany early next month, Team
Player’s drivers Patrick Carpentier and Paul Tracy used testing
sessions in Homestead and Portland this week for some fine-tuning and
preparatory work for future races. Carpentier ran close to 300 laps
during his two-day session that concluded Thursday on the 1.5-mile
Homestead oval. He put in the laps using the same aerodynamics package
front and rear wings and undertray - that, under Champ Car
regulations, will be in effect for both of the European races on the
road course in Brands Hatch, England and the super speedway at
Eurospeedway in Lausitz, Germany. “We were the only ones using the
Homestead track and the testing that we did was, in some respects,
almost like wind-tunnel testing, so that we could see how the
aerodynamics package reacted to certain situations,” said Carpentier.
“The testing went really well, although the Homestead track isn’t an
exact simulation of the one in Germany, which has longer straights and
tighter corners.” Carpentier expects that the aerodynamics package
used on the Lausitz super speedway will lead to “pack” racing, much
like it was on the Michigan super speedway, a venue where Carpentier
earned the first Champ Car victory of his career, in 2001. “It’s going
to be really exciting for the fans,” he added. “And it’s going to be
very interesting on the road course in Brands Hatch because we’ll be
using an new minimum pit-under-green format and single-car qualifying,
like we would on an oval.” Tracy, who shared the Portland road course
with 10 other Champ cars about half of the Champ Car World Series
field encountered some rainy conditions at times. But he still managed
to put in productive laps that will enable Team Player’s to prepare
for such road-course events as Portland and Laguna Seca that occur
later in the season, as well as some fine-tuning for England and
Germany. “We had a great first day,” remarked Tracy. “There were only
some sprinkles of rain. We ran into some problems on the second day
and we weren’t able to run as many laps as we wanted to, so that’s
disappointing. But, it puts us in good shape for the races in Europe
and for the one in Portland later in the season.”
4/17/03
Walker Racing rookies rack up
test miles Walker Racing teammates Rodolfo Lavin and
Darren Manning continued to collect valuable testing miles
this week, completing a two-day test, Tuesday and Wednesday,
at Portland International Raceway’s 1.969-mile permanent road
course. Mexican rookie Lavin battled a gearbox problem through
the first day of testing, but posted a respectable time of 59.3
seconds, within a second of pace-setter Michel Jourdain’s
fastest lap. “We struggled with the gearbox on Tuesday; it was
difficult to down shift, but the Corona crew changed the
gearbox overnight and the car was much better for Wednesday,”
Lavin said. “The Champ Car has so much more speed going into
Turn 1 than you have in an Atlantic car; it takes a few laps
to get use to it. I’m getting much more comfortable in the car
and communication with the team continues to improve the more
time we have together.” Manning’s two-day test had mixed
results. The Briton was getting up to speed, posting a time of
59.4 seconds, before a couple of mid-afternoon incidents cut
his second day of testing short. “I had one small incident
this afternoon where I ran a bit wide getting onto the grass
and tagged the tire barrier,” Manning explained. “Later, I got
into a bit of slide, caught the tip of the wall and ended up
coming across the track and slamming the wall there as well.
Not a good way to end the day. “Rodolfo had a good
test and we were able to try a number of basic set-up changes
on both cars. Unfortunately, with the accident, I didn’t have
time to really try for more speed. It was good that we had the
two days here though. I got plenty of laps around the track,
so it will be one of the few circuits that I’ll have run on
before turning up for the race weekend.” While rain had
threatened the test earlier in the week, the weather held as
the duo combined to complete 560 miles over the two days. “We
didn’t quite get through everything that we’d planned to,”
said team owner Derrick Walker, “but with two rookies any
testing mileage is important. The Portland facility provides a
good permanent road course test and hopefully we’ve learned a
few things that will help us on this particular discipline in
the coming races.”
4/17/03
Infiniti Pro Series test rained
out
The inaugural IRL Infiniti Pro Series Freedom 100 Open Test
scheduled for April 17 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway was
postponed by IRL officials due to rain. The test will now take
place on April 18. The Freedom 100 will mark the first time in
IMS history that another automobile race will share the famed
2.5-mile oval with the Indianapolis 500 during the month of
May. The 40-lap race will see the green flag at 2 p.m. local
time on Saturday, May 17.
4/17/03
Cioci to drive for Schmidt
European Formula 3000 veteran Marco Cioci will drive the No.6
Sam Schmidt Motorsports entry in the inaugural IRL Infiniti
Pro Series Freedom 100 May 17 at the Indianapolis Motor
Speedway. Cioci, from Rome, will test with the team during the
Infiniti Pro Series Open Test April 18 at IMS. “This is just
fantastic,” said Cioci, 27. “My dream is to race in America
and in the Indianapolis 500. This is the next step toward that
dream. When I did my IRL test in December, I just knew I
wanted to come back to America to race. I’m really excited and
ready to get in the car with the great team of Sam Schmidt.”
Cioci passed the speed phase of his Indy Racing League rookie
test with Sam Schmidt Motorsports last December at Texas Motor
Speedway, with a top speed of 216.08 mph. “Marco was certainly
impressive in his IRL rookie test,” said Schmidt. “I’m happy
we were able to put this deal together, and I’m really looking
forward to seeing him test with the other guys. He has worked
hard to put this program together for this historic race, and
he’ll be a great addition to round out our three-car entry.”
4/17/03
Jeff Gordon & Juan Montoya to
swap cars Indianapolis Motor Speedway officials
announced April 17 that four-time NASCAR Winston Cup Series
champion Jeff Gordon and 2000 Indianapolis 500 winner and
Formula One superstar Juan Pablo Montoya will participate in
speed demonstration laps in their cars on Wednesday, June 11
at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Gordon and Montoya will
trade places at the Speedway when they take turns driving laps
around the 2.606-mile road course in Gordon’s DuPont Chevrolet
Monte Carlo and Montoya’s BMW WilliamsF1 BMW FW25 car. This
will be the first time that Gordon and Montoya will be behind
the wheel of a Formula One car and NASCAR Winston Cup car,
respectively. “The Indianapolis Motor Speedway staff is
excited to play host to such an event,” said Joie Chitwood,
senior V.P. of IMS Business Affairs. “Jeff and Juan are race
car drivers who love to drive cars – fast. So it’s going to be
fun to watch them experiment in different cars on the road
course.” Gordon will attempt to win his fourth Brickyard 400
on Sunday, Aug. 3 at the Speedway. He has competed in 12
events on the Speedway oval: nine NASCAR Winston Cup races and
three IROC events. The demonstration laps will be his first
laps on the IMS road course. “There are a lot of things to
coordinate to make this happen,” said Gordon. “I’m just
excited about this opportunity. It’s something I’ve dreamed
of, just getting behind the wheel of an F1 car and seeing what
it was like. I don’t plan on going F1 racing, but I would love
to just get that experience.” Montoya, who won the 2000
Indianapolis 500, will attempt to become the first driver in
Speedway history to win on both the famed 2.5-mile oval and
road course when he competes in the fourth United States Grand
Prix on Sept. 28. He is in his third season with BMW
WilliamsF1 and has one career win, ten career poles and is
sixth in the 2003 FIA Driver’s Championship. “The experience
will be very interesting, and driving a big, heavy NASCAR car
will certainly be different,” said Montoya. “I don’t think
Jeff should be concerned that I will take away his job, but I
will enjoy the opportunity of driving his Chevrolet and
letting him take my BMW WilliamsF1 Team car for a drive on
Indy’s road course.” In addition to the demonstration laps,
Montoya and Gordon will participate in a media luncheon and
press conference. Fans will have free access to IMS’ South
Terrace grandstands for viewing.
4/17/03
CART stock watch
MPH closed at $3.95 Up $0.33 on
Volume of 102,600 shares.
$3.28 Bid - $4.27 Ask on close.
Session Low/High $3.61/$4.13
Activity in MPH picked up just before noon and culminated in a
flurry of activity in the last hour that pushed MPH to it’s
session high of $4.13 p/shr..
10,000 shares transfer at 3:54PM EDST
12,200 shares transfer at 10:40AM EDST
MPH Value Change Up 9.12%
DOW Jones Up 80.4 or 0.97% on Volume of 1.7 billion shares.
NASDAQ Up 30.78 or 2.21%
S&P 500 Up 13.67 or 1.55%
A Happy & Safe Easter Weekend To All.
Courtesy of C3I.AndersonGroupe – Chicago www.andersongroupe.com
4/17/03
Final Martinsville TV ratings
get bump up The
viewers in the smaller markets turned out in a big way to give
NASCAR on FOX from Martinsville a big boost. Nielsen Media
Research reports that the final numbers were a 5.3 rating and
14 share, up from a 4.6 rating and 10 share in the overnights.
The race was the second-highest rated sporting event of the
weekend, finishing behind the 8.3 rating turned in by The
Masters on Sunday. The golf tournament from Augusta declined
from a 9.3 overnight rating. The NASCAR numbers
represent 5,631,000 households and almost 8 million viewers.
Last year's race was on FX, so a direct comparison can't be
made. It finished with a 4.5 cable rating (within the April
2002 FX universe) and 3.4 million households. The 2001 race on
FOX finished with a 5.4 rating and 15 share, slightly ahead of
this year's numbers.
MotorsportsTV.com
4/17/03
JML Teams signs F3000 driver
JML Team Panoz has signed Belgian Formula 3000 ace David
Saelens to drive the Panoz LMP-01 in for the remainder of this
year's American Le Mans Series as well as the Le Mans 24 Hour.
Saelens tested the Panoz LMP-01 at Road Atlanta recently and
will join forces with Swiss, Benjamin Leuenberger; and
Canadian, Scott Maxwell in the #12 Panoz at Le Mans. This #11
Panoz will be piloted at Le Mans by American, Gunnar
Jeannette; Monegasque, Olivier Beretta; and Italian Max Papis.
The six international stars will be on hand for the
forthcoming Le Mans Preliminary test day scheduled for May 4.
Saelens is eagerly awaiting the chance to race the Panoz after
spending 2002 doing selected Formula 3000 races and acting as
test driver for the Minardi Formula 1 team. "I am really
excited about this opportunity because it is another world
opening for me to race in the United States for the first
time," Saelens said. "It was a great experience to drive the
Panoz for the first time. I was really surprised with how
comfortable the car felt - it really gives you a lot of
confidence. "It is obviously very different from an F3000 or
F1 car, but it wasn't anywhere near as difficult as what I
expected."
4/17/03
PIR Challenges Champ Cars
This Portland Oregonian
article says, Paul Tracy accelerated hard out of the
pits, the back of his Champ Car twitching under the force of
nearly 800 horsepower trying to find traction on cold.
Shift. Twitch. Shift. Twitch. Shift. Twitch. Then he was hard
on the brakes for the Festival Curves, the quick
right-left-right series of corners that is Portland
International Raceway's signature. "This is tough work," Tracy
said. "The track is physically demanding."
More....
4/17/03 Industry News
A change is in the air
This Orlando Sentinel
article says, Motor racing's own sort of Berlin Wall
will come down on Easter Sunday. The end of long-dominant
tobacco sponsorship in racing worldwide will begin,
symbolically at least, with the San Marino Grand Prix at
Imola, Italy. From there, sea change will go global. The major
American-based leagues -- NASCAR, CART and the IRL -- are off
for the holiday. But they're just as sure to be swept up, in
time, as Formula One.
More.....
4/17/03
Final IRL TV ratings from
Motegi plunge
The final numbers for the IRL race from Japan on ABC show a
0.7 rating and and 2 share, representing 782,000 households.
For some reason, Nielsen has the final 16 minutes of coverage
rated separately, and those 16 minutes show a 0.5 rating.
For a network TV rating, compared to previous years, this is
disastrous for the IRL and its sponsors. CART had around 1.5
ratings on CBS last year, so we expect their "network" TV
ratings will be at least as high as the IRL is.
It's clear the idea of creating the IRL and splitting Indy Car
racing has pretty much killed open wheel racing in the USA.
Who's brilliant idea was it anyway? Mark C.
4/17/03
Papis tests Winston Cup car Sports
car and open-wheel racer Max Papis tested the No. 91 Dodge
Intrepid research and development NASCAR Winston Cup car for
Evernham Motorsports today at Kentucky Speedway. “It was a
very good experience being in a Winston Cup car. It is
different than anything I have driven in the past,” said
Italian Max Papis. “The car is a lot lighter than I thought
and has a different feeling with the downforce. I enjoyed
every lap.” “Mad Max” did about 82 laps around the 1.5-mile
tri-oval Kentucky Speedway. His quickest time was 31.1
seconds, with the fastest of the day being a 30.6, just
five-tenths of a second off of Bill Elliott’s time. Of course,
it was just a test and Max spent most of the day getting a
feel for the Dodge and getting acquainted with Winston Cup
oval racing. Max not only had to familiarize himself with the
car and the circuit, but he also had to test on a circuit with
some seasoned pros like Elliott, Jimmy Spencer, Ricky Craven
and Johnny Benson. There were eight to ten NASCAR Winston Cup
cars testing at Kentucky today. The capable Sammy Johns, Test
Team and Research & Development Coordinator oversaw Papis’
test for Evernham Motorsports. “Max did a great job for
his first time in one of these big, heavy cars,” said Johns.
“This is a far different car than what Max is used to driving.
It’s very heavy and doesn’t stop the same. Max has some
definite potential and made some headway today. He got close
to or over-met my expectations. I helped him with how to get
on and off the racetrack, which lane to use and to make sure
he wasn’t in the way of the other cars testing. He got along
real well with the other drivers and they seemed to respond
well to him. I’ve been doing a lot of driver development
lately and found Max a pleasure to work with.” “Sammy really
helped coach me along,” added Papis. “He talked to me
throughout the test and made me feel comfortable in the car,
on the track and with the other cars. I really want to thank
him for all he added to my experience. Also, I really enjoyed
getting some advice from Bill Elliott. It was a great honor to
get advice from someone like him who has so many racing
achievements in this sport. He gave me some really good ideas
and helped make me comfortable.”
4/17/03
Andretti, Cheerios encourage
reading John
Andretti and the #43 Dodge, which normally carries the
Cheerios® and Betty Crocker® colors, will have something
different for Sunday’s NASCAR Winston Cup race at the two-mile
California Speedway. The team will be driving home Cheerios
commitment to childhood literacy, with the #43 Dodge carrying
that message on the car for the only event in the Los Angeles
area. For each of the 250 scheduled laps Andretti competes in
the race, Cheerios and First Book, a national children’s
literacy organization, will donate 43 books per lap to
children in need in the Fontana, Calif., and Los Angeles area.
