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Ricky Rudd on Carbon Monoxide poisoning
"We haven't seen any effects with Ricky or last year with Elliott. We
try to seal our car up. We put a lot of emphasis on sealing the car up
- all the cracks and crevices and holes that get in race cars as time
goes on - and try to keep all of the air that's under the car from
getting up inside, which would be from the exhaust. The
air-conditioned system that blows air-conditioned air into the helmet
does not block out carbon monoxide. I was told that recently, but I
always thought if you had that clean air from the air-conditioning
unit that it would clean that, but I've been told lately that it does
not. I think that's something that just needs to be worked on and
NASCAR is working on it. We get an update every now and then about
what they're doing and what they're trying to figure out on it. With
carbon monoxide you can't see it or smell it, so it's pretty hard to
detect. I remember back when Dale Jarrett drove our car, he had a
little paper filter that we would use and that seemed to help we
thought. But I'm not sure anybody really has a fix for it. I've been
told that pretty soon they're gonna have an answer for it."
4/29/03
NASCAR weekend a boon to Vegas
The 2003 NASCAR Weekend in Las Vegas had a $133 million impact
on the local economy, the greatest impact in the six-year
history of the event. And according to an economist at UNLV,
the total effect was more than doubled that amount. The Las
Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority’s annual study
revealed that the final number of $133,451,000 was 9.9 percent
greater than in 2002. The numbers are based on interviews with
race fans during the March 1-2 weekend and reflect the amount
of money spent – both gaming and non-gaming – during the
four-day event at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. “Despite an
impending war and a very difficult economy, NASCAR Weekend
once again delivered an economic bonanza to Las Vegas,” said
Las Vegas Motor Speedway general manager Chris Powell. “Given
the uncertainty facing our nation between Feb. 27 and March 2,
the fact that the total amount of revenue generated increased
almost 10 percent is remarkable. This event has become one of
the most anticipated stops on the NASCAR circuit for hundreds
of thousands of people from all over the world.”
Growth:
Item
2001
2002
2003
since ‘02
Total event attendance
126,000
139,400
145,275
+ 4.2%
Out-of-town Visitors
78,875
89,250
97,075
+ 8.8%
Total expenditures
$97,163,700
$121,425,500
$133,451,000
+ 9.9%
4/29/03
Andretti's foiled Indy plan -
what a pity This Detroit Free Press
article says, Watching NASCAR young gun Kurt Busch win
effortlessly Sunday at Fontana, Calif., I thought again about
Mario Andretti's wild ride at Indianapolis last week.
Andretti, a grandfather five times over, had a much tougher
time of things. During a practice run, his car flipped after
he ran over debris from a Kenny Brack accident. Andretti was
driving son Michael's new Dallara/Honda at more than 200
m.p.h. Andretti, 63, walked away without injury, his ego
bruised but body intact. Most calls I took that evening were
about Mario's Big One.
More...
4/29/03
Bid
launched to save Rio track. Will CART ever return?
According to Autosport, fears that the Rio Jacarepagua circuit
will be lost to a housing development have been alleviated
following moves by the country's motorsport federation.
The Pan-American Federation Games, which are due to take place
in Rio in 2007, will now be held at the track, and the area
around the circuit will be developed with new buildings,
making it more attractive as a motor racing venue. CART
had a sellout crowd the last time it raced there. The
plan was to race on the road course in 2001 when the race was
cancelled. We believe the road course would attract even
more fans because Brazilian fans are road racing fans, first
and foremost.
4/29/03
Salazar gets ALMS ride JMB
Racing USA and Eliseo Salazar, the Chilean motor sports star,
announced today that he will be driving for the JMB Racing USA Team in
the American Le Mans Series. Starting at the Atlanta Grand Prix at
Road Atlanta on June 29th, he will join Stephan Gregoire at the wheel
of the team’s Ferrari 360 Modena GT for the remainder of the ALMS
season. “ I am really looking forward to this season with JMB
Racing USA. The JMB Racing Team has had many sports car successes with
Ferrari and I felt that coupled with my past success with Ferrari, it
would be a great match for me,“ Salazar said. Salazar drove the
Ferrari 333SP Prototype for Team Momo and went on to win three of
seven starts in the IMSA World Sports Car Championships in 1994,
winning consecutive races from the pole position at Lime Rock, Watkins
Glen and Indianapolis Raceway Park.
4/29/03
Family 4-pack back at TMS The
Albertsons "Family 4-Pack" returns for the second time this season
during "America's Original Nighttime IndyCar Series Race" at Texas
Motor Speedway for the Indy Racing League IndyCar Series and the
NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series June 5-7. The Albertsons "Family 4 Pack"
once again offers four reserved frontstretch tickets to either the
Bombardier 500k IRL IndyCar Series event on Saturday night, June 7 or
the O'Reilly 400k NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series event on Friday night,
June 6, four hot dogs, four Coca-Colas and four Keebler snacks for
only $79. This represents a savings of $113 over the retail value if
purchased separately. The coupon, along with two UPC codes from
Keebler or Cheez-It snack products 8 ounces or larger, must be
presented for the special price at the Texas Motor Speedway ticket
office in advance or at Gate Five on race day. Coupons redeemable for
the "Family 4 Pack" are currently available at participating
Albertsons grocery stores throughout North Texas. A list of
participating locations will soon be available at
www.texasmotorspeedway.com.
4/29/03
FOX to promote Grand-Am internationally
Grand American Road Racing Association President Roger Edmondson
announced today that an agreement has been reached with Fox Sports
International to promote Grand American's television properties
internationally. Fox will assist in the marketing and coordination of
international television distribution for Grand American Road Racing
Association and its Rolex Sports Car Series and Grand-Am Cup Series.
In its fourth year of offering championship road racing throughout
North America, interest in Grand American Road Racing from abroad has
been steady since the beginning. "The Rolex 24 At Daytona has always
had a big international appeal," Edmondson noted. "On top of that, we
have teams and drivers from around the world who regularly compete in
our series. Their fans back home are accustomed to following their
favorite drivers on television."
4/29/03
Road America announces changes for the
Carousel turn Road America is creating a new, optional
configuration that will incorporate a new turn, tentatively called The
Bend (Turn 10A), at the end of the Carousel, Turns 9-10, which will
provide a new entry angle to Turn 11, according to George
Bruggenthies, president and general manager. The Bend, which will slow
vehicles entering Turn 11, also called the Kink, is expected to be
available for use during the 2003 race season. The original course
will not be altered and will be used for most events.
4/29/03
Teams get workout at TMS
Three of the biggest names in the IRL IndyCar Series – Helio
Castroneves, Sam Hornish Jr. and Greg Ray – tested April 28
(and today too) at Texas Motor Speedway, site of the
Bombardier 500 on June 7 and the season-ending Chevy 500 on
Oct. 12. Two-time defending Indianapolis 500 winner
Castroneves tested his No. 3 Marlboro Team Penske Panoz G
Force/Toyota/Firestone on the 1.5-mile oval. Castroneves
tested tires for Firestone, the exclusive tire of the Indy
Racing League and the only tire to compete in all 74 IndyCar
Series events since the series’ inception in 1996. Weather for
the test was cloudy with temperatures reaching 75 degrees.