"As a father myself, I know the importance of reading and the
critical role it plays in children wanting to learn," said
Andretti. He and his wife Nancy have three children, two in
elementary school. "Having their own book makes a big
difference in a child wanting to read. This program is
incredible and I am behind it 100 percent," he added. "We’re
going for the maximum.” As many as 10,750 books would be
donated by First Book and Cheerios if Andretti completes all
500 miles of the race. The books are slated to go to children
participating in Boys and Girls Club of Fontana, Sivaland Head
Start and The Agape House, also both in Fontana, and in LA’s
Best, an after-school program in Los Angeles.
Readers debate AR1 comments on CART
parades Dear
AutoRacing1.com, We IN THE STANDS saw four incredible races at Long
Beach. Neither the Champ, the Atlantic, the Trans-Am nor the Historic
Grand Prix cars did much passing for the lead. So from the couch, that
none of the races made for good TV. But, we knew what Paul Tracy said
at the end of the race: There was some incredible driving going on in
all four races. Power, braking, shifting and turning. Even when AJ and
Scott had big leads, they could not make a mistake. When Trans-Am
threw out the yellow were you happy? We weren’t. Sure we saw some
passing, but the way I view it, Scott lost his advantage gained from
40 hard laps. Boris’ pass took away, not added to the race. Hey, the
passing in NASCAR is needed, because there aren’t any driving skills
being displayed. Draft and pass, and sometimes rub and crash. Yes,
that can be exciting, but it isn’t racing. And please don’t make any
arguments based on the fake IRL races. I have enjoyed every CART race
I have attended, none have had much passing. I watch every CART race I
can on TV, without the great broadcast team, they could cure insomnia.
Some things just don’t make for good TV. OW racing is one of them.
Yes! more people would watch if they knew the driver names and more
sponsors would promote CART in their advertising. But the experience,
the thrill is at the track. I ate three roasted corn-on-the-cobs last
weekend. Will they have them in Portland? On the other hand, if you
want passing, there is a simple solution. Handout some meaningful
points for great qualifying down to say tenth position on both Friday
and Saturday. That is, give them something to work for. Then simply
grid them in reverse order. Bingo, you will have passing. In the
Trans-Am race we got to see Paul G work his way up from the back of
the pack. My guess is he took both his brakes and tires to the limit,
or he might have attempted a win, even against his own guys. As I have
confessed before, I know very little about the mechanics, but it seems
to me, without the ability to draft on a road course, you must reverse
grid if you want passing. Jeff Skinner, Northridge, CA.
Yet another reader writes, Dear AR1, How is CART to stimulate more
exciting racing by somehow "legislating" more passing? Passing is a
driver based decision process not a technology or a rule that can be
manipulated to produce a desired result. The problem is the very
blueprint that is, we are told, CART's North American future:
inner-urban temporary street circuits. Racing 700 hp open wheel racing
cars in narrow "concrete canyons" will never stimulate the calculated
risk taking seen at places like Road America, Mid Ohio or even a
mutant like Cleveland. Since traction control was banned I think the
racing has already improved noticeable. The new "young guns" (thank
GOD all those hacks went to the IRL made room for all this fresh
talent!) chasing the "old" pros is compelling as are "Balls Out"
qualification runs. Maybe "we" need to re-think our expectations for
venues like Long Beach and Miami. Is on track passing everything? Is
it REALLY that important in the total context of two plus hours of
hard racing, multiple pit stops, calculated team work (not EVERYONE
can drive ya know), the dogged pursuit of a competitor in an
essentially equal car. Pushing HARD to force the error that improves
the position. We can't have it both ways can we? Lack of meaningful
passing on temporary street circuits in the heart of major "sponsor
friendly" population centers AND classic World Class competition on
natural terrain road courses . . . in the middle of nowhere; camping,
"honey buckets," having to leave the wife at home (we may be on to
something here!), a STAG weekend or two! There's got to be a balance
in here somewhere. James N Anderson, Chicago, Illinois
Gentlemen, All good points, however, only the hard core CART
fans can appreciate how hard the drivers were working at Long Beach.
CART is being compared head-to-head against the IRL and NASCAR, both
of which feature plenty of passing. Face it, the American public is
spoiled by NASCAR, they do not appreciate follow-the-leader road
course racing. As long as CART is racing in America, it has to give
the Americans what they have come to expect - passing, contrived or
not contrived. They view passing as entertainment, and like it or not,
CART is in the entertainment business. I view my "push button" concept
(extra boost pressure for a duration of 5 sec. 10 times per race) as
artificial as the draft in NASCAR or the IRL, but that is what the
fans want - passing, so lets give it to them. They are the customers!
My concept of 10 pushes per race involves strategy, and if both
drivers happen to push the button at the same time on rare occasions,
guess what, no advantage gained, skill still required. As long as CART
is going to be a road racing series (and primarily a tight street
racing series), there is no other way but the turbo boost push button
idea to ensure all drivers make passes for position and get repassed.
At the end of the day, the fastest driver will win, unless they blow
their wad in the beginning of the race, and get beat at the end by a
slightly slower car that saved their pushes. That is really no
different than someone saving their fuel and tires until the end,
while the leader does not. Think of it as entertainment for the dumbed-down
American public, born and bred on NASCAR. CART's 0.12 Long Beach
rating says it all. Teams can't sell sponsorship with a 0.12 rating.
May as well shut the company down now, because with 0.2 (St. Pete),
then 0.15 (Mexico) and now a 0.12 Long Beach rating, the trend is down
and the outcome is inevitable. Mark C.
4/16/03
Fernandez has successful Portland test
Fernandez Racing continued its on-track momentum with the conclusion
of a successful test at Portland International Raceway this afternoon.
Adrian Fernandez, fresh off a second-place finish in the Toyota Grand
Prix of Long Beach this past weekend, took to the track yesterday
[April 15], logging 183 miles around the permanent road course. The
team elected to use a “50-mile day” this afternoon which, as long as
no more than 50 on-track miles are completed, does not constitute a
test day. [Each team entry is allocated 11 test days, three of which
are designated for CART open tests.] Ten drivers participated in the
outing. Fernandez was second quickest behind Paul Tracy in the morning
practice session yesterday. He ended up fourth overall for the day
with a lap of 59.2 seconds after the team focused their afternoon
efforts on preparations for the upcoming European leg of the schedule.
Fernandez logged the fastest time of the group in this morning’s
session, posting a best lap of 58.6 seconds. The Bridgestone Presents
the Champ Car World Series Powered by Ford will return to the track on
May 5 for the inaugural London Champ Car Trophy to be held at the
legendary Brands Hatch circuit in Kent, England. The European swing
continues as teams return to Germany’s EuroSpeedway Lausitz for the
German 500 on May 11. Adrian Fernandez, Owner/Driver -- “We tested a
lot of things and improved the feel of the car. I am happy. Yesterday
we ended up fourth fastest, not too far from the front, but we were
trying some different things. The main thing is that the car feels
better. I think we are learning a little bit more about the car and,
obviously, we did a lot in preparation for Brands Hatch and Germany.”
Gustavo del Campo, Team Manager: “It was a very good test. Yesterday
we ran a lot of miles and we took our 50-mile day today – we have one
a year – because we made a good improvement. We separated this test
into three parts – the morning session yesterday, the afternoon
session yesterday and this morning. The first part yesterday morning
was very good. [Paul] Tracy was the fastest and Adrian was second. For
the afternoon, we worked on the aero [aerodynamic package] we are
going to use for Brands Hatch and we were fourth which was good
because we were not fighting for the times. This morning we were
fastest with a very good setup for Portland. [Race Engineer] David
Watson and Adrian went through all the items on our agenda for this
big tour and I think we will go back to the shop with everything
covered.” Weather Conditions: 55º F - Overcast
4/16/03
Roush reorganizes #99 team Roush
Racing announced that it has completed the realignment of the No. 99
CITGO team which started by adding Brad Parrott as the team’s car
chief. Pierre Kuettel, the five year veteran car chief of the No. 99
team, has assumed overall responsibility in the shop for mechanical
preparation of all No. 99 racecars while Al Allen, a veteran plate
manager, will continue to oversee management of the team dedicated
surface plates. “We will now be able to use Pierre (Kuettel) full-time
in the shop, where his knowledge and experience will provide valuable
leadership to the development of our entire team. We expect the end
result will be better and faster racecars to use every week. What
we’ve tried to do is surround Paul (Andrews) with people that can help
in their area of expertise and produce the best possible racecars for
us to go win races with and I think we’ve accomplished that. The
experience level of our managers is enormous and I’m really looking
forward to great things.” Crew chief Paul Andrews echoes Burton’s
sentiment, “I’m really excited to have Pierre in the shop. He along
with our key managers that support our team, Al (Allen), Bill (Bisnette),
Dave (Dunlap) and Jeff (McElwain), will collectively give this team
the kind of racecars we need to go out and win races.” In addition to
Kuettel and Allen, Andrews will continue to be supported by Roush
Racing’s key service departments including, Bill Bisnette, overall
shop foreman, Dave Dunlap, chassis build manager, and Jeff McElwain,
gears and transmission build manager. “The No. 99 CITGO team made some
changes to improve the performance of their race team,” said Roush
Racing owner Jack Roush. “I think these are all steps in the right
direction and I’m looking forward to the results.”
4/16/03
Firestone to sponsor Nazareth thru 2005
Officials from Firestone and Nazareth Speedway announced on April 16
that Firestone has extended its title sponsorship of the IRL IndyCar
Series event at Nazareth for the next three years and that Michael
Andretti will serve as Grand Marshal of the Firestone Indy 225 on Aug.
24. “We're very proud to again be title sponsor of the Indy Racing
League action at historic Nazareth Speedway,” said Al Speyer,
Firestone Racing executive director. “This unique 1-mile oval is very
challenging for drivers and equipment. But we’ve never shied away from
a challenge, and the competition here in the heat of August will allow
us to showcase Firestone technology.” Firestone is the
exclusive tire of the Indy Racing League and is the only tire to have
competed in every IndyCar Series event since the series began in 1996.
“We sponsored the IRL event here in 2002 and were very pleased with
the efforts of International Speedway Corporation and Nazareth
Speedway to ensure racing fans have a great show. The northeast is a
key business market for us, so we’re pleased many of our associates,
customers and fans will have the opportunity to enjoy the tire-to-tire
action unique to the IRL at this legendary venue. Michael Andretti
serving as event Grand Marshal will make the race even more special.”
4/16/03
Motegi purse 2nd highest The
total payout for the Indy Japan 300 on April 13 at Twin Ring Motegi
was $1,591,000, the largest purse in Indy Racing League history
outside of the Indianapolis 500. The previous record excluding
Indianapolis was $1,247,000, awarded on Sept. 20, 1998 at Texas Motor
Speedway. Firestone officials were pleased with the Indy Japan
300 at Twin Ring Motegi in Motegi, Japan, which was somewhat of a
“home” race for the company, which is owned by Japan-based Bridgestone
Corp. Scott Sharp won the event, the first Indy Racing League event to
take place outside the United States.
4/16/03 Industry News
SPEED surpasses 57 million mark
SPEED Channel added 500,000 households in March, bringing the new
Nielsen total to 57.1 million U.S. homes. SPEED added 6.2 million U.S.
homes in the last 12 months, making it the 15th fastest growing in
cable. In the last 24 months, SPEED has added 18.2 U.S. million homes,
holding its position as the fastest growing sports network and the
ninth fastest growing in all of cable. SPEED Channel also serves
another 4.5 million homes in Canada.
4/16/03
Champ Cars on American Idol tonight
One of the fastest growing shows on television will meet one of the
fastest racing series in the world on tonight’s broadcast of FOX’s
musical reality show American Idol. The seven finalists on the popular
show were guests of the Ford Motor Company at last weekend’s Toyota
Grand Prix of Long Beach, and had the chance to talk to Champ Car
drivers Michel Jourdain Jr. (#9 Gigante
Ford-Cosworth/Lola/Bridgestone) and Oriol Servia (#20 Visteon/Patrick
Racing Ford-Cosworth/Lola/Bridgestone) along with their teams. The
finalists also participated in some race-related activities while
teams prepared for last Sunday’s race. The show’s producers shot
footage of the visit, which will be used in a special music segment
during tonight’s broadcast. “The entire video segment will last less
than a minute but just having that much time on what is probably the
most popular show in America right now is an incredible opportunity
for Champ Car, our primary sponsors Bridgestone and Ford and the
Gigante/Team Rahal and Visteon/Patrick Racing teams,” said Champ Car
Vice President of Communications Adam Saal. “The entire experience has
been great and we want to thank each of the current seven finalists,
the American Idol production company and Ford for making it all
possible.” Tonight’s edition of American Idol will be broadcast live
on FOX beginning at 8:30 p.m. Eastern Time/7:30 p.m. Central (8:30
p.m. Pacific Time tape delayed).
4/16/03
CART's premier race draws dismal 0.12
CART's premier race, the Long Beach Grand Prix, turned in a 0.12
rating on Sunday on SPEED Channel, drawing 69,000 households.
This means they had more people at the track watching than they had on
TV around the entire country. This of course makes the Nielson
TV ratings very suspect. Either that or CART's lack of marketing
its series, in combination with it's unwritten policy of ensuring
there is no passing for the lead (i.e. CART is now the #1 USA parade
company), have TV viewers running for the doors. Fans want
excitement, and watching cars circulating around the track in
formation, even without traction control, apparently is not appealing
to the masses. Fix it guys! Mark C.
4/16/03
CART night race news
An ancient Chinese proverb advises that it is better to light
a candle than to curse the darkness, but in order to race
750hp Champ Cars at night, a single candle simply will not do.
To that end, and to ensure that the new night races in
Cleveland and Milwaukee will proceed as planned, the historic
Milwaukee Mile and Musco Lighting are set to conduct the first
lighting test Thursday, April 17 in preparation for Round 6 of
the Champ Car World Series Saturday, May 31st, the Milwaukee
Mile 250. The 1.032-mile oval celebrates its 100th anniversary
this season with a Champ Car race under the lights and will
give fans their first look at what the venerable oval will
look like under the glare of the Musco lights. Champ Car will
have its Fast Lap pace car program on hand to provide a
glimpse of what cars will look like at speed when the series
returns in May for its annual sojourn to Milwaukee. Champ Car
Chief Steward Chris Kneifel and Barber Dodge Pro Series driver
Albert Unser, who will be making his first-ever oval track
start when the BDPS joins the May card, will be on hand to
observe the lighting provided by the towers, and will also be
giving pace-car rides around the mile oval to attending media.
Representatives from Musco Lighting and from the track will be
on hand to answer any questions. The towers have already been
tested for the 22nd running of the U.S. Bank Presents The
Cleveland Grand Prix – Round 9 of the Bridgestone Presents The
Champ Car World Series Powered by Ford July 3-5. In addition
to the Grand Prix and Musco Lighting personnel, Champ Car
President and CEO Chris Pook was on hand to evaluate the
lighting test at Cleveland’s Burke Lakefront Airport. “The
Musco lighting is magnificent. We were able to conduct this
initial test thanks to the cooperation of the City of
Cleveland and Burke Lakefront Airport,” said Pook. “With the
bright lights and the Cleveland downtown skyline in the
background, Champ Car racing is going to be showcased in a
manner like it’s never been seen before. This is truly going
to re-energize what is already a terrific event.” Illuminating
the 2.106-mile temporary circuit is the world’s largest
temporary lighting project ever undertaken. It will also mark
the first time a road racing circuit has been lit. The project
will require 21 Musco Mobile lighting trucks producing the
equivalent of nearly a half million standard car headlights.
The magnitude of the Cleveland race will be comparable to
lighting 23 football fields at once. The excitement
surrounding the night racing has spread to race fans.
Milwaukee will celebrate its 100th anniversary with the a
number of activities for fans including the Centennial Fan Jam
which will provide fans with a festival-style atmosphere where
they can enjoy the race atmosphere after Friday qualifying.
There will also be a VIP dinner and concert featuring the
classic rock band America, famous for hits such as Horse With
No Name and Ventura Highway. Cleveland ticket renewals are up
by nine percent over last year’s numbers. In addition to
racing under the lights, the official City of Cleveland
fireworks will add to the nighttime excitement on Friday, July
4.
4/16/03
Indy 500 seats for sale2nd UPDATE Another reader
writes, In response to your article regarding Indy 500 ticket
sales way off, I have yet to see any reference to the farce
Helio victory last year. The entire free world knows that Paul
Tracy was the winner of the 2002 Indy 500. A huge portion of
the lack of interest in that race in 2003 going forward is the
result of the the rigged results from 2002 as to make certain
a CART driver was not allowed to win. Sure the series is
waning and is set on a crash course to failure. But much of
the lack of interest is from Tony making sure Helio won last
year and not the legitimate winner - PAUL TRACY! Who wants to
watch a race were the winner is not guaranteed to win?
Bradley Wilson It would appear that perhaps your
theory may be contributing to the significant downturn in
ticket sales for the Indy 500. We did address this issue
in this AR1 article, The unappealing
appeal, George reigns in Georgetown. 4/16/03 - A reader writes, I
too found it unusual to see a commercial advertising Indy 500
tickets. In fact, you can go to their website and specify what
stand you want for tickets and quite a few grandstands have
tickets available. But that being said, I am not going to do
it. The '95 Indy 500 was my last. Perhaps the Indy 500 is
finally being diluted by the Brickyard 400 NASCAR race and the
USGP F1 race. You would think that this year would have been a
decent year for Indy tickets with all the former CART teams
moving over and dominating. Mark Bette Dear
Mark, It's too late. The CART/IRL split has allowed
NASCAR to monopolize racing in the USA, leaving the IRL and
CART reeling. History will show that it was a grave
mistake. Mark C.4/16/03 - We do not
recall seeing a TV ad for Indy 500 tickets since the 1960's.
On CNN this morning was a TV ad for this years Indy 500 saying
plenty of good seats are still available. For a race
that always sold out within weeks of the previous years Indy
500, and with about 6 weeks to go before the 500, one has to
wonder if Tony George's concept of the IRL as a replacement
for CART was the right decision. Based on ticket sales,
drivers entered, and TV ratings (which are way down), it's
clear the concept is failing.
4/16/03
Haberfeld to help with Miami
Easter Egg hunt
The Grand Prix Americas, Downtown Miami’s premier auto street
race, will be hosting a promotion during the Miami
Seaquarium’s Easter Egg Hunt Family Day this Friday, Saturday
and Sunday from 1PM to 4PM. Champ Car rookie driver Mario
Haberfeld is slated to take part in the festivities on Friday
from 11AM to 12:30PM at the Miami Seaquarium, Key Biscayne.
Mario Haberfeld will be available from 11AM to 12:30PM. As
part of a south Florida-wide promotion leading up to the 2003
Grand Prix Americas, fans will have an opportunity to meet
drivers, try their skills in a simulator and enter contests to
win prizes such as tickets to the Grand Prix Americas.
4/16/03
Zanardi to serve as Grand
Marshal
One of the most popular drivers ever to strap into a Champ
Car, Alex Zanardi has provided a number of memorable surprises
to fans of the Bridgestone Presents The Champ Car World Series
over his years of competition, and may have another up his
sleeve for racing fans that attend the May 11 running of the
German 500. Zanardi will serve as the Grand Marshal for this
year’s German 500 at Eurospeedway Lausitz, marking the first
time that the two-time Champ Car World Series title winner has
returned to the German superspeedway since his devastating
crash at the end of the 2001 event which resulted in the
traumatic amputation of the lower part of both of his legs.
From his breathtaking last-lap pass of Bryan Herta in the
Corkscrew of Laguna Seca to win in 1996 to his charge from
22nd to win the 1997 Cleveland event, the dashing Italian has
left fans shaking their heads in wonderment many times before
– and the May 11 event at Eurospeedway Lausitz could result in
even more surprises for his legions of Champ Car fans. “I am
honored to serve as the Grand Marshal for the German 500 and
look forward to seeing all of the Champ Car fans again,”
Zanardi said. “It was always nice to be cheered by the crowd
and it will be great to hear those cheers even through a
symbolic effort such as this, but I am working on something to
make sure that I will do more than just wave a flag as the
Grand Marshal.” Undaunted, Zanardi has made remarkable strides
since that fateful day in Lausitz, first just to take his
first unaided steps, and making the remarkable progression to
driving himself around his home in a sedan specially-equipped
with hand controls. Alex made a celebrated return to the Champ
Car scene last year at the Molson Indy Toronto, seeming many
of his old competitors for the first time since the accident
and providing one of the most inspirational moments of the
2002 season as he climbed the flag stand to wave the green
flag to start the race as well as the checkered flag to end
it. “Like no other racing driver, Alex Zanardi stands for
motor sports with all its facets. We have even greater respect
for his outstanding personality and the way in which Alex
Zanardi mastered his fate,” Hans-Joerg Fischer, the managing
director of EuroSpeedway Lausitz, said. “It is an
extraordinary honor for my team and me, for CART and all Champ
Car pilots, as well as for the entire Lausitz region, to be
able to welcome him again as a member of this great
international family at the German 500.” In his role as Grand
Marshal for this year’s event, Zanardi, who won back-to-back
Champ Car titles in 1997 and ’98, will be involved in
ceremonies surrounding the race including giving the call to
start engines prior to the event. The race will be the fifth
round of the 18-race Bridgestone Presents The Champ Car World
Series Powered by Ford season and marks the first
superspeedway race of the year for the Champ Cars..
4/16/03
Conquest & Fittipaldi testing
at LVMS
Conquest Racing and their technical partners, Fittipaldi
Dingman racing, are testing on the oval at Las Vegas Motor
Speedway today. Mark C.
4/16/03
Are CART, F1 and the IRL going
down the wrong path?
AR1 has maintained for quite some time that turbocharging is
the upcoming craze in production car engines. This
Ward's Automotive
article will educate our readers as to why your next
car just might be turbocharged. While CART is currently
using a turbocharged engine, it plans on moving to a normally
aspirated engine in 2005. This of course raises the
obvious question, is CART jumping off the turbo ship the right
thing to do, or should F1 and the IRL be jumping onto the
turbo ship because that will put them more in tune with what
the engine manufacturers will be producing in years to come?
We continue to maintain that the IRL, CART and F1 should adopt
a "common" small displacement (1.5 L) turbo engine platform.
A turbo platform would enable the sanctioning body to keep HP
nearly constant over a 10 to 20 year lifespan by modifying the
allowed boost pressure downward over time. CART's
existing 2.65 Liter turbo platform has served them well for 25
years, and there is no reason to believe a 1.5 Liter (or
smaller) turbo platform could not serve the IRL, CART and F1
another 25 years. It's time open wheel racing wake up to the
fact that a standard across the board engine platform is in
everyone's best interest. It works for stock car racing
(in their case a pushrod 2-valve per cylinder 5.7 Liter
carbureted platform) and it can work for the open wheel world
as well, be it at a higher-tech level. Mark C.
4/16/03
Kanaan recovering from surgery
IRL IndyCar Series driver Tony Kanaan underwent surgery on his
left arm April 15 at Methodist Hospital in Indianapolis after
suffering a radial fracture in an accident during the Indy
Japan 300 on April 13 at Twin Ring Motegi, said Dr. Terry
Trammell, who performed the surgery. The surgery lasted more
than two hours and went exceptionally well, said Trammell,
orthopedic surgeon at Orthopedics Indianapolis. He expects
Kanaan to be released from Methodist Hospital as early as
April 16, but Trammell said it could be at least three weeks
before he drives a race car. Kanaan also has a laceration and
bruise to his upper posterior thigh, said Trammell. “He is
feeling better and better,” said Trammell. “It is difficult
for him to sit. Like any other laceration and bruise, it will
be three weeks before he is feeling better.” Brazilian native
Kanaan and pole sitter Scott Dixon collided and crashed in
Turn 3 on Lap 178 while dueling for the lead. Kanaan, who
started second, was credited with 14th place in the No. 11
Team 7-Eleven Dallara/Honda/Firestone. Further updates on
Kanaan’s condition will be provided when available.
4/16/03
Is CART in the parade business
or racing business?
UPDATE A reader responds, I must disagree with your
editorial on the LBGP. Overall, I found it to be a good race -
definitely a better race than the IRL Motegi crash fest race
that had passes for the lead. Besides that, a pass for the
lead is not required for the rest of the racing action to be
good. I will agree that after the first few laps until after
the first pit stops that the race wasn't all that exciting.
But, I don't recall seeing too many races that have
flag-to-flag, wheel-to-wheel racing. Mark McCauley,
Texas Dear Mark, CART's abysmal TV ratings speak for
themselves. Mark C. 4/16/03 - By all
measures, last weekends Long Beach GP was a box office
success. However, on the race track there was once
again, no passing for the lead. Clearly, although CART's
new engine and aero package are an improvement over least
year, with no on-track passes for the lead this year,
nor even the slight hint of an attempt, it's clear CART
continues to position itself as #1 in the parade business and
not the racing business. There is of course an easy fix,
but that concept has so far been rejected by the CART rules
makers, and is a story for another day. Well we are not
the only ones talking about it. This Long Beach Press
Telegram
article says, putting Champ Cars on a narrow,
concrete-lined circuit usually doesn't produce the best
racing. In fact, it stinks. Take Sunday's Toyota Grand Prix of
Long Beach. That was nothing more than three pit stop
competitions wedged into a 90-lap parade. The only time the
lead changed hands that afternoon was when someone came in for
four tires and fuel. Yes, pit strategy and pit work should
play a large role in the outcome of the race. Pulling off a
perfect pit stop, though, shouldn't be the only way a driver
has any chance of moving through the field. The first pass for
position among the leaders in Sunday's race happened on Lap 20
when Alex Tagliani moved around Bruno Junqueira to take over
third. This was the third year in a row that the lead failed
to change hands on the track in Long Beach. In 2001, Helio
Castroneves started on the pole and led all 82 laps. Yawn.
[Editor's Note - this problem of not being able to pass on
street course is not CART's only problem. The drivers
can't pass on natural terrain road courses either. The
IRL and NASCAR feature passing and repassing for the
lead week in and week out. Since CART will continue to
be measured against them in the USA, the Champ Car World
Series will continue to be characterized as a parade and party
for the rich and famous, and TV ratings will continue to drop,
though they can't drop much further].
4/16/03
Racing's Hot Bed is Long Beach,
not Indy This Long Beach Press telegram
article says, What last weekend's race did was
reinforce how hearty this event has become. Despite a war, a
threat of bad weather, a stagnant economy and a who's-he
roster of drivers, the event drew it's usual 200,000 for the
weekend and sent everyone except Michel Jourdain home happy.
That's real good news for the viability of the event in these
uncertain times in the motor sports industry. The winds shift
every day it seems over the long- term future of the CART
series, but the bottom line is that someone the Formula One
series or the Indy Racing League will want the jewel of Long
Beach in its series should CART's engine die. And, with
creator Chris Pook in charge of CART and Jim Michaelian
heading the Grand Prix, the future of the event is in good
hands. Considering how de-valued Indy has become and NASCAR
having expanded too quickly, the Grand Prix is racing
alongside Daytona and Monte Carlo for racing's top attraction.
4/16/03
Will the F1 crybabies please shut upUPDATE Pat Symond,
Renault's executive director of engineering, is convinced that
the device helped Alonso escape unhurt from his heavy impact
with the wall. "Overall, I think the device worked extremely
well," he said. "The facts of the accident were that after a
relatively light impact with the wheel on the circuit, of
around 4.5g, the accident data recorder indicated the first
impact with the wall was a 35g lateral and 35g longitudinal
impact, followed by a second side impact of 60g. "When you
consider that our tests are conducted at 40g, that shows these
were very big impacts. However, Fernando has suffered
absolutely no problems with his neck, which is unusual in an
accident of this magnitude. I think we can judge that the
device did prevent him from a degree of injury, and we are
very pleased with its performance." 4/16/03 - Prior to the season, many overpaid F1 drivers were crying like babies
over wearing the HANS Device, something CART drivers have been using
for a couple of years now with little or no complaints. In
Brazil, Fernando Alonso had a major head-on shunt with a tire barrier
and wall. "It was the biggest one of my career,' Alonso said as
he prepared to head for Italy, 'but I am obviously pleased with how
the HANS system performed.'