“They (Firestone) want to see the conditions with hot
weather,” Castroneves said. “Firestone is always working with
the drivers, trying to improve their tires.” Firestone officials
indicated that the tires used in the test were being developed
for the Bombardier 500 on June 7, the race after the
Indianapolis 500. Two-time defending series champion Hornish
tested the No. 98 Pedigo Chevrolet Dallara/Chevrolet/Firestone
rather than his normal No. 4 Pennzoil Panther
Dallara/Chevrolet/Firestone. Former Texas winner Billy Boat
will drive the No. 98 at the Indianapolis 500, where he will
serve as Hornish’s teammate. “Our team hasn’t been to test at
any high-banked mile-and-half tracks with the new chassis and
engine,” Hornish said. “We want to see what we have to work
with.”
4/29/03
F1 sponsorship packages
Here are some interesting figures from the latest Euro
Business Magazine regarding F1 team sponsorship. Some is
hard money, or "direct" money, i.e. cash in hand. Other
is soft money, i.e. a trade for something else, possibly with
another sponsor or with the team.
Total Sponsorship Value (Direct
and Trade)
FERRARI Total direct cash/trade
support/other income $306.20 Million
WILLIAMS: Alianz $18Mil; HP
$35Mil; Castrol $15Mil; Reuters $3Mil; Fed Ex $6.5 Mil
McLAREN: Mobil $27Mil, Boss $3Mil,
Computer Assoc. $20Mil.
RENAULT: Renault $85Mil, Mild
Seven $30 Mil
SAUBER: Red Bull $12Mil; Petronas $18Mil Credit Suisse $17Mil
JORDAN: Benson & Hedges and others $22 Mil
4/29/03
Ecclestone believes in
dictatorship Bernie Ecclestone has criticized the
major car manufacturers for trying to change the sport, and
has hit out at the teams for wanting more say in how F1 is
run. "The carmakers should not get involved in Formula 1 too
much," Ecclestone told the German magazine Sport Bild.
"Their executives are only interested in winning. If they
don't they lose interest at some stage." "They are only
concerned about what advantages they could have for the next
race," he said. "They never think about the next season and
they never think about the sport." “The teams now want more
democracy. In my opinion it cannot work. As far as Formula 1
goes, I believe in dictatorship."
4/29/03
Petty news
Kyle Petty has met fabricator Ray Hudson at 8 o'clock in the
morning more than once but their meeting Wednesday, April 30,
will be a little bit different. Petty, CEO of
Petty Enterprises, will meet Hudson at mile marker 51.7 of the
Blue Ride Parkway (where it crosses the Appalachian Trail) at
8 a.m. Wednesday to show his support for the avid hiker.
Hudson, a shop fabricator at Petty Enterprises with over 25
years of work history at Petty, has embarked on his life-long
dream to hike the Appalachian Trail while supporting Petty's
dream to build The Victory Junction Gang Camp. Hudson has
received pledges for every mile he hikes on the Trail, all
proceeds going to The Victory Junction Gang Camp. Hudson began
the 2,171-mile hike from Springer Mountain, GA,, on March 1,
and hopes to reach the finish line at Baxter State Park , Me.,
by Aug. 1. Petty's visit will provide moral support, not to
mention a rare opportunity for a hot breakfast. Hudson could
raise as much as $25,000 by completing the incredible journey.
"I think it is really awesome for Ray to fulfill his childhood
dream and hike the trail," said Kyle Petty, co-founder of the
Victory Junction Gang Camp. "I know what it is like to ride a
motorcycle for 2,100 miles; I can't imagine hiking over 2,100
miles through the mountains." Leaving his family and job at
Petty Enterprises for six-months in order to complete the
trail, Ray has currently raised over $8,000 for Victory
Junction. Friends and family from around the country have made
donations and pledges based on the number of miles Hudson
completes. For more information about where to meet Hudson and
Petty can be found at
www.blueridgeparkway.org
4/29/03
GP of the Americas to be seen
by large worldwide audience The Grand Prix Americas,
which takes place on September 26-28, 2003 in the streets of
Downtown Miami and Bayfront Park, could reach close to 400
million television viewers in over 150 countries, according to
2002 figures. Nationally, last year’s Grand Prix Americas’
Champ Car event received a rating of 1.4 with a 3 share on
CBS, reaching 1,449,000 households, CART’s highest television
rating of the season. Locally, the inaugural race was shown on
tape-delay, due to the live telecast of the Miami Dolphins
game, and received a rating of 6.7. "This is the kind of
coverage any city would love to have,” said Chuck M. Martinez,
president and general manager, Grand Prix Americas. “We are
very fortunate to have two major series providing such
widespread exposure to the beautiful City of Miami." Each
event on the Champ Car World Series schedule alone is expected
to reach over 365 million homes worldwide in 2003. This
season, the combination of ALMS and Champ Car races will be
seen everywhere from Europe to South America in networks such
as Fox Sports en Español, Televisa and TV Azteca in Mexico,
RedeTV in Brazil, Eurosport in Europe and TSN and Global in
Canada through a combination of live feeds, tape-delays and
highlight shows. Nationally, the American Le Mans Race will be
broadcast by SPEED Channel and the Champ Car World Series by
CBS.
4/29/03
Team Penske was using Traction Control
since 1994UPDATE
A Team Penske Spokesperson writes, Dear AR1, I want to make a
correction to your "Team Penske using traction control since
94" item. Paul Tracy is correct that he saw many new
developments while driving for team Penske. We developed
"Electronic boost control", "Traction Control" and "No lift
shift" technology during the years he was with us. The first
use of traction control was in 92 and in 93 it was used full
season. After the 93 season CART made several rule changes
that included banning Traction Control. It was not used in 94
although many people including CART thought we were. Mr.
Penske always allowed us to take advantage of the rules where
we could, but NEVER approved use of illegal items. Paul
Rochotte, Penske Racing South4/29/03 - Paul Tracy
stated during CART's Town Meeting in Milwaukee Monday night that when
he was driving for Team Penske in 1994 they were already using a form
of traction control, way before it was legalized in 2001. As
they say, it ain't cheating until you get caught.
4/29/03
Dr. Olvey to speak at Cambridge CART's
Dr. Steve Olvey will speak this Thursday at the famed
Cambridge University in England. His topic will be the
history of motorsports medicine.
CART will be meeting with European
manufacturers CART's Adam Saal stated Monday night that CART
would be meeting with passenger car manufacturers and race engine
manufacturers to discuss CART's 2005 engine package during their
10-day foray to Europe starting this coming weekend. Adam stated
that we have heard a lot about gasoline and V-10' but at the end of
the day this business is about selling passenger cars and CART will
attempt to do what the car manufacturers want. As we here at AR1
have stated, if that is the case, and given that all the experts are
saying, and trends are showing, that small gasoline turbo engines are
the best for high power and high fuel mileage, CART will adopt a small
1.5 Liter displacement turbo engine, be it a V8 or a V10. HP
rise over time can be controlled with turbo boost and there is no
reason why the engine platform would not last at least 10 years,
probably 20. Rules stability saves cost.
4/28/03 F3000
American
Giebler lands F3000 drive American driver Phil Giebler has
just closed a deal that will see him drive in this weekend's FIA
International F-3000 event in Barcelona, Spain. Giebler will be
driving for David Sears Den Bla Avis Team, winners of the 2000 F3000
Championship with Bruno Junqueira. The event will be run in
conjunction with The Formula One World Championship’s Spanish Grand
Prix. Sears F3000 teams have won five championships in the past ten
seasons and have brought the world such well known open wheel stars
as: Juan Pablo Montoya, Sebastien Bourdais, Mark Webber, Kenny Brack &
Bruno Junqueira, three of whom were F3000 Champions. The other two
were series runner-ups. All are front-runners in F1, CART and the IRL.