Fernando said the controversial Head And Neck Safety device, mandatory
for 2003 and tethering a driver's helmet to his shoulders, was
'definitely an advantage' in a violent head-on crash.
'For me, the system isn't at all uncomfortable in the car,' said the
21-year-old Renault driver, 'and unlike normal accidents of that kind,
I felt no neck pains afterwards.
'I think the HANS device helped in that, and did a very good job in
that particular crash.'
4/16/03
Who says NASCAR ticket prices
are too high? Who says NASCAR race ticket
prices are too high? In an apparent move to boost ticket
sales, Atlanta Motor Speedway officials have announced a new
specially priced ticket package for the Oct. 24-26 Georgia 500
weekend, offering a three-day ticket for $69. The three-day
ticket will allow race fans to attend the Oct. 24
Georgia-Pacific Qualifying Night and the Georgia-Pacific 150
Goody's Dash shootout, the Oct. 25 Aaron's 312 Busch race and
the Oct. 26 Georgia 500 Winston Cup race for the price of $69.
Doug Belliveau
4/16/03
Not a happy camper A
man, angered that Fox Entertainment preempted NASCAR racing
for Red Sox baseball, sent more than 530,000 e-mail messages
to WFXT, disabling the Fox Entertainment website for several
hours, according to the US attorney's office. Michael Melo was
charged in Boston yesterday with damaging a protected
computer, a misdemeanor. Prosecutors say Melo wrote a computer
program that automatically sent electronic messages to WFXT
repeatedly between April and May 2001. Fox, fearing a denial
of service attack, responded by shutting down its website for
several hours, authorities said.
Boston Globe
4/16/03
Champ Car teams testing at
Portland today Champ Car drivers testing today
at Portland International Raceway are:
Alex Tagliani
Paul Tracy
Michel Jourdain
Darren Manning
Rodolfo Lavín
Ryan Hunter-Reay
Roberto Moreno
Mario Dominguez
Adrian Fernandez
Patrick Lemarie
The only team with both drivers in Portland is Herdez
Competition. Newman Haas elected to go to Phoenix due to the
threat of rain. Yet, it only sprinkled for a minute or two and
was mostly sunny and puffy clouds yesterday.
4/16/03
Why
not CART or F1 at Fuji after reconstruction?2nd UPDATE This
Grandprix.com article
says, The Mount Fuji racing circuit will close this autumn so
that construction can bring the track up to full Formula 1
specification. The program of work is huge and it will mean
that the Toyota-owned circuit will not be opening again until
the Spring of 2005, at which point it is expected to bid for
the Japanese GP in 2007 and beyond. F1 circuit designer
Hermann Tilke was commissioned by Toyota to redesign the
circuit, which sits in the shadow of Mount Fuji, within easy
reach of Tokyo. The plans will retain the general shape of the
original race track, the topography making it difficult to do
otherwise, but the actual track layout will be very different.
The character of the track will not however change, with the
long main straight being retained, but all the corners will be
reprofiled to a lesser or greater extent with the result being
a circuit which will be 150m longer than the current track.
Safety will be completely revamped with wider run-off areas,
better drainage, FIA specification spectator zone protection
and new service roads. The rebuild will include a completely
new pit and garage area which will house a Media Center
capable of housing 500 journalists and all the necessary race
control functions. The vast main grandstand will be revamped
to give individual spectators more space and a huge new
grandstand will be built at the first corner. This will
provide views of most of the rest of the circuit. In order to
improve access two new entry roads will be built.
11/27/03
- Did you know?
In 1966 USAC, then the sanctioning body of Indy car racing ran
a race at Fuji. The winner was Jackie Stewart in a Lola Ford
owned by John Mecum and wrenched by George Bignotti. Stewart
also came within about ten laps of winning Indy that year with
the same team but had engine failure and his teammate Graham
Hill won in a controversial finish over Jim Clark.
11/26/02 - A reader writes, Dear AutoRacing1.com, I could not help but
notice the reports that Toyota's Lee White led everyone to
believe that Toyota would be back in CART in 2005 at the CART
Awards banquet in Miami. I also saw today's story you
published about the Toyota F1 test at Fuji before the track is
closed for a major overhaul. It would seem to me that
the finish of the track and Toyota's return to CART would
coincide. If that is the case, it would seem to me that
Toyota would want CART to race at the new Fuji in 2005.
After all, Honda has a F1 race (Suzuka) and and IRL race
(Motegi) and Toyota has no big race of their own.
Lisa Perotta, San Diego, CA Dear Lisa, Indeed it
would make absolute sense for CART to race at Fuji, especially
since it is a road course and that appears to be CART's new
emphasis. Now we will see just how sincere Lee White and
Toyota are about returning to CART in 2005. If they are
sincere, one would think they would open up a dialogue with
CART immediately for a 2005 event before CART signs with
Beijing or South Korea, which our sources say is quite likely.
Chris Pook says CART will have one race in Asia, so if CART
goes to Beijing, F1 stays at Suzuka (very likely), and the IRL
stays at the oval in Motegi (very likely), Toyota will have
made a major investment in Fuji and won't have a major race to
show for it. Mark C.
4/16/03 MotoGP
Japanese rider fights for his
life2nd UPDATE The MotoGP community
continues to hold out hope for Daijiro Kato, who remains in coma one
week after his tragic crash at the Suzuka Circuit. Honda´s Japanese
website has reported that they have received more than 4,600 messages
from well-wishers around the world, whilst here at motograndprix.com
the total has soared to over 1,500. Members of the MotoGP paddock have
also been expressing their solidarity with the former 250cc World
Champion, including Ducati rider Loris Capirossi and Fuchs Kawasaki
Team Manager Harald Eckl. `We had a dream debut with our bike but our
excitement was completely overshadowed by what happened to Kato,´ said
Capirossi. `He is in bad shape but we are all thinking about him and
we hope he will show signs of improvement in the next few days.´
Meanwhile, Eckl added: `It is a sad time for motorcycle sport. We are
all thinking about Daijiro and his family and we are praying for a
miracle.´ Kato has shown no major signs of improvement since his pulse
and heartbeat stabilised at the end of last week. 4/8/03
- There has been a
slight improvement in the state of Daijiro Kato over the last
few hours, according to his close friend and fellow MotoGP
rider Makoto Tamada. Kato is in a critical condition after
suffering serious injuries to his head, neck and chest, but
Tamada this morning told motograndprix.com that his heart rate
is stronger after 48 hours in the intensive care unit of the
Mie Medical Center in Yokkaaichi. The hospital have not made
any official statement and are unlikely to do so unless there
is a major change in Kato´s condition. `I still can´t believe
it,´ said Tamada. `I don´t know how to take in what has
happened to Daijiro. I can only pray that he recovers and I am
at the temple right now. I went straight from the circuit to
the hospital after the race. Yesterday his blood pressure,
which had been low, recovered. Even though he has survived the
most important stage after the accident, the doctor says he is
still in grave danger. It is difficult to predict the future
of the situation´. 4/7/03 - Japanese motorcyclist Daijiro Kato was fighting for his life
after crashing Sunday during the season-opening Grand Prix of
Japan. The 26-year-old rider sustained serious head, neck and
chest injuries and was in critical condition, race officials
said. He was in a coma when flown to the hospital by
helicopter. The first news from the medical team on the track
was that Kato's heart had stopped and he was unconscious, race
medical director Claudio Macchiagodena said. "Only fast action
in the ambulance to resuscitate his heart gave him the chance
to fight for his life," Macchiagodena said. Kato, a former
250cc world champion, hit the wall with his Honda. The
3.6-mile Suzuka track is considered one of the most dangerous
in Grand Prix motorcycling.
AP Story
NASCAR Truck Series ratings dwarf
CART's on SPEED Race fans tuned in Saturday to
see three-time NASCAR Winston Cup Series champion Darrell Waltrip back
in action at Martinsville (Va.) Speedway, as live race coverage on
SPEED Channel garnered a 0.99 (564,000 households) rating from Nielsen
Media Research. CART would die for that high a rating on
SPEED, but with so few big sponsors in the series willing to run ads
to promote their product and CART, and with CART unable to replace the
monies Honda and Toyota spent on CART related advertising, the series
has become largely invisible to all but the hard core fans and hence
is caught in a vicious circle. This is reflected in a drop of
their SPEED TV ratings from 0.5(+) in 2002 to under 0.2 in 2003. This
is of course making it harder for teams to sell sponsorship, meaning
CART will have to continue to subsidize them in 2004, which in turn
means CART will burn through their cash reserves as fast, or perhaps
faster than in 2003. At this point CART either needs a Bernie
Ecclestone like character with deep pockets willing to inject the
necessary monies needed to properly market the series until it's
self-sustaining, and/or ditch their SPEED contract for a provider who
can get more CART races on network TV where ratings will be above 1.0.
Mark C.
4/15/03
Yet another driver broke bones
in MotegiUPDATE
The IRL did confirm the injuries today - IRL IndyCar Series drivers
Tony Kanaan and Scott Dixon both suffered fractures in a two-car
accident during the Indy Japan 300 on April 13 at Twin Ring Motegi,
said Dr. Henry Bock, Indy Racing League Director of Medical Services.
Kanaan suffered a radial fracture on his left arm, and Dixon suffered
multiple fractures in his right hand and wrist. Dixon, the winner of
the season opener in Miami, and Kanaan, the winner of the league’s
second race in Phoenix, crashed in Turn 3 on Lap 178 while dueling for
the lead. Kanaan, who started second, was credited with 14th place in
the No. 11 Team 7-Eleven Dallara/Honda/Firestone. Dixon, who started
on the pole, was credited with 15th place in the No. 9 Target Chip
Ganassi Racing Panoz G Force/Toyota/Firestone. Kanaan is expected to
have surgery on his left arm tonight. CART's Dr. Terry Trammell,
who will perform Kanaan's surgery, is expected to evaluate Kanaan's
teammate, Dario Franchitti, on Wednesday. Franchitti suffered a broken
vertebrae in his lower back when he crashed on his motorcycle April 4
in his native Scotland. He missed the Japan race as a result of the
injury. Further updates on all their conditions will be provided when
available. 4/14/03 - The IRL press release only said Tony
Kanaan broke bones in the bone jarring IRL race at Motegi.
Come to find out, Scott Dixon suffered minor fractures in his
wrist and hand during a late race accident with Tony Kanaan in
Sunday's Indy Japan 300. The accident occurred when Dixon was
attempting a pass on Kanaan on lap 177. The two made contact
and sent both cars into the outside wall. After visiting the
doctor, Dixon was upbeat with the prognosis. "It's (the wrist)
a little sore, but so is my whole body," said Dixon. "But it
could have been a lot worse. I'm looking forward to getting
back on the track when the month of May gets underway. "
Were there any others?
4/15/03
Cup drivers head to Sears Point
NASCAR Winston Cup points leader Matt Kenseth will highlight a group
of five drivers scheduled to participate in a two-day test session at
Infineon Raceway, April 22-23. Kenseth, driver of the DeWalt Ford,
will be joined by teammate Mark Martin (Viagra Ford), as well as
rookies Jamie McMurray (Texaco Havoline Dodge), Jack Sprague (NetZero
Chevrolet) and Casey Mears (Target Dodge). Martin was the 1997 winner
at Infineon Raceway. Kenseth, who has tested at Infineon Raceway the
last two years, has an average finish of 30th on the 12-turn, 2-mile
road course in three Winston Cup starts. He will look to improve that
average finish in his pursuit of the 2003 NASCAR Winston Cup
championship. This session is open to the public and drivers are
generally on track from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. The two-day test session will be
held in advance of the NASCAR Winston Cup weekend at California
Speedway in Fontana, April 25
4/15/03 TRAC
ESPN to televise all TRAC races Team
Sports Entertainment, Inc. through its wholly owned
subsidiary, Team Racing Auto Circuit (TRAC), announced today
that it has reached a multi-year agreement with ESPN to be the
exclusive network for all TRAC races beginning in May of 2004.
The two companies have been in negotiations for over a year on
the deal, and TRAC National Spokesman and stock car racing
legend, Cale Yarborough, stated, “ESPN made stock car racing
what it is today. They are the perfect partner for us. I’ve
been waiting a long time for this.” The specific schedule is
expected to be released in the near future, and the circuit’s
inaugural race is expected to be in mid May of 2004
culminating in a season ending championship event in mid
August. The thirteen event package will air live on ESPN or
ESPN2 primarily on Saturday afternoons and evenings. Plans are
for the races to be conducted in a two hour window.
4/15/03
Racer Mag to sponsor CART Stars
of Tomorrow RACER magazine, America's premier
motorsports publication, announced today their commitment as
Presenting Sponsor for the Snap-on.com Champ Car Stars of
Tomorrow karting series. This new relationship further
establishes RACER's predominance in covering all aspects of
major-league motorsports by supporting the only U.S. kart
racing series with a direct step to auto racing. "This
sponsorship underscores RACER's commitment to developing young
racing talent," said RACER publisher Ian Havard. "Stars of
Tomorrow is an important part of a healthy motorsports
landscape and they are taking the steps to grow and deliver
new generations of exceptional racing drivers." As a part of
this new arrangement, Stars news, features, and event coverage
will become a significant component in RACER's growing
commitment to all forms of karting. "RACER has established an
excellent reputation for supporting the motorsports series
that develop new drivers as well as the drivers themselves,"
said Stars principal Bobby Rahal. "Our competitors in Stars of
Tomorrow should anticipate first-class coverage of their
exploits in the manner in which we have all come to expect
from RACER." The magazine will also present a "Karter of the
Year" award at its annual awards ceremony picked exclusively
from the Stars of Tomorrow crop of drivers.
4/15/03
IRL TV Ratings for
Motegi The IRL race from Japan on ABC yielded
overnights of a 1.0 rating and 2 share, according to
Sports Business Daily. The only sports broadcast with lower
ratings for the weekend was ABC's Global Extremes: Mount
Everest, with a 0.9 rating. The Arena Football League telecast
on NBC also pulled in a 1.0 rating. CART's Long Beach
race was on SPEED. No ratings out yet, but if the first
two races are any indication, don't expect a very high number.