”This is the opportunity of a lifetime for me,” stated Phil, who went
on to explain ”I think my story is pretty similar to just about any
American currently trying to make it to the top of the open wheel
pyramid - ¦not enough sponsorship. I moved to France in 1999 and have
always run up front in the European junior ranks, I received a good
bit of help from ELF and Renault in French F3(B) but when it came time
for me to move up to F3 in 2001 both companies cut their budgets to
the point that they could only afford to help French drivers. I have
learned French, Spanish, a little German & am learning Italian.” ¦I
have worked very hard and have never given up. After finishing well in
last year’s Spanish F3 championship we had two very good opportunities
in Euro F3000 and could simply not find enough money to run the
season, so my back was against the wall. "David's two 3000 teams
are the Holy Grail for a driver like me but there was no way on earth
we were going to be able to put together enough funding to run a
season in International F3000. The funny thing is, the fact that money
is so tight has actually helped me with this break because if funding
were out there" this seat would have been gone in November. It's going
to be tough because I'm going into a race having not tested with the
team and I'll be running against several second year drivers."
"Virtually everyone out there has had many days of 3000 testing and
have already run one race. I'm not making excuses because my entire
European career has been based around breaks like this one." I'm
fairly certain that the people who understand the series and know what
I'm up against expect me to be fighting for sixteenth and I may very
well be doing just that, but a break's a break and I will do
everything in my power to make the most of it. I'm incredibly grateful
to David Sears, the team, Steve Griggs, Nigel Hassler and my manager
Donnie Graves for helping put this thing together so late in the
game."
4/28/03
Brands Hatch live on FOX Spanish
channel For those of you who can't wait to see the CART
Brands Hatch race on CBS the weekend following the race, according to
www.cart.com the Brands Hatch race
will be broadcast live 9:00 AM ET Monday May 5th on Fox Sports
Espanola.
4/28/03
Saturday results upheld, Martin fined
The appeal submitted by Trackmagic Racing Karts after Kyle Martin’s
disqualification from Saturday’s Stars of Tomorrow ICC main event was
denied and the results are now official. Martin’s exhaust silencer
became dislodged as a result of another competitor contacting his kart
from behind. The resulting condition was deemed as being outside of
Stars regulations. The appeal was reviewed by a three person board of
experienced kart racing individuals not directly connected with the
fundamental issues surrounding the incident. Martin was also fined
$500 by Stars of Tomorrow for purposefully ignoring the black flag
issued to him as a result of the mechanical condition of his kart.
Stars has given Martin the option of donating the fine to the charity
of his choice. “It is imperative that Stars enforce its rules fairly
and consistently,” said Stars Operations Director Paul Zalud. “Kyle is
a great competitor and asset to the series. He was running very well
this weekend and we can understand his reluctance to give up the fight
for a condition that was essentially caused by another competitor.
Nevertheless, we were compelled to enforce our regulations and he was
expected to heed them. “We cannot tolerate any deliberate disregard
for our rules, most especially those coming from the race director
during an event. We expect all competitors to take notice that Stars
will react swiftly and strongly to any infractions in these areas.
4/28/03
Alonso & Speed take karting wins
Californian Andrew Alfonso came out on top after a thrilling five-way
battle in the ICA race at the Snap-on Champ Car Stars of Tomorrow
presented by RACER event Sunday at Buttonwillow Raceway. The JM
Racing/Avanti driver made a late race pass on TNR Kartsport’s Chris
Giumarra for the lead on lap 27 of the 30 lap affair. The race saw no
fewer than five lead changes among four drivers. “Like Jean (team
owner Jean Marchioni) told me, ‘be patient out there, save the tires
and everyone else is going to come back to you.’ And it paid off with
about five to go.” Giumarra, winner in the first Stars race
Saturday, established the lead early but was then passed by Joel
Miller and Genesis Racing’s Chris Glover. Glover proceeded to pass
Miller a few laps later. It didn’t last long, however, as a mid race
tussle saw the Canadian relegated to fourth as Giumarra regained the
lead with Miller in second and Alfonso in the third position. Two
drivers in the ICC shifter class bounced back from adversity as KLS
Racing’s Alex Speed earned the win and Trackmagic driver Kyle Martin
finished third. Both drivers suffered mechanical disqualifications
during Saturday action. Alan Sciuto, Saturday’s winner, finished
second.
SATURDAY (April 26) RESULTS SUNDAY
(April 27) RESULTS
ICC (125cc shifter) ICC (125cc shifter)
1. Alan Sciutto 1. Alex Speed
2. Jason Bowles 2. Alan Sciutto
3. Tom Dyer 3. Kyle Martin
ICA (100cc direct drive) ICA (100cc direct drive)
1. Chris Giumarra 1. Andrew Alfonso
2. Andrew Alfonso 2. Kevin Glover
3. Tyler Dueck 3. Joel Miller
ROTAX ROTAX
1. Clark Sanchez-Figuera 1. Clark Sanchez-Figuera
2. James Rooke 2. Kelsey Nash
3. Todd Del Vecchio 3. James Rooke
JR. SUPERBOX JR. SUPERBOX
1. Cole Whitt 1. Cole Nelson
2. Cole Nelson 2. James Kennedy
3. James Kennedy 3. Cole Whitt
80cc JUNIOR 80cc JUNIOR
1. Justin Moon 1. Cole Nelson
2. Cole Whitt 2. Cole Whitt
3. Jeremy Reagles 3. Matt Davis
GRAND PRODUCTS CADET (ages 8-12)GRAND PRODUCTS CADET (ages 8-12)
1. Jahana Mongul 1. Jahana Mongul
2. Gustavo Menezes 2. Jacob Neal
3. Dusty Davis 3. Miles Maroney
4/28/03
GM rep to Andretti team Al
Larsen, General Motors-Pontiac representative, will take a new job
starting in two weeks, with Michael Andretti's Andretti Green IRL Indy
Car team. Larsen will work his last NASCAR race this weekend at
Richmond. A replacement for Larsen isn't known at this time.
Insider Racing News
4/28/03
Fontana TV ratings down Fox
is going to need a boost from small markets if its ratings for
Sunday's broadcast of the Auto Club 500 Winston Cup race at California
Speedway are going to match last year's figures. Today's Sports
Business Daily says Nielsen Media Research's overnight figures from
the nation's largest markets show the race drew a 4.9 rating and an 11
share. While the ratings trail only Sunday's NBA playoff game between
the Lakers and Timberwolves (5.3/12) among weekend telecasts of
sporting events, they fall well short of the 5.9/13 that Fox drew in
2002 for the California race.