4/15/03
CART's crown jewel still shines
This Detroit News
article says, This long-running street race is the
template for Champ Car's future, and it's easy to see why. The
Toyota Long Beach Grand Prix is much more than a race -- it's
an event. Long Beach is blessed with having a beautiful
harborside location, set in a city clearly on the way up, and
perhaps most importantly, a convention center in the middle of
the action. The convention center was hopping all weekend
long. All four branches of the military were represented,
capitalizing on the opportunity to meet young potential
recruits and spread goodwill. People were actually lining up
for a chance to push themselves to the limit doing pull-ups on
a chinning bar, with brawny, chisel-jawed Marine sergeants
yelling "encouragement" at them. Sound like fun? The Air Force
(sponsoring Briton Darren Manning's car) had a huge line for
its flight simulator. Several driving schools were recruiting
potential customers, too. Got Milk? had a host of
skateboarders and freestyle bike riders doing regular shows in
a big half-pipe. The upcoming movie "2 Fast, 2 Furious" had a
very colorful display. Racing-related -- and a lot of
non-racing -- souvenirs were available at the indoor booths.
So what would other cities have to do to duplicate Long
Beach's success? Champ Car executives were happy to explain it
all in detail on Friday, when they hosted an "urban racing"
seminar. [Editor's Note - Microsoft also had it's "No Limits"
college tour exhibit there. Featuring a full scale Champ Car
(Ryan Hunter-Reay's American Spirit #31), Race suit and
Helmet, and interactive displays for all the various systems
used in the race. Pi Research (Complete Pi Dash with steering
wheel showing all the various functions, buttons, and lights),
Cosworth Engineering, etc. There were race simulators where
you could go head to head with CART Champion Jimmy Vasser
using Jimmy's actual data. All the Microsoft people were
dressed in full American Spirit Team livery].
4/15/03 Industry News
IRS launches Haas investigationUPDATE
Just to clarify, Haas Automation is in no way connected to
Carl Haas, CART Team Owner, and former NASCAR team owner.
4/14/03 - Agents
acting for the US Internal Revenue Service have seized
financial records from Oxnard, CA, based machining center
manufacturer Haas Automation. A spokesman for the IRS refused
to disclose what the agents were searching for but confirmed
that it was a criminal investigation. Haas been involved in
motor sport since 1995 and is currently a partner in a NASCAR
Winston Cup series team.
Autosport
Decent
crowd at Motegi3rd UPDATE
Reports in the Japanese press had attendance at 70,000 for the
IRL race, but the grandstands were visibly less full than CART
when the track reported 72,000 last year. Our best guess
is 50,000, which of course is a very good size.
4/14/03 -
This Indy Star article says the Motegi crowd was estimated as
40,000. This compares to CART's last race at Motegi of
72,000. 4/13/03
-
Although the attendance was good by IRL standards, the
attendance was significantly off what CART drew at Motegi the
previous two years. The grandstands were sparse toward
turn 4, and sources stated the attendance was about 2/3 that
of CART's. 4/13/03 - So far we have only been
able to get our hands on this one photo of the attendance at
Motegi for the IRL race, and it is the most filled section,
but nonetheless, it was one of the better attended IRL races.
No official attendance figures were released.
4/14/03
Foyt calls NASCAR crooked
This RPM.ESPN
article says, A.J. Foyt, a team owner in both the IRL
and NASCAR, had harsh words for NASCAR on Saturday for its
recent inconsistency in its rules. Foyt's comments stem from
the yellow flag decision at Texas Motor Speedway two weeks
ago, to last week's race-winning pass where Dale Earnhardt Jr.
clearly went below the yellow out of bounds like to pass race
leader Matt Kenseth. "More people are waking up to NASCAR, but
they are afraid to speak out," Foyt said. "I have nothing to
lose, either way. The yellow flag thing is a bad deal and one
of these days, someone will get killed over it. "I don't care
what you write about. I call a spade a spade, good or bad.
That's how I feel about (restrictor) plate racing. What has
happened the last three weeks, it's something different every
week. I think the world of Dale Earnhardt Jr. and I think the
world of Tony Stewart, but whoever that judge was should be
thrown out of the organization or should be the judge of a
bathroom whether boys or girls go in. If he looks at the
yellow line thing and says it was right, then he was wrong."
Foyt was at Twin Ring Motegi in Japan for Sunday's Indy Japan
300, but Foyt's Winston Cup team decided not to participate at
Martinsville Speedway for the Virginia 500. Foyt's son, Larry,
is the driver for the Winston Cup team. Foyt was also steamed
that NASCAR disqualified his son's qualifying attempt last
week at Talladega for a rules violation for being too low.
Subsequently, Foyt did not make the 43-car starting lineup.
"After what NASCAR did to me at Talladega last week, we didn't
see any point in going up to Martinsville and tearing
something up," Foyt said. "The deal they did to us at
Talladega was a big (bleep)-off deal, so (bleep) them. "I'm
like Dale Earnhardt was when he was alive, those (bleeping)
plate races (stink). NASCAR is so crooked. Whoever you are, I
don't care what you say, if you can't see that, then you are
blind. Why should you take out that many cars if you are
racing?" "All it is any more, restrictor-plate cars is a
glorified IROC race, that's all it is," Foyt said. "If you are
going to go racing, then go racing. But if you want an IROC
race, then just call it an IROC race. I've never been for
plate racing, I never will be. "It's just like racing back to
the yellow, I'm glad to see Jeff Gordon speak out against
that. Racing shouldn't be who is a complete idiot on the
yellow flag. It's a different ball game than it used to be.
It's not getting any better, it's getting worse."
4/14/03
Mario Andretti still wants to
be team owner
Mario Andretti, who was in town for Sunday's Toyota Grand Prix
of Long Beach, said he wants to become a Champ Car owner. He
said he would like to buy a portion of an established team.
Andretti doesn't want to have to start one from scratch. And
the team must have an established driver - one who can win
races "right away," he said. He said he doesn't have the
patience to coach young, inexperienced drivers. One of the
teams that interests him is Walker Racing. Derrick Walker has
two rookies driving for him this year - Rodolfo Lavin and
Darren Manning. "Derrick is doing things the right way, I
think. But I am in no hurry to get into owning a team. The
timing has to be right. I don't want to have to beat down
doors to get a sponsor," Andretti said. "I am looking because
I want to stay on the inside of this sport. I would just like
to come into a team and bring in my enthusiasm and hopefully
take it to a higher level."
Orange County Register
4/14/03
IRL rules out further overseas
expansion for immediate future Indy Racing League has taken its
first step outside the United Sates with the Bridgestone Indy
Japan 300, but series owner Tony George will not be taking the
oval-track championship anywhere else soon. "The opportunity
may be there, but it has to make sense for us from the
financial standpoint, from the scheduling standpoint," George
told The Daily Yomiuri ahead of Sunday's race. "Can we use
more international races, because it takes a couple of weeks
to do one international event with all the logistics and
timing. I don't want to become Formula One or even a CART
series, where we're traveling around the world four or five
times a year." The Japanese leg will remain in the schedule of
the eight-year-old series centered around the Indianapolis
500, but the next stage of IRL's international expansion is
unlikely to include oval circuits in Germany, England and
Brazil. "It's a possibility that we'll do something in either
Mexico or Canada, where it'll be an easier race to produce,"
George said. "However, there's nothing contemplated for 2004,
and I don't think it can come together so quickly."
The
Yomiuri Shimbun
4/14/03
NASCAR to invest $100 million
in R&D
NASCAR says it plans to invest $100 million over the next
decade in its new Concord research and development center --
welcome news for a sour local economy. "Having the NASCAR
research and development facility here is like having a Johns
Hopkins or Mayo Clinic. That's the kind of impact it'll have,"
said John Cox, chief executive officer of the Cabarrus
Regional Chamber of Commerce. Chief among the problems the
local economy has experienced lately are the financial hard
times hitting several major companies, including Kannapolis
textile giant Pillowtex Corp., which is for sale, and Corning
Inc., which mothballed its Midland optical fiber plant this
year. Cox said the $100 million investment will ripple through
the local economy many times over, from the jobs NASCAR adds,
to the homes its employees buy, to the spending by people
working for or coming to the center. The NASCAR complex on
West Winds Boulevard (off Derita Road across from Concord
Regional Airport) houses the racing organization's research
and development work, as well as accident investigators,
racing series directors and other NASCAR workers. The
61,000-square-foot facility opened in December. The research
work focuses on short- and long-term projects ranging from
testing surfaces of race track walls to designing safer cars.
NASCAR owns 16 acres across from the regional airport, where
it has a hangar. Its corporate headquarters is in Florida.
NASCAR itself is continuing to expand, and Nelson sees growth
at the Concord center mirroring growth in the sport. NASCAR
had offices in the Catawba County town of Conover for about
two years before it moved to the larger Concord site. The
initial investment in the Concord project was $8 million,
according to the Cabarrus Economic Development Corp.
Charlotte Observer
4/14/03
Williams to buck tobacco ad
trend Sir Frank Williams was last night poised to
secure Formula One's first anti-tobacco sponsorship deal as
his team prepared for this weekend's San Marino Grand Prix.
Williams, whose team buck the trend of rivals Ferrari, McLaren
and Renault by straying away from tobacco sponsorship, is
expected to unveil the deal with nicotine patch manufacturer
Niquitin today. A Williams spokesman refused to confirm the
identity of the sponsor but said: "It will be interesting
because it is not an insignificant off-car sponsor. It will
have a high level of visibility." Niquitin will have to comply
with an existing contract between Williams and engine partners
BMW that forces sponsors to fall in line with the team's blue
and white color scheme.
4/14/03
Tight quarters
The inaugural race at Twin Ring Motegi in Japan included nine
cautions, some of which included heavy impact. Drivers who
were able to avoid the altercations felt fortunate, yet
frustrated. “I think that some of the moves that guys made out
there were not good,” Kenny Brack said. “I wasn’t happy with
some of the drivers out there today. It takes a lot of
attention at 200 miles per hour, and there wasn’t a lot with
some guys.” Buddy Rice, in the No. 52 Red Bull Cheever
Dallara/Chevrolet/Firestone, managed to avoid impact all day
despite a partial spin during a restart on lap 45. “Today, we
survived a demolition derby,” Rice said. “I didn’t think it
would be this much of a crashfest. I was just happy the Red
Bull Cheever Racing car is going home in one piece.”
4/14/03
Racing in the motherland
Of the three drivers with Japanese decent, Pioneer Mo Nunn
Racing’s Tora Takagi finished the highest with an eighth-place
finish. Takagi, who now resides in Los Angeles, was born in
Shizuoka, Japan and races the No. 12 Panoz G
Force/Toyota/Firestone entry. “That was a tougher day than I
was expecting, but I am happy to finish with an eighth-place
result,” Takagi said. “I feel really bad for all the people
who came out to see me today. But hopefully I can give them a
bigger and better result at the Indy 500 next month.” Shinji
Nakano, of Osaka, Japan, finished 11th in the No. 54 Beck
Motorsports Dallara/Honda/Firestone and Shigeaki Hattori, the
No. 5 EPSON/A.J. Foyt Racing Dallara/Toyota/Firestone entry,
finished 20th after a lap 37 altercation with Sarah Fisher.
Hattori was born in Okayama, Japan. “We made contact and we
brought the car back into the garage to try and fix it, but
after a few laps it developed a vibration so we brought it
in,” Hattori said. “It’s a shame because I really wanted to
have a good race in the EPSON car in my home country.”
4/14/03
Martinsville TV ratings
Fox's broadcast of Sunday's Virginia 500 Winston Cup race from
Martinsville Speedway drew an overnight Nielsen rating of 4.6
and a 10 share, according to today's Sports Business Daily.
The weekend's highest ratings went to CBS, which posted a
9.3/19 for Sunday's coverage of the final round of the Masters
golf tournament and a 6.2/14 for Saturday's round, although
those figures were down 6 and 11 percent respectively. The
2002 race was aired on Fox's FX cable station, where it drew a
4.5/11, according to Sports Business Daily figures.
Winston Cup Daily
Newsletter
4/14/03
Hornish criticizes rough
driving in Japan
UPDATE A reader writes, Dear AR1, I found Pancho
Carter's comments to be quite hysterical: "A lot of guys were
racing a lot closer than they need to at these speeds. I guess
that's the way they race over there in the other series". Uhm,
isn't this what the IRL is basing their entire marketing
program on, claiming to have the closest racing in the world?
Yet when the racing gets really close, they can't handle it. I
would hope the current and ex-CART drivers take this as a
compliment, because clearly the "other series" that he talks
about can handle close racing, it's what professional drivers
do. Keep up the good work. Jesus Gonzalez4/13/03 - In this RPM.ESPN
article, Sam Hornish Jr. criticizes the CART drivers
who are now in the IRL for racing to hard, too close and
blocking. Hornish had plenty to say about the level of
blocking he saw on the race track that resulted in nine
caution flags for 64 laps. Much of that blocking was from
drivers who have come to the Indy Racing League IndyCar Series
from CART. "If I was Eddie Cheever, I'd have called it
lunacy," Hornish said. "Everybody was having a contest to see
who could knock the wall down. We didn't have enough green
flag laps. "What are you going to do? You have guys two or
three laps down to me, blocking, and I'm fighting for
position. Brian (Barnhart) says no blocking regardless, then
you have guys blocking me who are two or three laps down. How
many drivers had to go out of here today on a stretcher or an
ambulance?" At one point, Hornish's spotter -- former Indy 500
driver Pancho Carter -- was so angry he wanted to question
Barnhart, the IRL vice president of operations, about why so
many drivers were getting away with blocking. "There were a
lot of crashes going on today," Carter said. "A lot of guys
were racing a lot closer than they need to at these speeds. I
guess that's the way they race over there in the other series.
I don't have a good explanation of it. Probably the biggest
thing is too much micromanaging goes on on a lap-to-lap
basis." [Editor's Note: After years of seeing IRL
crash fest races, this just sounds like sour grapes from a
team that no longer has the HP advantage and has been
relegated to backmarkers by the faster CART teams and
drivers].
4/14/03 Industry News
Philip Morris gets slight
reprieve Philip Morris USA got a partial
reprieve Monday when an Illinois judge cut in half the amount
that the nation's biggest cigarette maker must come up with to
begin appealing a $10.1 billion verdict over how it marketed
light cigarettes. The decision also will preserve Philip
Morris' ability to make a $2.6 billion payment due Tuesday to
46 states under a 1998 tobacco settlement, company spokesman
David Tovar said. The maker of top-selling Marlboros had
argued that having to pay the $12 billion appeal bond that it
otherwise faced would bankrupt the company and render it
unable to make the payment to the states, many of whom were
counting on the money to cover budget gaps. Madison County
Judge Nicholas Byron ordered the tobacco giant to deposit $6
billion in escrow to begin its appeal. Byron also ordered
Philip Morris to pay $800 million during the first year of the
appeal and $420 million a year in interest as the case winds
its way through court. Plaintiffs lawyer Stephen Tillery said
he would appeal the latest order. ``In my view, it's an amount
less than they're capable of paying,'' Tillery said.
AP Story
4/14/03
Long Beach development
Here are two pictures showing the new expansion in downtown
Long Beach. Notice part of the new movie theaters to the
right. The building is split in middle, with a walkway
connecting both buildings. The walkway is right where the old
Long Beach layout ran. One would have to wonder if the race
next year would include the kink back leading to the
backstretch. Kevin Pawloski
2002
2003
4/14/03
Did Michael make a mistake
A reader writes, Dear AR1, I was at Long Beach Friday sitting
in the Newman-Haas hospitality trailer waiting for a friend
(name withheld) and Mario Andretti drove up on his motorbike,
and promptly ran out of gas. He was then surrounded by fans,
asking for autographs, pictures etc. one guy asked him- Hey
Mario "why did Michael leave CART? Mario answered "he wasn't
thinking, he made a mistake" I thought to myself, what an
honest answer, and a lot of people were standing there. He
finally got gas from a Newman-Haas hospitality guy and off he
went. Boy I bet Tony Kanaan wishes he stayed in CART and
didn't go to the crash infested IRL with Michael. BIG MISTAKE
for all you defectors......hope all you make it to the end of
the season. Cindy Adams, a diehard CART fan
4/14/03
American Spirit Team entertains
potential sponsors at LB The American Spirit Team
Johansson's hospitality area was extra busy this past weekend.
"We had some pretty important prospective clients here, and
they were pretty excited," said Johansson. "This is probably
the biggest race of the season for CART and for us." The team
will test on the road course in Portland on Tuesday and
Wednesday, which should help it in the European leg of the
schedule, beginning on the historic Brands Hatch, England,
road course on May 5. "We need more testing time," Taylor
said.
4/14/03
Rookie Hunter-Reay has a
veteran performance This LA Times
article says, Jimmy Vasser is supposed to have the
kind of day he had on Sunday, the 12-year veteran moving 10
places through the field to finish fourth in the Toyota Grand
Prix of Long Beach. But Ryan Hunter-Reay? The 22-year-old
rookie from Boca Raton, Fla. -- the only American rookie in
the field -- had by far his best showing as a pro in the Champ
Car World Series, finishing seventh. It made for a happy mood
in the hospitality tent of American Spirit Team Johansson,
where team owner Stefan Johansson was feeling especially
chipper about the performance of the only two Americans in a
19-man field. "It was a big breakthrough for Ryan, and I think
he realizes he can mix it up with anyone out there," Johansson
said. "We had a horrible weekend until 10 minutes before the
race. We were struggling with both cars." Hunter-Reay, who
spent last season driving for Irvine-based Hylton Motorsports
in the Toyota Atlantic Series, qualified 12th. "We expect that
[moving through the field] of him," Vasser said. "This is the
big leagues. I've been with rookies [Alex Zanardi, Juan Pablo
Montoya] in the past and they won races. If you handle him
with kid gloves, maybe that's not the best environment to
grow." Hunter-Reay was the highest finisher among nine rookie
drivers, and his race engineer, Graham Taylor, said he was
running laps at the end of the race that were faster than
veteran Patrick Carpentier, who finished sixth. Carpentier is
a Player's/Forsythe teammate of Paul Tracy, who has won the
series' first three races. "It would have been nice to finish
ahead of Carpentier because we're driving his old car," Taylor
said. "He's driving a shiny new Lola. We have his old
girlfriend."
More....
4/14/03
Injury rate alarming
A reader writes, Dear AR1, Great weekend at Long Beach with a
great race. But I see that Tony George's hammer was out again.
He was again hammering the IRL drivers but this time in Japan.
Will they have any healthy drivers left by the time the series
ends this fall? It is beginning to appear as though this is
what he meant about having a hammer. Sure hope Dario, Helio
and the rest of the boys can get out before it is too late.
John Costello Dear John, The fact that drivers
continue to get injured in the IRL should come as no surprise.
We did extensive research on the injury rates on ovals vs.
road courses in this
article. As our research shows, a driver is 436%
more likely to get injured in an IRL race than a CART race
simply because the IRL races on ovals and CART races primarily
on road courses. We have not yet updated the article to
include this years IRL injuries. Mark C.
4/14/03
Helton defends Earnhardt
no-decision
NASCAR president Mike Helton insisted once again Sunday that
the no-call on Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s controversial pass below
the yellow line on Lap 185 of the Aaron's 499 was the right
call. "It was clear to us last weekend that when the 8 car
(Earnhardt Jr.) went below the yellow line he didn't do it to
advance a position," Helton said in a taped interview with Fox
Sports anchor Mike Joy. "He did it primarily to avoid an
accident." Helton also said that Earnhardt Jr. had already
made the pass before going below the yellow line. "He already
had the position," Helton said. "(Winston Cup Series director)
John Darby explained it inside the garage area to some folks
earlier today. If you had a start-finish line at that point
before he went below the yellow line, who would the winner be?
Everybody agreed it would be the 8 car. If the 8 car was the
leader, how can he gain a position?" Appearing on the Fox
Sports prerace show, Helton acknowledged the controversy that
has raged all week. "The thing that we hope everybody will
remember is that...we have areas where judgment calls have to
be made," Helton said. "It's just like in baseball with balls
and strikes or whether he's out or safe...those type of
judgment calls exist in our sport, too. We're the sanctioning
body and we're the ones who have to make them."
ThatsRacin.com
4/14/03
GM to be official card provider
of ALMS The GM Card announced today that it has
signed a sponsorship and marketing agreement to become the
Official Credit Card of the American Le Mans Series (ALMS) for
2003. The agreement deepens the relationship between the
professional sports car racing series General Motors, which
fields a two-car racing team of Chevrolet Corvette C5-Rs in
the series and has won the team and manufacturer championships
in the GTS class the past two seasons. In addition to official
card status, The GM Card will be an associate sponsor of
Corvette Racing in 2003. Under the terms of the agreement,
highly visible GM Card decals will outfit two Corvette race
cars, show cars, team transporters, team uniforms, crew team
uniforms and firesuits.
4/14/03
Fittipaldi Dingman to go
testing again The
team now heads to Las Vegas tomorrow for a 2-day test on
Wednesday and Thursday in preparation for the Champ Car World
Series' upcoming European swing.
4/14/03
Vasser still seeks Indy 500
ride The only way the Championship Auto Racing Teams
series is going to be represented in the field at this year's
Indianapolis 500 is if one of Jimmy Vasser's former employers
is able to provide him with a car. Vasser is talking to Bobby
Rahal, for whom he drove last season in CART, and Chip
Ganassi, his boss for six years, about an Indy ride. Any firm
commitment is held up by the teams' limited availability of
spare cars and Vasser's limited availability of spare time.
The 1996 CART champion will be driving for Stefan Johansson's
first-year CART team in Germany on the first weekend of Indy
qualifying. That leaves only bump day May 18 for Vasser to try
to put a car in the field.
Indy Star
4/14/03 Industry News
Bernie's London mansion
British newspaper, The Sunday Express published a special
supplement Sunday, listing the 100 Greatest Homes in Britain.
Residing at No.14 is Mr. Bernie Ecclestone with his London
home at Kensington Palace Gardens. When 18/19 Kensington
Palace Gardens went on the market in July 2001 it became the
most expensive house in London ever to be put on the open
market. Initial reports that the price tag was £65m were a tad
out, as the agents FPD Savills revealed the asking price was
actually £85m ($132m). The house was sold by Iranian
philanthropist Dr David Khalili who bought the then two run
down embassies in 1992, knocked them into one and had them
restored costing an estimated £40m.
4/14/03
Zanardi will drive in Germany
It has been discussed previously, but now we here the money is
there and Alex Zanardi will drive a special Champ Car with
hand controls for the accelerator at EuroSpeedway this year
and complete the 13 laps he did not finish in 2001.His run
will occur prior to the main race. We hear he will brake
with his artificial legs and will drive the laps at speed. Mark C.
4/14/03 Industry News
Octagon motorsports rebrands
The brand name Octagon Motorsports is being ditched in a bid
to put distance between the separately run division of sports
marketing giant Octagon. The financially-troubled unit is
changing its name as of today in a bid to 'eliminate confusion
and differentiate the division from other areas of sports
marketing covered so successfully by the Octagon Group'. The
unit will now revert back to its original name - Brands Hatch
Circuits Limited. In a statement, Octagon said the company was
keen to 'confirm that the change of name will not alter the
fact that all individual circuits within the group will
continue to operate under their own identities'. Said managing
director of Brands Hatch Circuits Limited, Andrew Waller: “The
Brands Hatch name is synonymous with British motorsport. "This
decision presents an opportunity to demarcate the different
offerings of the Octagon Group and the division now named
Brands Hatch Circuits Limited.”
Sauber signs teenage test
driver
Swiss team Sauber has signed national rookie talent Neel Jani
as a test driver. The 19-year-old will get his first chance at
the wheel of Sauber’s C22 as early as Tuesday of next week in
a straight-line test on the Variano (Italy) track. ‘Having
watched Neel’s career for quite some time, I got to know him
better last year,’ said team boss Peter Sauber. ‘There's no
doubt that Neel has a lot of talent, and I feel that the time
has come to give him this chance.’ Jani is contesting the
international Formula Renault championship this year and won
the first two races in Barcelona little more than a week ago.
‘Every young racer sets his sights on Formula One so this
represents a unique opportunity for me,’ said the teenage
Swiss. ‘Being given this chance by the Swiss Formula One team,
to me, has a very special meaning.’
4/14/03
Long Beach dates set through
2010 A little
birdie tells us that the Long Beach folks already have their
dates set for their CART race through 2010. We also
heard that the phones were ringing off the hook in the box
office, many of which were a large number of first time ticket
purchasers this year, and fans who had not been since the
early '90s that were excited, wanted to know more, and were
enthusiastic to be going to the event again. Apparently, by
virtue of the re-birth of the series, and the addition of new
sponsors, they are seeing a marked upturn in the number of new
and first time fans. Mark C.
4/14/03
Indy looks doubtful for
Andretti A new set of Indy Racing League rules
probably will prevent John Andretti from competing in the
Indianapolis 500 next month. The driver of the #43 Cheerios
Dodge for Petty Enterprises wanted to race against his cousin
Michael, who will be driving in his final Indy 500. "Right
now, the IRL basically is in a state of transition in that
they've got new engine programs, chassis and a lot of new
teams, too," said Andretti, the first driver to race the 500
and Coca-Cola 600 on the same day in 1994. "The biggest issue
is, is there going to be enough equipment? . . . It doesn't
look strong [for attempting the race], but the possibility is
still there."
Richmond Times Dispatch
4/13/03
Japan bruises the IRL
This Indy Star
article says, The Indy Racing League wanted to get
home from its first overseas race in one piece. It couldn't.
The inaugural Indy Japan 300 at the Twin Ring Motegi speedway
in central Japan was a crashfest today that broke cars,
drivers and momentum for teams heading to next month's
Indianapolis 500. There were eight accidents among 12 drivers.
Tony Kanaan, who came in as the series points leader, departed
with a radial fracture of his left arm that might keep him out
of action in May. He will be reevaluated upon getting to
Indianapolis Monday night. Helio Castroneves, Scott Dixon and
Jaques Lazier also have pain to fight off as the countdown to
the 500 begins in earnest next week with testing at the
Indianapolis Motor Speedway. That it was Scott Sharp
celebrating in victory lane was the most surprising. The
former IRL co-champion led on three occasions for 26 laps but
never made a pass for the lead. Twice Kanaan pitted ahead of
him; the other time Kanaan crashed. Sharp was trailing Kanaan
and Dixon on lap 178 when Dixon made a bold move for the lead
as they screamed down the backstretch. But Dixon ran out of
room as he reached the turning point, and his momentum drifted
him into Kanaan in the outside lane. The wheel contact shot
them abruptly to the concrete wall, and the impact was fierce.
Both drivers left the circuit in an ambulance. Dixon had pain
in his right wrist, but he was treated at the track's infield
care center and released after the race. Castroneves, the
two-time defending Indy winner, nearly had his bid for a third
consecutive Borg-Warner trophy end against Motegi's
second-turn wall. He got collected by rookie Roger Yasukawa,
who lost control of his car as Kanaan overtook him on lap 46.
"I tried to go to the outside, but then (Yasukawa) just got
me," said Castroneves, who received an abrasion on the top of
his left foot and a swollen right elbow. "There's nothing you
can do at those speeds." Other drivers felt the helpless
feeling, too. Single-car accidents belonged to Alex Barron,
Tomas Scheckter and rookies Scott Mayer and A.J. Foyt IV. The
contact of Sarah Fisher and Shigeaki Hattori stopped Fisher's
run against the fourth-turn wall. Shinji Nakano spun in front
of Lazier, creating the yellow flag on lap 193 that allowed
Sharp to skate home free without a late challenge from Felipe
Giaffone. Sharp didn't think Giaffone had the muscle to catch
him, but Giaffone and the crowd estimated at 40,000 were eager
to find out. "We put our best set of tires on at the end, and
no one was going to catch me," said Sharp, who admitted he
wasn't going to catch Dixon and/or Kanaan, the speed demons of
the IRL so far this season. Giaffone finished third because
race officials ruled that his pass of Kenny Brack came after
the yellow light came on for the Nakano-Lazier accident.
Lazier suffered a right knee abrasion. Like Kanaan and Dixon,
Scheckter looked worthy of a win until he found the outside
wall. He was battling Kanaan when he drifted high trying to
lap Al Unser Jr. and hit the fourth-turn wall on lap 168.
Blaming Unser might not be fair, however. The caution light
came on just ahead of Scheckter's accident as Alex Barron slid
into the fourth-turn wall. "The car just went straight," said
Barron, who was replacing the injured Gil de Ferran (fractured
vertebrae) at Team Penske. Said Scheckter: "I'm angry at the
moment, but I feel very sorry for the (Ganassi) team. It was
an easy race on my part to drive. I didn't (see) the yellow."