Winston Cup Scene Daily Newsletter
4/28/03
A
lap around Barcelona with Villeneuve “You start with a long
straight, which is normally a good thing for racing, but you don't
have a heavy braking point at the end of the straight here: you have
short braking into Elf - a right left combination. It's a corner that
you have to turn into early, so it doesn't leave much room to try and
out-brake someone. It's not an easy combination. Out of that you go
straight into Renault - a high-speed uphill right-hander. It's a blind
corner so you don't really see it. The track falls away from you so
the car gets light in the middle. It's a very difficult corner and
also very fast.” "Then you have a quick tap on the brakes into the
next corner, Repsol. It's a heavy braking area but short, with a very
early turn in. As soon as you turn in the corner opens up, so you can
always go faster than it appears visually. It is a very bouncy corner
because there are a lot of ripples in the asphalt. Following Repsol
there is small acceleration into the Seat hairpin. There's nothing too
special about it - it's just brake and turn and all downhill. Then you
come to an interesting corner where the track drops as you turn in.”
"The corner is slightly banked, and then at the apex the track starts
to rise so the car gets pushed down. It's a corner that you can
actually carry a lot of speed through but it's very difficult to get
right. It's easy to lose a lot of time with the wrong set-up. After
this you have a fun corner. You accelerate uphill and just at the top
of the hill you don't actually have to brake - just a little lift in
fourth or fifth gear for quite a quick right-hander, taken at around
200kmh. Campsa is an important corner as it gives speed on the back
straight, which is another place where you can overtake, as there is a
heavy braking point at the end of it into the slow La Caixa corner.”
"Then you get into the last section of the track with the tight second
corner, which is quite slow. It's slightly quicker than the other
hairpin, but still very slow. Then it's a short acceleration into a
long right-hander. It's slow again but very long and it's quite a hard
corner to get right. Finally, you come to the last 2 corners, which
are both fun. The first chink, before the pit entrance, is almost flat
out in fourth or fifth gear. Then the last corner is just a little
lift before you get in, so it's also very fast. It's an exciting
corner, as it's one of the few in F1 that actually feels fast and
gives you speed into the straight."
4/28/03
All-female crew a first Seven
Dallas-area women will make history at Texas Motor Speedway by
competing against men in the pits of a NASCAR race. An all-female pit
crew will work with driver Shawna Robinson in the O'Reilly 400. The
NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series races at TMS on June 6. It will be the
first time an all-female pit crew has gone over the wall in a major
NASCAR event.
4/28/03
Rocketsports Engineer update
The Rocketsports Champ Car team has recently recruited the expertise
of engineers Adam Schaechter, formerly with Mo Nunn Racing and Reynard
North America, and Will Phillips, from West Surrey Racing and Reynard.
With extensive experience in mechanical design and engineering, the
duo joined the Rocketsports effort at the Toyota Grand Prix of Long
Beach and will travel to Europe with the team. Phillips and
Schaechter's first impressions of the Rocketsports operation were very
positive. "I came into the Rocketsports team and back into the Champ
Car World Series after being away for seven years," said Phillips,
"and I was very impressed. Walking into a new team that is well
structured and organized was a great benefit. These are early days for
them, but they've got a good crew, who were very accommodating for new
engineers at Long Beach. They work very hard and everyone believes in
Alex and that makes all the difference. Alex is very hands-on and
knows his stuff. He provided key information for our set-up in Long
Beach." Schaechter echoed these sentiments saying, "It's refreshing to
be here with Rocketsports and back in the Champ Car World Series,
where there are more opportunities to be technically creative and
employ new ideas to new situations, all within a single race. We
jumped right into the deep end in Long Beach. Alex played a huge role
in setting the car up and is extremely knowledgeable about the Lola.
He's also very expressive and provides a lot of feedback. We listened
and he was going in the right direction, so we went with his
suggestions in Long Beach and the Portland test. We've had many good,
very technical discussions with him."
4/28/03
SARS update for CART Some
good news for CART and its upcoming Toronto race in July. SARS
is said to have peaked in most places except mainland China and 94% of
those who catch SARS survive and recover. Let the racing begin!
4/28/03
CART stock watch
MPH closed at $3.65 Up $0.03 on
Volume of 47,600 shares.
$2.94 Bid - $3.89 Ask on close.
Session Low/High $3.57/$3.75
MPH Value Change Up 0.83%
DOW Jones Up 165.26 or 1.99% on Volume of 1.57 billion shares.
NASDAQ Up 27.7 or 1.93%
S&P 500 Up 16.03 or 1.78%
Courtesy of C3I.AndersonGroupe – Chicago www.andersongroupe.com
4/28/03
An Engineers predictions for
Brands Fernandez Racing Race Engineer Chris Finch
estimates top speeds of 175 mph and minimum speeds in the
52-mph range as drivers shift 14 times per lap around the
Brands Hatch road course. Says Finch: “Brands Hatch is
considered a road circuit but it is short when compared to
other natural terrain road circuits. The Milwaukee oval is a
four-turn, one-mile oval while Brands packs seven corners in
just over a mile. Estimated laps times will be in the
mid-thirties [seconds]. Turn One [Paddock Hill Bend] is the
best passing area, but that is dependent on how well the car
is working through the last corner. The short track could make
passing difficult, so good pit strategy will be the key. Due
to the narrowness of pit lane, the standard pit procedures
have changed. There are no prescribed pit windows, but CART is
mandating two green flag stops before the white flag is given.
This will make everyone rethink their race strategy because
pit stops under yellow do not count.”
4/28/03
Irvine pans de la Rosa
According to his column in The Sun newspaper, Eddie Irvine
claims McLaren's decision to hire his ex-teammate Pedro de la
Rosa was an 'outlandish decision' and questioned de la Rosa's
abilities to develop an F1 car. "One thing that surprised me
the most this season is that my teammate at Jaguar, Pedro de
la Rosa, signed as test driver for McLaren," Irvine wrote.
"He's a charming guy, but, when he has to develop the car with
engineers he is useless." "It's a mad decision especially
considering that another of my former teammates, Luciano
Burti, is a brilliant test driver and wants to return to F1,"
he concluded.
4/28/03
Financially strapped Goodyear
looking to save money Saving money is apparently the
goal behind Goodyear's proposed plans to bring its entire
race-tire distribution program in-house. Five different
distribution companies handle Goodyear's Winston Cup
distribution operation.
Winston Salem Journal
4/28/03
NASCAR just a flash in the pan?
David D'Alessandro, the chairman and CEO of John Hancock life
insurance, isn't one of the corporate leaders who has jumped
aboard the NASCAR bandwagon. In a conversation with the Boston
Globe about his company's choices for sponsorship money,
D'Alessandro said NASCAR wasn't in his final three. "It's a
growing sport, but I think it's a flash in the pan," he said.
"It's a pure consumer product. It has 1,000 sponsorship
symbols, so there's no distinction. The fatter your driver is,
the more symbols he can have on his jumpsuit." D'Alessandro
isn't high on golf, tennis, pro football or pro basketball,
either. His top three? The Olympics, major league baseball and
the Boston Marathon.
Press Enterprise
4/28/03 F3000
Brand withdraws from F3000
Martin Kendrick has withdrawn his Brand Motorsports team from
the remainder of the F3000 season, citing his unhappiness with
the ethics and politics in the FIA F3000 series.