The eight accidents produced 64 yellow-flag laps. Only 11 of
the 24 cars were running at the finish, and only five of those
were on the lead lap at the end of the race. But the season's
third event also included 14 lead changes among six drivers,
making it the most entertaining, if not the most painful, race
of the year.
4/13/03
Said wins Trans-Am race
There was one thing missing from Boris Said’s lengthy resume,
and that was victory at Long Beach. Said rectified that
situation Sunday by winning his first race at the storied
temporary street course. Said (No. 33 New Century Mortage/Hitachi
Ford Mustang) passed Scott Pruett for the lead in turn eight
on lap 47 and held on for the 4.296-second margin of victory
in the 75-minute timed event. Johnny Miller (No. 64 Eaton
Cutler-Hammer Jaguar XKR) finished second, ahead of Scott
Pruett, who had led every lap to that point from the pole in
his No. 7 Jaguar R Performance XKR. Paul Gentilozzi finished
fourth after setting the fastest race lap, an event record
1:22.025 at 86.374 miles per hour. Rookie Jorge Diaz, Jr.
completed the top five. “Me and Scott were using our cars up a
little too much at the beginning,” said Said, who recorded his
12th Series victory. “I think I just had a little more Ford
Mustang at the end.” The results from Sunday's 51-lap,
100.368 mile Trans-Am Series for the BFGoodrich® Tires Cup
race No. 2, at Long Beach, with finishing position, starting
position in parentheses, driver, car, laps completed and
reason out if any. 1. (2), Boris Said, Ford Mustang, 51,
Running.
2. (5), Johnny Miller, Jaguar XKR, 51, Running.
3. (1), Scott Pruett, Jaguar XKR, 51, Running.
4. (3), Paul Gentilozzi, Jaguar XKR, 51, Running.
5. (9), Jorge Diaz, Jr., Jaguar XKR, 51, Running.
6. (6), Stuart Hayner, Chevrolet Corvette, 51, Running.
7. (10), Greg Pickett, Chevrolet Corvette, 51, Running.
8. (8), Bobby Sak, Chevrolet Corvette, 51, Running.
9. (4), Michael Lewis, Jaguar XKR, 51, Running.
10. (19), Joey Scarallo, Chevrolet Corvette, 49, Running
4/13/03
Hearing good things about
Milwaukee
We hear that fans are not going to recognize Milwaukee this
year. New grandstands, a night race, concerts, fireworks
and other fan amenities. Excitement is apparently building and
it's said this will be the rebirth of one of America's most
historic tracks.
4/13/03
Latinos a big part of Long
Beach success
This LA Times
article says, Long Beach organizers say about 25% of
those attending race weekend are Latino. Adrian Fernandez's
legacy as a pioneer in Mexican racing has been galvanized by
his role in helping mold CART in ways not usually shaped by
drivers. It was Fernandez who worked hard to get a race in
Monterrey, Mexico, in 2001, where more than 318,000 attended
during the race weekend, 116,000 on race day. Success in
Monterrey spawned a race in Mexico City in 2002, and now two
other Mexican cities -- Cancun is said to be one of them --
have requested a third race. The CART series, prematurely
written off after the exodus of owners and manufacturers to
the Indy Racing League, now has Mexico written all over it.
"There's no doubt in my mind that if Adrian hadn't been there,
there would be zero Mexican cars, sponsors and drivers in the
series," said Bobby Rahal, who owns a car sponsored by Mexican
supermarket chain Gigante and driven by Mexico City native
Michel Jourdain Jr. "As an ambassador, as an influencer in
racing and particularly in the Spanish communities in the
future ... he can be as big as he wants to be. "His role and
his impact on racing in North America will go far beyond the
Mexican borders." "In the modern-day world of marketing,
Adrian led the way," Pook said. "He wrote the book on how to
do it." Nobody is calling Fernandez the most influential
driver in CART's history -- that honor probably belongs to
Mario Andretti -- but Jordain credits Fernandez for steadying
CART in its darkest hour. "Hopefully we can say 20 years from
now that CART survived because of what Adrian started,"
Jordain said. Four years ago, Grand Prix Assn. of Long Beach
President Jim Michaelian noticed that 4% of those who
purchased tickets from his organization had Spanish surnames.
"We began to involve Adrian in a number of in-person
promotions, began advertising substantially in the Hispanic
media, and over four years, [24.5%] of our ticket buyers have
a Hispanic surname, which is a phenomenal growth pattern,"
Michaelian said. The byproduct is that Mexican sponsors can
target the Latino market, as well as a large non-Latino
market, especially as it branches into the U.S., Canada and
Europe. Tecate is locked in an international beer war with
Corona that rivals the Budweiser-Miller rivalry. Tecate this
year became the Grand Prix's official beer. Corona sponsors
the car driven by Rodolfo Lavin. Herdez, a maker of canned
goods, is also international in scope and sponsors two
cars.....Latinos are 13.2% of the U.S. population, a segment
growing at four times the national average that has surpassed
African Americans (12.7%) as the largest minority group in the
U.S. -- one with more than $452 billion in disposable income.
"It's a vibrant economy, extremely closely tied to the U.S.
socially, financially and culturally," Rahal said. "It's the
second-largest population by group -- how can you ignore that?
"This is not some second-rate effort. It's no different than
working with well-known American companies like Miller [which
sponsors Rahal's IRL car driven by Kenny Brack]. In some ways,
I think they're much more imaginative about how to derive
value from the [racing] program than some U.S.-based companies
we've had in the past." That value is likely to expand. "We're
getting back more than that just in media presence," said
Jorge Quintanilla, director of Gigante Racing, which spends
between $10 million and $15 million annually. "Michel [Jordain]
is becoming an idol in Mexico. Every time his name is
mentioned, we're leveraging from it. "I'm sure sponsorship
involvement of Mexican companies is going to increase,"
Quintanilla said, noting that even in a flat economy Gigante
is getting a great return on its dollar, and that racing and
CART have "become a great media for us......Fernandez says he
has at least two or three more years in him as a driver. When
he retires, he anticipates broadening his scope of influence
among younger drivers in the junior formulas. As a team owner,
his goal is to make things easier for those who follow his
tracks. "I'm here to make sure that other kids are
successful," Fernandez said. "That's what I'd be happiest
with. I'm here to help the next generation. "I'm not here to
say that I'm the guy who saved CART."
4/13/03
Date set for 2004 GP of Long
Beach
Next years Toyota GP of Long Beach will be held April 16 to
18, 2004. This years race was a week before Easter
Sunday, next year a week after. Mark your calendars.
4/13/03
EuroSpeedway updateUPDATE We spoke to Mr.
Fischer again today and he informed us tickets sales have now
reached 46,000. We said he expects a lot more to be sold
between now and race day, with a big walkup crowd expected.
We asked about a rain date. He told us they looked at
the 100-year history of weather on May 11th and they do not
expect it to rain. If by chance it does, the race will
be forced to run on Monday. 4/12/03 - EuroSpeedway President Han-Jorge Fischer reports that advance
Sunday ticket sales for CART's Champ Car race on May 11th has
surpassed 40,000. This is far short of the 87,000 on
race day in 2001, but considering last years race was
cancelled, Fisher is somewhat pleased. It is expected
they will sell a lot more tickets between now and race day,
but suffice it to say they won't reach the 2001 level.
4/13/03
CART hosts urban racing seminarUPDATE As it turns out, 8
of the 20 cities/municipalities represented were potential new
venues for CART, some in North America and some
overseas. We hear they were most impressed with what
they saw at Long Beach (full grandstands, enthusiastic crowd,
party atmosphere, smiles on peoples faces, etc.), so one might
expect them to be clamoring for a race date before long.
Mark C.4/13/03 - The Champ Car World Series
conducts high-profile racing events in the heart of many of
the major urban markets both home and abroad, but is not
content with playing a pat hand. The series hosted an Urban
Racing Seminar Friday at Long Beach in order to give
representatives from new prospective host cities the chance to
see what happens behind the scenes at a Champ Car event. Champ
Car executives, representatives from tracks and events around
the series, sponsors and city service officials all made
presentations during a six-hour meeting, giving
representatives from 20 cities and regions the inside story on
what it takes to put on an event like this weekend’s Toyota
Grand Prix of Long Beach. Champ Car CEO and President
Christopher R. Pook opened the program with a welcome speech,
and then gave way to speakers that showed how a Champ Car
event can impact a city economically, and also demonstrated
the marketing opportunities that a race can bring to a city.
Presentations on everything from getting local businesses
involved to activating the local market media were given to
the assembled dignitaries, and was topped by a keynote speech
from the Honorable Beverly O’Neill, the Mayor of Long Beach.
“It is important that we do not rest with the successful
markets that we already have,” said Pook. “I am very impressed
with the turnout that we had at this event and I am hopeful
that many new events will blossom out of this seminar.” The
city representatives then spent all day Saturday in the Champ
Car paddock area as teams prepared for Sunday’s Toyota Grand
Prix of Long Beach, engaging in private meetings and talking
to fans as they all look to build a fit for their markets in
the Champ Car World Series.
4/13/03
We have winners
Congratulations to Gary Parravani and Eric Zhenbauer for
getting the correct answers to our name that historic car contest.
1) 1968 Ferrari Amon
2) 1981 Theodore Tambay
3) 1971 Tyrrell Stewart
4) 1978 Lotus Andretti
5) 1983 Williams Rosberg
6) 1982 Tyrrell Alboreto
7) 1980 Williams Alan Jones
8) 1978 Arrows Patrese
9) 1982 March Mass/Boesel
10) 1983 Williams Lafitte
11) 1980 Ferrari Villeneuve
12) 1978 Wolf Scheckter/Rahal
13) 1974 March Stuck
14) 1976 Shadow Pryce
15) 1976 McLaren mass
16) 1976 march Brambilla
17) 1975 Shadow Pryce
18) 1975 Vels Parnelli Andretti
19) same as above
20) 1971 Tyrrell Cevert
21) 1970 Brabham Brabham
22) 1976 Penske Watson
4/13/03
CART attendance at Long Beach
up Chris Pook stated to one of our colleagues
today that race day attendance at Long Beach was between
90,000 and 100,000. The grandstands certainly looked
fuller than 2002, but two grandstands were eliminated due to
construction. We were told additional seats were added
elsewhere to make up the difference, but we are not sure
where.
4/13/03
NASCAR to add more wheel
tethers
NASCAR has responded to the potential danger created by last
week's massive race accident at Talladega Superspeedway by
requiring teams to add new wheel restraints to their cars. A
second set of wheel tethers _ added to the already-required
pieces on each wheel _ will be required on the front wheels of
race cars at all tracks 1.25 miles and longer. The new rule is
in response to Ryan Newman's spectacular wreck at Talladega
last Sunday. Newman's Dodge blew a tire, sending him into a
spin and hard into the outside wall, sparking a 27-car
accident. Despite being tethered to the car, Newman's left
front tire broke free and sailed over the outside wall, coming
to a stop outside the track in an area free of spectators.
4/13/03
Allmendinger wins first career
Toyota Atlantic race
In a dominating weekend for the first-year RuSPORT team,
rookie A.J. Allmendinger (#4 RuSPORT) picked up his first
career CART Toyota Atlantic Championship race victory in just
his second start in today's Argent Mortgage Company Toyota
Atlantic Race at the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach. After
winning the $1,000 Toyota Pole Award, Allmendinger got the
drop on teammate Aaron Justus (#3 RuSPORT) going into the Turn
1 on the opening lap to take the lead, and went on to lead
every lap en route to a 2.379-second victory over Justus. In
the process, Allmendinger became the quickest driver to win
his first Toyota Atlantic race since '02 series champion Jon
Fogarty won in his first start in the 2002 season opener at
Monterrey, Mexico. The second place result for Justus was a
CART Toyota Atlantic Championship career best result, topping
his previous best finish of fifth in the Tecate/Telmex
Monterrey Grand Prix three weeks ago. It was the 2000 U.S.
Formula Ford 2000 national champion's fifth career start in
Toyota Atlantic, and the 1-2 finish capped a dream weekend for
the newly-formed RuSPORT team.
4/13/03
Hollywood stars turn out at
Long Beach In the land of stars, no place
shined brighter on this weekend than the 29th annual Toyota
Grand Prix of Long Beach. Several Hollywood celebrities have
been among the tens of thousands of fans enjoying the stars of
the Champ Car World Series, the Toyota Atlantics, Trans Am
Series, vintage Formula 1 cars and, of course, the Toyota
Pro/Celebrity race. Traditionally, the Grand Prix has been a
mecca of entertainment for the glitterati, and the 29th annual
race down the streets of Long Beach has continued this
heritage. Luke & Owen Wilson, Luke Perry, Steven Dorf, Larry
Wilcox and George Eads were all on had to watch the likes of
Champ Car drivers Paul Tracy, Jimmy Vasser and Adrian
Fernandez roar down Shoreline Drive during the weekend. And,
making his way through the paddock on his scooter has been
Paul Newman, co-owner of CART Champ Car Team Newman-Haas
racing. Luke Wilson's movie credits include "Legally Blonde,"
"Full Throttle" and both Charlie’s Angels films, Owen played
Roy O'Bannon in "Shanghai Noon" and the sequel "Shanghai
Knights," Lt. Chris Brunett in "Behind Enemy Lines" and Deacon
Frost in "Blade." Perry is best known for his role of Dillon
McKay on the hit TV series "90210." He also appears on the HBO
series "Oz." Eads plays crime investigator Nick Stokes on the
popular TV show "CSI." Wilcox patrolled the California
highways as Officer John Baker in "CHiPs."
4/13/03
Ecclestone closer to CART
Speculation about the future of the CART Champ Car World
Series is reaching a near fevered pitch here at its most
successful American venue. As reported first in The Toronto
Sun late in 2002 (actually first reported by AUtoRacing1.com
before that), most of the talk surrounds the role Formula One
boss Bernie Ecclestone will have in the series after this
season. Sources told The Sun that Ecclestone will buy majority
control of CART then take it private, keeping it's financial
affairs away from the prying eyes of both rivals and critics.