4/28/03
Fernández has slight advantage
going to Brands The historic Brands Hatch circuit,
site of the inaugural London Champ Car Trophy, holds special
memories for Adrian Fernandez. CART’s only competing
owner/driver has come full circle since his days of working as
an instructor to make ends meet at the legendary track – host
to Round Four of the Bridgestone Presents the Champ Car World
Series Powered by Ford. Like many drivers in the Champ Car
field, Fernandez looked to Europe during his formative years
to further his racing career. After leaving his native Mexico
at the age of 22, he spent three character-building years in
England struggling to find opportunities. It was a point in
his life that Fernandez says helped prepare him for the
future. While logging a lot of miles at Brands Hatch in his
instructor’s role, Fernandez also competed at the circuit in
the 1987 Formula Ford Festival [see note below] as well as the
1988 and 1989 RAC British Formula Ford 1600 Championship,
finishing fourth in the 1989 title chase. “I am excited to go
back to Brands Hatch because it is a track that I have taught
so many people on as an instructor. This is basically where my
dream started in terms of my international career and now,
going back as an owner and a driver, is going to be very
special. I love the track and I think it is going to be an
exciting race that I am really looking forward to. It is also
going to be a very physical race. The most exciting corner
will be Paddock [Hill Bend – Turn One, which is a fast corner
on the crest of a hill]. Obviously I have never taken it in
these cars so it is going to be quite a new experience.”
4/28/03
Fernández disqualified in
Brands debut Adrian Fernandez made quite a splash in
his first professional outing at Brands Hatch. After securing
a last-minute ride to compete in the 1987 Formula Ford
Festival, Fernandez impressed many by qualifying his
tobacco-sponsored Formula Ford on pole position for his heat
race. The team was aware of a tobacco-advertising ban during
televised sporting events and planned to change the livery to
a striped design for the final day of the event, which was to
be broadcast. When Fernandez assumed his front-row starting
position for the heat race on Saturday however, the team was
caught off guard when they were told on the grid that the
logos had to be removed. With three minutes to go before the
start, attempts were made to cover the signage but time ran
out. Fernandez, worried that logos remained visible with one
minute to go, was assured he could still compete. Three laps
into the race and while leading, Fernandez was given the black
flag and disqualified.
4/28/03
CART CBS swing begins
For the second-consecutive season, CBS Sports will have
coverage of the CART Champ Car World Series during the summer
months, starting with the London Champ Car Trophy. The
coverage begins on May 4 with a one-hour season preview show
and continues with unprecedented back-to-back days of race
coverage of May 10-11. The London Champ Car Trophy will be
shown in its entirety on May 10, with the German 500 broadcast
coming on May 11. Both races will begin at 1 p.m. Eastern
Time.
4/28/03
Portenga Captures California Victory,
Herta 5thUPDATE This Redlands Daily
Newspaper
article was written before the race, but sheds some
light on Bryan's feelings about trying his hand at NASCAR and
how very little seat time he had prior to the race.
4/26/03 - Steve Portenga made a late-race charge to win the Pontiac Wide Track
Grand Prix 200 at California Speedway on Saturday. Portenga, who
started 13th on the grid, steadily worked his way to the front and
took the lead on the 92nd circuit of the 100-lap NASCAR Grand National
Division, Winston West Series event. He pulled away to win by a
margin of 2.429 seconds over Ken Schrader. Kevin Richards was close
behind in third, followed by Johnny Borneman and Bryan Herta, who was
making his first ever stock car start.
4/28/03 Industry News
Lilly donations of $3 million
to Salvation Army The Salvation Army announced today
that it has received a $3 million grant from the
Indianapolis-based Lilly Endowment Inc. (Lilly is a Newman
Haas Champ Car team sponsor) to support American military
personnel currently engaged in the war in Iraq, and their
families. The money will fund new and existing Salvation Army
programs administered across America that provide financial
assistance to families who are in need as a result of the war.
The Salvation Army will use the grant funds to help in the
payment of rent, utilities, prescriptions and other basic
living expenses. "We are honored and thankful to have received
such a generous donation from the Lilly Endowment," said The
Salvation Army National Commander, Commissioner W. Todd
Bassett. "The Salvation Army is compassionately committed to
ensuring that the families of our military are well served
during this time of war. This grant will allow us to support
our troops -- and their families -- during this difficult
time." "Lilly Endowment is pleased to make this grant to The
Salvation Army, which time and again has effectively delivered
aid in times of need," said N. Clay Robbins, Endowment
president. "These funds not only will help The Salvation Army
provide our servicemen and women overseas with relief
packages, they also will help give them some peace of mind
knowing that The Salvation Army is supporting their families
while the are bravely serving our country." The Endowment was
founded in 1937 and is one of the nation's largest foundations
supporting the causes of community development, religion and
education.
4/28/03
Bridgestone has their hands
full As Presenting Sponsor and Official Tire
supplier for the Bridgestone Presents The Champ Car World
Series Powered by Ford, Bridgestone will have their hands full
supplying Champ Car teams with enough racing Potenzas (slicks
and treaded) for the back-to-back European dates in England
and Germany. For England, Bridgestone tire engineers will
prepare 608 slicks and 340 treaded Potenzas. For Germany, 858
slicks will be on hand for the superspeedway event. The total
number of Bridgestone Potenza tires for both events totals
1,806. The approximate weight total of the tires is 41,600
pounds (almost 21 tons).
4/28/03
CART Enters Partnership With
Hamburg-based Speedpool Multimedia
CART Champ Car has aligned itself with Speedpool
Multimedia-Service GmbH in order to promote the sanctioning
body and build exposure for the return of the world’s most
diverse open-wheel racing series to Europe’s only
superspeedway in Lausitz, Germany for Round 5 of the
Bridgestone Presents The Champ Car World Series Powered by
Ford. The Hamburg, Germany-based company specializes in motor
sports public relations and will serve as a liaison in
Germany, Austria and Switzerland for the May 11 German 500 at
EuroSpeedway Lausitz. They will commence work immediately and
will continue the project throughout and after the race. “With
its two-mile superspeedway, EuroSpeedway Lausitz is one of the
most impressive and modern motor-racing circuits in the world.
When we did not return in 2002, the drivers and teams lamented
the fact that we did not go back to such a spectacular
facility,” said CART Champ Car President and CEO Christopher
R. Pook. “In the debut race, German spectators demonstrated
that CART Champ Car racing has a great number of fans in
Germany and we will give them every reason to return to see us
in 2003.” With CART’s upcoming London Champ Car Trophy at the
famed Brands Hatch circuit in northern England May 5, ticket
sales and CART Champ Car interest are at a all-time high for
the May 10-11 German 500. During Champ Car’s first venture to
the high speed 2.023-mile superspeedway in 2001, the event
attracted nearly 150,000 fans into the Niederlausitz region.
Alex Zanardi will serve as the Grand Marshal for this year’s
German 500, marking the first time that the two-time Champ Car
World Series title winner (1997, 98) has returned to the
German superspeedway since his accident in the 2001 event. The
German 500 will be televised on a tape-delayed basis by CBS on
Sunday, May 11 at 1:00 pm ET. Live audio and timing & scoring
will be available on the official website of the series,
www.champcarworldseries.com.
4/28/03
Derrike Cope sponsorship In
Format New To Auto Racing; Probable Future Trend
What some are calling the most unique corporate sponsorship
program in motorsports might very well be the trend of the
future. At least, that’s the thought of veteran NASCAR Winston
Cup driver Derrike Cope, a Spanaway, Wash., native. Friendly’s
Ice Cream, a family restaurant company serving signature
sandwiches, entrees and ice cream desserts, is sponsoring
Cope’s #37 Chevrolet this week at Richmond, Va., and has at
least four other events planned for which it will be the
primary sponsor. Friendly’s also sponsored Cope in the
season-opening Daytona 500, and has appeared on the car in
selected other early-season events. Cope, however, has been
working with other companies, attempting to find regional
sponsorships in areas outside of the main Friendly’s areas,
and to develop cross-marketing and cross-promotions.