Ecclestone, sources say, feels that many of CART's problems
are a result of having to report all of its business to a
regulator -- in this case the Securities and Exchange
Commission. Such pressures -- when twinned with a faltering
American economy -- lead four of CART's top teams, and many
more of its top drivers, to defect to the Indy Racing League
in the past two seasons. Share prices in CART have gone from a
high of more than $15 US a year ago to close at just $3.62
yesterday. The scenario painted yesterday in the Long Beach
Press-Telegram had CART board of directors starting a process
at its planned meeting on April 22 allowing Ecclestone to
bypass a poison pill provision which limits shareholders from
controlling more than 24.9% of the stock. CART's current
leading shareholder -- Chicago industrialist Gerry Forsythe --
has publicly endorsed this plan as have several other team
owners including Craig Pollock, who also has financial
interests in F-1's British American Racing team. "It's clear
something is going on," Stephan Johansson, a former F-1 driver
and current CART team owner, said yesterday. "If something
were to happen it would be great."
Toronto Sun
4/13/03
Toyota Celebrity race another
hit Peter Reckell drove a Toyota Celica to
victory in Saturday’s annual Pro Celebrity race on the Long
Beach Street course. ‘Monster Garage’ host Jesse James
finished second with ‘The Man Show’s’ Adam Carolla third.
Reckell earned the PEOPLE magazine pole award, then held off a
charge from James that featured several instances of contact.
“That was the most fun I’ve ever had!” exclaimed Reckell after
10 laps of sheet-metal bending action. “Never in our wildest
dreams could I imagine this happening.”
4/13/03
Ron and Frank may drop
arbitration case
Ron Dennis has hinted that he and Sir Frank Williams might
drop their arbitration action against the FIA, something they
started to threaten on the 20th of February, provided its
president, Max Mosley, is ready to discuss a compromise.
According to reports in Autosport, Dennis admitted that after
some very constructive conversations with the FIA and some of
their colleagues, he is optimistic of a satisfactory
conclusion for all concerned. “Arbitration is a costly,
time-consuming process that we would certainly prefer to
avoid, but we have to achieve a satisfactory position for the
teams and, until then, we will go through the long drawn-out
process,” he said. “But we've had very constructive dialogue
with the FIA and some other teams and I'm optimistic we'll
find a good way forward.”
4/13/03
Kanaan breaks arm in Motegi
accident IRL
IndyCar Series standout Tony Kanaan suffered a radial fracture
of his left arm in a two-car accident during the Indy Japan
300 on April 13 at Twin Ring Motegi, said Dr. Geoffrey Billows
of the Indy Racing League medical staff. Kanaan is awake and
alert at Dokkyo University Hospital in Tochigi, Japan, Billows
said. X-rays on Kanaan’s legs were negative, Billows said.
Brazilian native Kanaan and pole sitter Scott Dixon collided
and crashed in Turn 3 on Lap 178 while dueling for the lead.
Kanaan, who started second, was credited with 14th place in
the No. 11 Team 7-Eleven Dallara/Honda/Firestone. We
hear Kanaan's legs are pretty tore up though, because
suspension pieces penetrated the cockpit. He also broke
the same arm in Detroit a couple of years ago.
4/12/03
Ferrari delay rollout of new
car
Ferrari will delay the introduction of its all-new, innovative
F2003-GA racer, despite failing to win so far with the older
version. A team spokesman said, 'We will race [at Imola] with
the old car, our goal now is to bring the new one into service
at the Spanish Grand Prix in Barcelona.' Ferrari’s press
release from Friday testing at Mugello would have us all
believe that the race distance planned for the F2003-GA was
ruined by heavy rain But this was not the case as the Italian
media reports that the test was over after an early engine
failure for Barrichello. Ferrari flew in another engine by
helicopter from Maranello but only the afternoon remained to
get the car on track and this was not enough time.
4/12/03
Allmendinger wins first career
pole
After losing his opportunity to win the race due to an
incident on the opening lap of the 2003 season opener in
Monterrey, rookie A.J. Allmendinger (#4 RuSPORT) went a long
way toward putting those painful memories behind him today in
final qualifying for the Argent Mortgage Toyota Atlantic Race
at the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach. Allmendinger broke the
one-day-old track record held by his RuSPORT teammate, Aaron
Justus (#3 RuSPORT), to put his car on the pole position with
a best lap of 1:16.267 (92.895 mph). It was the second time in
as many Toyota Atlantic races in which the rookie has
qualified inside the top three positions, and was the quickest
a rookie has qualified on the pole since Mexican Luis Diaz
(#33 Telmex/Dorricott Racing) took the pole in his first
series start in Monterrey last year. As a result of
Allmendinger's performance, Justus was relegated to the
outside of the front row with yesterday's lap at 1:17.260
(91.701 mph). It was the first time that teammates swept the
front row since Dorricott Racing teammates Jon Fogarty and
Alex Gurney qualified 1-2 at Toronto in 2002. On his "out lap"
to begin the qualifying session, Justus made light contact
with the wall in the hairpin in Turn 11 and missed the early
stages of the session as his team made the necessary repairs.
He finally turned a lap faster than his provisional pole speed
with six minutes remaining in the session, but could only
muster the fifth fastest speed of the day. He was guaranteed a
front row starting position based on the fact that he
qualified on the provisional pole.
4/12/03
Scenes from Long Beach
Our photographer on site at Long Beach this weekend is Bob
Heathcote.
Fuel problems for NASCAR?
Sources at Talladega Superspeedway told teamfordracing.com
that the fuel Unocal has provided since the announcement that
they were leaving the sport might have some consistency
problems. This, according to a leading engine builder in the
sport, is leading to some interesting finds during post-race
engine tear down. “We’ve even questioned here lately with
Unocal moving out how the fuel … We’ve seen some funny things
on our parts after the race and for some of us fuel quality is
changing on us,” said the engine builder. “So yeah, it’s a big
issue and we’ve been talking about it quite a bit.” Fuel is a
vital part of the Winston Cup engine builder equation as the
additive packages are what help hold a motor together during a
race. Fuel chemistry changes can lead to premature part
failure. NASCAR hasn’t let the teams know what will be pumping
in 2003, which is making the engine builders nervous.
Variances with the chemistry and consistency of blend will be
needed soon as it can take six to nine months to match the
engine package to the fuel package. One big question that’s
not been answered is whether the fuel will be of a leaded
blend, or no-lead. There is concern that if the sanctioning
body goes the no-lead route that engine failure could rise
dramatically due to leads lubricity qualities, or the capacity
for reducing friction. Unocal, along with NASCAR and the
teams, tried a no-lead blend several years ago in the Busch
Grand National Series. Those experiments ended after the
exhaust valves beat the seats out of the head. Unocal, to help
solve the problem, suggested that the teams move to titanium
vales. That suggestion angered the involved engine builders as
they’d been using titanium for several years, and were
surprised that Unocal engineers seemingly didn’t know what was
in a motor for which they were blending fuel.
Ford Racing
4/12/03
Foyt speaks out
A.J. Foyt Speaks Out: A.J. Foyt, a team owner in both the Indy
Racing League IndyCar Series and NASCAR Winston Cup [#14
Harrah's Dodge which is sitting out this week at
Martinsville], had harsh words for NASCAR on Saturday for its
recent inconsistency in its rules. Foyt's comments stem from
the yellow flag decision at Texas Motor Speedway two weeks
ago, to last week's race-winning pass where Dale Earnhardt Jr.
clearly went below the yellow out of bounds like to pass race
leader Matt Kenseth. "More people are waking up to NASCAR, but
they are afraid to speak out," Foyt said. "I have nothing to
lose, either way. The yellow flag thing is a bad deal and one
of these days, someone will get killed over it. I don't care
what you write about. I call a spade a spade, good or bad.
That's how I feel about plate racing. What has happened the
last three weeks, it's something different every week. I think
the world of Dale Earnhardt Jr. and I think the world of Tony
Stewart, but whoever that judge was should be thrown out of
the organization or should be the judge of a bathroom whether
boys or girls go in. If he looks at the yellow line thing and
says it was right, then he was wrong." Foyt was also steamed
that NASCAR disqualified his son's [Larry Foyt, driver of the
#14] qualification attempt last week at Talladega for a rules
violation for being too low. Subsequently, Foyt did not make
the 43-car starting lineup. "After what NASCAR did to me at
Talladega last week, we didn't see any point in going up to
Martinsville and tearing something up," Foyt said. "The deal
they did to us at Talladega was a big (bleep)-off deal, so
(bleep) them. I'm like Dale Earnhardt was when he was alive,
those (bleeping) plate races (stink). NASCAR is so crooked.
Whoever you are, I don't care what you say, if you can't see
that, then you are blind. Why should you take out that many
cars if you are racing?" Foyt believes it's time NASCAR
recognize that restrictor-plate racing has only made the
events at Daytona and Talladega more dangerous, rather than
allow teams to race above 200 miles per hour and let the cars
spread out more naturally rather than bunch them together.
"All it is any more, restrictor-plate cars is a glorified IROC
race, that's all it is," Foyt said. "If you are going to go
racing, then go racing. But if you want an IROC race, then
just call it an IROC race. I've never been for plate racing, I
never will be. It's just like racing back to the yellow, I'm
glad to see Jeff Gordon speak out against that. Racing
shouldn't be who is a complete idiot on the yellow flag. It's
a different ball game than it used to be. It's not getting any
better, it's getting worse." Between yellow flags, yellow
lines and other NASCAR inconsistencies, Foyt admits he is
losing interest in what is currently the most popular form of
racing in the United States.
FoxSports/SportsTicker
4/12/03
Pruett wins Trans-Am pole
Scott Pruett continued his assault on the Trans-Am Series for
the BFGoodrich® Tires Cup speed charts Saturday, earning the
pole for Sunday’s Long Beach race during early morning
qualifying Saturday. It was Pruett’s second-consecutive pole
this season, after having earned the pole prior to winning the
season opener at the Grand Prix of St. Petersburg in February.
The pole was the14th overall for the Jaguar XKR marque,
placing Jaguar second in total Long Beach poles with three,
just one short of the record held by Ford Motor Co. The pole
also ties Rocketsports Racing with Roush Racing with four
poles at Long Beach. “The car is pretty good,” said the
two-time Trans-Am Series Champion. “We focused on the race
setup yesterday. I think we’re about 50 percent there.
Fortunately or unfortunately, depending on how you look at it,
when you don’t have a lot of track time, you can’t make a lot
of changes. But with the experience of the team and really
playing off what Paul (Gentilozzi) has done with the team over
the last couple of years, we’re able to see clearly what we
need to do. We need to go back and fine tune some things for a
good race. “The tires are great,” added Pruett, who last
won this race in 1987. “The car was balanced here, the same
way as St. Pete. We came in with the same setup we had a St.
Pete, and we’re making some changes this afternoon and see
what we can come up with.” Boris Said, who damaged his
car in a crash during practice Friday, was second fastest in
his No. 33 New Century Mortgage/Applied Computer Solutions
Ford Mustang, with a 1:22.311 (86.074 mph). Defending Long
Beach winner Paul Gentilozzi (No. 3 Design 500/Jaguar R
Performance XKR) was third fastest (1:22.987/85.372 mph), but
a ride-height violation was found in post-qualifying
inspection. Gentilozzi will start at the back of the field,
while Michael Lewis (No. 12 Trans-Am Tools by ProQuest Jaguar
XKR) was elevated to third on the grid.
4/12/03
CART extends Surfers 5 years
On a weekend when the Champ Car World Series is busily
conducting one of its premier North American street circuit
events on the asphalt of Long Beach, it firmed up a deal that
will ensure the continued tradition of an equally-successful
street event in Australia. The future of the Lexmark Indy 300
in Surfers Paradise, Australia, was secured with the signing
of a contract in California today enabling the event to be
held for another five years, as the Deputy Premier and
Minister for Sport Terry Mackenroth signed the Official
Promoter’s Agreement with Champ Car CEO and President
Christopher R. Pook, Lexmark Indy 300 General Manager James
Ashworth and Lexmark Indy 300 Chairman, John Cowley, at Long
Beach, site of this weekend’s Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach.
The current contract covers the 2003 event, therefore the new
agreement carries the race from 2004-08. “The event in Surfers
Paradise has long been an example of how a race should be run
and we are very pleased to be able to continue our
relationship,” said Pook. “The event is extremely popular with
our drivers, teams, sponsors and most importantly the public.
The event is a very important part of our ongoing strategy to
deliver key markets to our constituents and this agreement
reflects the value that our series can deliver into a vital
market such as the State of Queensland.” The Lexmark Indy 300
has run in the streets of the Queensland resort town for the
past 12 seasons and the event has been breaking attendance
records nearly every season, cementing its status as one of
the highest-drawing events on the CART schedule. “Last year we
reached an in-principle agreement for the next five years
after 2003,” Mackenroth said. “After further negotiation we
have now been able to formalize that agreement and I am
pleased to announce that the running of the Lexmark Indy 300
until 2008 is assured. It is great news for the Gold Coast and
great news for Queensland because this event is one of the
most entertaining racing carnivals in the world.”
4/12/03
Weather forecast improves for
LB
Saturday dawned bright and today in Long Beach with no rain in
sight. The forecast for Sunday has also improved, with
the forecast now for rain to begin Sunday night.
4/12/03
Junqueira tops Saturday morning
practice
Bruno Junqueira set the fastest lap of the weekend so far in
Saturday morning's practice session, the first driver to dip
below the 1:09 barrier, with a time of 1:08.898 (102.830mph).
4/12/03
Mosley to meet with teams
FIA President Max Mosley has scheduled a meeting with F1 team
owners and then the media at Imola next weekend. Topic
of discussion - how well new F1 rules are working and the
chance to express he does not support the GPWC.
Rain washes out qualifying in
Motegi Scott Dixon was right, after all. The real
work for the pole position for the Indy Japan 300 came during
practice sessions at Twin Ring Motegi, not during MBNA Pole
Qualifying. Heavy rain forced the cancellation of qualifying
April 12 after just six of the 24 drivers made their
qualifying runs, and Dixon earned the top starting spot. lineup
AutoRacing1 is an independent internet online publication and is not affiliated with, sponsored by, or endorsed by CART Inc., NASCAR, FIA, FedEx, Winston, or any other series sponsor. This material may not be published, broadcast, or redistributed without permission. User agreement & disclaimer
Much
More...click on 2002 archives button below