“Friendly’s is a great company with a great product but they
aren’t in San Francisco right now,” Cope said. “So we are very
close to announcing a San Francisco-based company that will
come on board as a primary sponsor for some races later this
year. That’s the way we’re putting this together.” Great
Barrier Reef Online, which has its sites set on certain major
markets, was Cope’s primary sponsor at California Speedway
last week, and may add some races throughout the season.
“Sponsorship is pretty expensive for a lot of companies but
racing is expensive, and you can’t give the return of
investment to a corporate sponsor unless you have the
financial backing to do it right,” Cope said. “We looked at
this a different way. Instead of, say, one company putting $8
million into a car, why not see if we can work with, say, four
companies putting $2 million in each? Or five companies?
“Friendly’s is a great example of what we are looking to do,”
he continued. “They want to be a part of NASCAR Winston Cup
racing but, at this point, have a hard time justifying
marketing in the southwest or midwest where they don’t
currently have restaurants. So they picked the areas where
they do have restaurants - like Richmond this week - and put
everything into those select races.” Cope is considered one of
the top business minds among drivers and owners in the sport.
Winner of the 1990 Daytona 500 and one of a handful of veteran
drivers with multiple wins in the major leagues of stock car
racing, he also has background as a television commentator and
does commercials through an endorsement with Avocor. “Twenty
years ago when sponsorship costs for a top team were in the
hundreds of thousands instead of seven and eight figures, you
could find companies willing to take a pro-active look at team
sponsorship,” Cope said. “These days, a decision goes to the
very top of the company. “You have to show these companies the
value. There has to be a return on investment,” Cope said.
“Every time I stand in front of a board of directors or a
corporate chairman, I have to keep that in the front of my
mind. These people got there because they know business. If I
can show them how sponsorship of my race team is good for their
business, they are going to jump on board, no matter what they
think about racing personally. But if can’t show them that, no
matter how much they like it, they aren’t going to do it.” For
Friendly’s, Cope found the right approach.
4/28/03
Bernie relieves Ron & Frank of $1
million For years, Ron Dennis and Frank Williams have tried
to outsmart Bernie Ecclestone, and for years, Bernie has been cleaning
their pockets. One way or the other, Bernie always seems to come out
on the winning side. This Grandprix.com article
says, The Williams and McLaren teams took
Bernie Ecclestone to arbitration at the International Chamber of
Commerce in Switzerland more than a year ago because of a supposed
agreement between them and Ecclestone over the teams getting a
percentage of the money raised by a sale of the SLEC company as part
of the settlement over the 1998 Concorde Agreement. The two teams
reckoned that they had each been promised one percent of the money
raised in the event of a flotation and had also negotiated a similar
deal if the company was sold privately. The team felt that they had
documents that covered this eventuality but the ICC did not agree and
the claim was rejected. If the claim had been successful each team
would have been owed $20.3m by SLEC, allowing for the payment which
should have been made and interest which they would be due. The teams
were also ordered to pay SLEC's costs, which are believed to be more
than $1m, which Bernie probably gets a good laugh over.
Now these two jokers are siding with the manufacturers to form a
breakaway F1 series and taking the FIA to arbitration over the banning
of electronic aids and other useless technology because they think the
driver should have all the latest gizmos at their disposal, even if
they mask a drivers shortcomings. We suspect Bernie will thwart
them once again.
Sprecher Named Official Beer of Road
America Milwaukee-based
Sprecher Brewing Company has been named the official beer of Road
America, according to George Bruggenthies, president and general
manager. The race track will serve the regional brewery's craft beers
in the luxury suites, hospitality tents and at concession stands. The
new Road America Light Ale also will be sold in area stores and
establishments. Sprecher, which produces European and
traditional-style beer, has won International Gold Medals and is the
world champion in brewing its Black Bavarian lager and Winter Brew.
"We're very pleased to be working with Sprecher," said Bruggenthies.
"Sprecher is well-known for its products and we're very proud to pour
a top-quality, award-winning Wisconsin beer at Road America." "We at
Sprecher Brewing also are pleased to be working with the capable staff
at Road America in marketing our beers," said Don Wambach, sales
manager. Sprecher, the first brewery built in Milwaukee after
Prohibition, is one of the region's best-known and most successful
small breweries. Randy Sprecher began home brewing in the '70s and
after spending time at Pabst Brewing, started his own company.
Sprecher Brewing produces five year-around beer varieties and eight
seasonal beers.
4/28/03
Another
China connection Right now, Alex Yoong is CART's best
connection to China, should it choose to race in Beijing. In F1, the
Jordan team has a Chinese sponsor and is looking to expand that.
Another driver with Chinese connections is on the horizon,
Chinese-Dutchman Ho-Pin Tung.
He is currently racing and winning in Formula BMW in Asia with
Irishman Peter Thompson's Team Meritus. The 20-year-old speaks Dutch,
English: fluent (6 year school education), French: good (4 year
school
education), German: good (4 year school education), Greek & Latin:
mediocre (4 year school education) and is studying economics & law at
Erasmus University in Rotterdam. He was an accomplished kart racer and
did well in Formula Ford and F3.
4/27/03
Random notes from under the sun in
Fontana
The process of securing a new sponsor for NASCAR’s top level series is
an extremely “complex process” that must take into account the needs
of not just a potential sponsor but also the needs of the sanctioning
body, car
owners, drivers, crews, current sponsors and all of the racetracks
involved in the sport stated a top level NASCAR official. On the issue
of the schedule, a NASCAR official stated that the Southern 500 has a
secure date on Labor Day at Darlington Raceway. Additionally, the
official stated the schedule WILL NOT be expanded to meet increased
demand in the California and Kansas markets. Phoenix was another
market mentioned as one being underserved by the sport. The
possibility Joe Gibbs Racing might actually get the car seized by
NASCAR at Texas Motor Speedway back has slipped from maybe to slim to
none. “We’ll probably call them to come get the engine and
transmission, but at this time we are leaning toward keeping the rest
of the car,” said Darby. Darby went on to say that he doesn’t see any
changes to the inspection procedure as a result of the analysis.
Stan Creekmore
4/27/03
Park woes begin on first lap
Steve Park’s hopes and dreams of a positive finish in the Auto Club
500 at California Speedway came to a halt in less than 1 lap. Starting
from the pole, Park faded quickly as the field took the green flag. By
the time the field entered the second turn Park’s No. Pennzoil
Chevrolet had become the meat in a sheet metal sandwich, ripe for
disaster. As Ryan Newman rolled past on the outside Park’s Chevrolet
pushed up into Newman’s Dodge, triggering a wreck that sent both cars
to the garage for repairs. Surrounded by the media, both drivers took
different tacks to avoid the inevitable questions about who might be
to blame. Park remained in his car, a stoic look almost hidden behind
the visor of his helmet. Newman took out his frustration on the bent
sheet metal of his racecar with a hammer, thus avoiding contact with
the press. Repairs complete Park re-entered the race on lap 52 while
Newman continued to bang away alongside his crew in the garage. Newman
returned on lap 153, ran 33 more circuits and then retired for the
day. Park ran 137 more laps before calling it a day. “I don’t know if
someone got into the No. 1 car or not, but all I know is the No. 1 car
got loose and got up and shoved me into the wall,” Newman explained.
“It’s just one of those things. It seems like we can’t buy a break
lately and we get involved in everybody else’s bad breaks, too.”
Dave Yaeck
4/27/03
New year, same problems for Stewart
For the second year in a row, engine problems struck Tony Stewart
eliminating him from contention in the Auto Club 500 at California
Speedway. Last Year a broken oil fitting relegated Stewart to a 29th
place finish. This year, a broken rod eliminated Stewart a spirited
battle with the No. 42 Dodge of Jaime McMurray for the lead. “It just
went down to the end of the backstretch and broke a rod going into
three,” Stewart said after parking his car in the garage. “But, boy,
we sure had a heck of a car today. This Home Depot Monte Carlo was
awesome.” As a result of the engine failure Stewart finished 41st
taking a big hit in the points, but led the most laps and received 10
bonus points. He leaves California out of the top 10 in points for the
first time in 2003. He sits 11th - 331 points behind leader Matt
Kenseth Dave Yaeck
4/27/03
Close only counts....
For most drivers a top-five finish would be a career best, however
when you are accustomed to winning races a third place might have been
bittersweet. But Rusty Wallace found a silver lining in his third
place finish in the Auto Club 500 at California Speedway. Wallace,
driving the No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge, started seventh in the Auto Club
500 and led for 30 laps. A late surge by race winner Kurt Busch in the
No. 97 Rubbermaid Ford combined with a fierce battle with Bobby
Labonte in the No. 18 Chevrolet relegated him to third place. “I’m not
disappointed about nothing,” Wallace said after he exited his car. “We
were so close.” “We’ve got a winning team. We just haven’t won yet.”
Wallace may have a chance to prove that next weekend at Richmond
International Raceway. In his career, he has dominated the ¾ mile
track with six victories and 25 top 10’s. Dave Yaeck
4/27/03 Industry News
China is the next target for Nissan
Renault
Now that Nissan Motor has returned, debt-free, to the highest level of
profitability, along with its partner Renault it is ready to take part
in the next wave of world carmaker mergers, according to its director
general Carlos Ghosn. Mr Ghosn, presenting Nissan's preliminary
results for the last financial year, which show a record net profit
and zero debt, said he was convinced the global automobile business
was moving towards further integration. He presented the partnership
forged with Renault in 1999 as a shining example of how to merge
businesses from different cultures. "This industry is going to
continue to consolidate - it is obvious," he said. "If you have on one
side companies that are extremely competitive, with a very good
business system, providing value, growth, products, technology and a
high level of profitability, and on the other side players who have
difficulty to provide the same things, it will call for more
consolidation. "What kind of shape it is going to take is very
difficult to say but there is logic for the market that is still there
and as long as you have big differential, you will have change," said
Mr Ghosn, who will take over as concurrent head of Renault in 2005. "I
hope that Nissan and Renault will continue to operate in the same
spirit that we have started. This spirit is one of partnership. The
logic is not to have a major and a minor partner, the logic is to
create a partnership with exchanges, respect for each company. The
result of it is that you see Nissan blooming today." Their 10.8 per
cent operating margin is "at the highest level in the world automobile
industry". The 19.5 per cent return on invested capital (ROIC, a new
performance yardstick for the group,) was also among the best in the
business, Mr Ghosn said. "In terms of the operating margin and ROIC,
our goal is to remain the most profitable constructor in the world,"
he said. A Tokyo-based international investment banker said: "Mr Ghosn
thinks the management model created by the alliance with Renault can
be extended to other partners." The next target will be China.
4/27/03
LA is the last market for NASCAR to
conquer
This Roanoke Times article
says, While the Winston Cup Series races today in this Los Angeles
suburb, the question is not who will win, but who will watch. Los
Angeles' low TV ratings, declining viewership and little demand for
extra seats at California Speedway challenge NASCAR on how to tap into
the nation's second-largest media market. How series officials plan to
increase interest in Los Angeles and the West Coast could affect fans
in the Carolinas and Virginia. Next season there could be fewer Cup
races in the Southeast, a second Cup race at California Speedway and
later starting times. "The conversion of the California population to
NASCAR fans would be the last standing impediment to a claim that we
have completely ... pervaded the entire major market of the United
States," said Geoff Smith, president of Roush Racing. "That would lead
to the full acceptance by even the skeptics of whether our sport had
truly achieved the national status that we claim that we have." So
far, Los Angeles is lukewarm to NASCAR. TV ratings and the number of
households viewing Cup races have dropped since 2001. California
Speedway's 92,000 seats are 13,000 fewer than at Richmond
International Raceway - where the series heads this week - and no
immediate expansion is planned for Southern California's only Cup
track. More...
4/27/03
Andretti's 8th brings 10,750 donated
books
John Andretti and the #43 Dodge team did more than run a race for
themselves and their fans Sunday at the two-mile California Speedway.
By completing all 250 laps in Sunday’s NASCAR Winston Cup event,
10,750 new books will now be donated by First Book and Cheerios to
children in the greater Los Angeles area. Through the Cheerios
Spoonfuls of Stories program, 43 books were donated for every lap
Andretti completed Sunday 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 serving children in
the city of Los Angeles. “Obviously, our goal was to win the race and
run as well as we could but we’re happy that our race team and Petty
Enterprises could play a role in this great program,” said Andretti,
who finished eighth. “We know these books will go to great use, and
will hopefully encourage the enjoyment of reading for a lot of
children. “The Cheerios Spoonfuls of Stories program is a fantastic
way to encourage reading and to help young people all over the
country. We are proud to be part of it,” he added. The goal of the
donation was to drive home Cheerios’ commitment to childhood literacy.
Just as Cheerios helps fuel kids for the day, reading gives them the
power to succeed in life. With that in mind, Cheerios is making a
significant commitment to childhood literacy through the Spoonfuls of
Stories program, including partnering with First Book, a non-profit
organization that helps get books to children from low-income
families. Andretti and Petty Enterprises are partnering in this effort
for one race by encouraging children to read more, and by reaching out
to help others.
4/27/03
Sciuto and Giumarra shine in CART
karting races Young phenom Alan Sciuto dominated the
popular ICC shifter kart class in the opening race of the Snap-on
Champ Car Stars of Tomorrow presented by RACER. Sciuto, who was the
top junior shifter pilot in 2002, swept pole, heat, and main events
against 47 of the best shifter kart racers in North America in
Saturday’s season opening action. In the other Stars premier class,
Chris Giumarra outlasted Canadian Jordy Vorrath in a fierce, 30 lap
battle for ICA direct drive honors. Giumarra, one of the standouts in
the sport, traded the lead with Vorrath, culminating in a last lap
collision as Giumarra came alongside to pass. Vorrath retired while
Giumarra was able to keep momentum, re-enter the track and cruise home
to a twelve second victory over Andrew Alfonso. Sciuto expressed how
thrilled he was with his win in his first senior ICC race in his
trademark, understated style. “It’s just incredible. It’s a dream come
true to do it against all these great drivers,” said the 14 year old
from Orange, California after finishing ahead of teammate Jason Bowles
and Leading Edge driver Tom Dyer. In other Stars classes,
Burbank, California’s Clark Sanchez-Figueras continued to impress with
a dominating victory in Rotax Max. Justin Moon won the 80cc Junior
class; Cole Whitt took Junior Superbox honors, and Jahana Mongul was
victorious in the eight to twelve year old Grand Products Cadet class.
Sunday brings race two in the Stars West Division schedule. The
Champ Car 'Stars of Tomorrow' presented by RACER karting series is the
official first level in CART's driver development system and an
officially sanctioned series of WKA/SCCA Pro Racing.
4/27/03
Three Audi R8 racers at Le Mans
pre-test Preparations for the 2003 Le Mans 24 Hours is
entering the next level on Sunday with the pre-test. The Audi customer
teams, Audi Sport Japan Team Goh, Audi Sport UK and Team ADT Champion
Racing start at the French endurance classic with three Audi R8
racers. The nine drivers of the three teams are all on duty at Le Mans
on Sunday. “Although there are eight hours available during the
pre-test, time is of a premium, because the track is as usual very
dirty and slippery in the morning,” said Audi driver Marco Werner.
This year, the customer teams are able to use the resources of data
and experience established by the Audi works team, which won the 24
Hours of Le Mans three times in succession between 2000 and 2002. “We
will start the pre-test with exactly the same set-up which proved so
successful last year,” explained Frank Biela who drives for Audi Sport
UK and has his sights firmly set on his fourth Le Mans victory in
succession.
4/27/03 Superfund World Series
by Nissan
Gene and Montagny win at Zolder
Result race 1, Zolder
Pos Driver Team Time
1 M Gene Adrian Campos Motorsport 27m17.501s
2 B Leinders Racing Engineering +0.298s
3 N Siedler Zele Racing +0.760s
4 N Karthikeyan Carlin Motorsport +1.216s
5 P Villaamil RC Motorsport +1.799s
6 P Edwards KTR +2.557s
7 F Portiero KTR +3.360s
8 A Vilarino Epsilon +4.234s
9 T Rocha Zele Racing +5.014s
10 B Besson Saulnier Racing +5.314s
Result race 2 Zolder:
Pos Driver Team Time
1 F Montagny Gabord 36m55.354s
2 J Ravier Epsilon +26.760s
3 N Karthikeyan Carlin +27.569s
4 B Besson Saulnier +39.646s
5 N Siedler Zele +40.670s
6 H Kovalainen Gabord +51.055s
4/27/03 German DTM
Bernd Schneider wins at Hockenheim
57,000 spectators witnessed the premiere of the new DTM race format,
run in the wet. The track and weather conditions during his
debut in the Touring Car “Top Class” could hardly have been more
difficult for the drivers. It started to rain punctually at the
start in Hockenheim at 2 p.m. Even the most seasoned campaigners had
difficulty keeping the touring cars, with over 450 hp running on slick
tires, on a circuit that was as slippery as ice. Results :
1 Bernd Schneider (Mercedes) 37 laps in 1h 11m 06.451s
2 Marcel Fässler (Mercedes) + 28.002s
3 Laurent Aiello (Abt-Audi TT-R) + 28.292s
4 Jean Alesi (Mercedes) + 38.467s
5 Christijan Albers (Mercedes) + 1m 01.237s
6 Peter Dumbreck (Opel) + 1m 16.749s
7 Timo Scheider (Opel) + 1m 19.342s
8 Mattias Ekström (Abt-Audi TT-R) + 1m 22.578s
4/27/03
Gelinas and Freudenberg win rounds 2 &
3 Philippe Gelinas of Grand-Mere, Quebec, took his
first-ever win in Formula Dodge National Championship competition at
Virginia International Raceway in Danville, Virginia, Saturday (round
2 of 2003 Formula Dodge National Championship) as he took the
checkered flag ahead of Zilvinas Oskutis of Lithuania and Salvador
Duran of Mexico City, Mexico. Pole sitter Rafael Matos came home
fourth ahead of early race leader Ben Freudenberg, who finished fifth.
Barber-Champ Car Karting Scholarship driver Matt Jaskol of Las Vegas,
Nevada, finished sixth after scoring the fastest lap of the race, a
new track record. Gerardo Bonilla of Orlando, Florida finished seventh
as recently crowned 2003 Skip Barber Southern Race Series Champion and
Barber-Champ Car Karting Scholarship driver Joe D'Agostino finished
eighth ahead of Aivaras Pyragius, who moved up from 22nd starting spot
to take ninth ahead of Brian Frisselle. Frisselle was forced to fight
his way back into the top ten after falling down in the order early in
the race when he was forced off the track. The race was exciting from
start to finish, with the top six drivers finishing within just .6
seconds apart. Gelinas, drove his way to winning a spot on the
Barber-Champ Car Karting Scholarship Team at Sebring International
Raceway in January, and converted the potential he showed at the
runoff into results as he won on the 3.27-mile long course layout set
in the rolling hills of southern Virginia. Round 3 of the series
was held on Sunday. Ben Freudenberg of North Bend, Oregon, won
the second Formula Dodge National Championship race of the weekend at
Virginia International Raceway, leading seven of the eleven laps to
take the checkered flag ahead of Barber-Champ Car Karting Scholarship
driver Matt Jaskol of Las Vegas, Nevada, and Zilvinas Oskutis of
Lithuania. Ricky Schmidt of Lebec, California, took fourth position
after starting from the seventh spot while fellow Barber-Champ Car
Karting Scholarship driver Joe D'Agostino took fifth place with a
strong drive from his twelfth starting position. Brian Frisselle of
Kihei, Hawaii, also made an impressive charge through the field to
take sixth spot after starting back in fourteenth, with race one
winner Philippe Gelinas of Grand-Mere, Quebec, finishing in seventh.
Salvador Duran of Mexico City, Mexico, made the biggest move up of the
field, as he started nineteenth and finished in eighth after running
as high as sixth before getting shuffled back late in the race. Duran
also set the fastest lap of the race with a 2:11.305-second tour of
the 3.27-mile long course layout at Virginia International Raceway.
Dominique Claessens of Torrance, California came home ninth, with
Cliff White taking tenth spot, his first top-ten in Formula Dodge
National Championship competition. Freudenberg was overjoyed with the
win after driving a smart race with the perfect combination of
aggression and patience. " My car was much better today after I made a
change to the set-up on it," said Freudenberg. "I was also doing a
much better job at the Oak Tree corner, which leads onto the long back
stretch, and that made a big difference in my pace for the race. The
guys behind me started to fight amongst themselves for second, and
that was good for me, since I could get up in front, ahead of where
they could draft me, so I could build on my lead." Barber-Champ Car
Karting Scholarship driver Matt Jaskol, who won the season-opening
race in Sebring, backed up that performance with his second-place
finish at V.I.R.
4/27/03
Ecclestone moves up to 3rd richest
The Sunday Times of London published the 1,000 richest people in
Britain today and Bernie Ecclestone has moved up to the third richest
Briton with an estimated wealth of £2,400 million ($3.8 billion USD).
Last year, the family wealth of Bernie and Slavicia Ecclestone was
rated at almost £3 billion yet he was only 5th wealthiest. But
following falls of others’ wealth, Bernie and his family are back up
to third. Apart from his SLEC shares, the Sunday Times lists his
assets as Asian shopping centers, a Swiss hotel and a £4m Swiss
chalet. However there's no chance of Ecclestone overhauling Britain's
wealthiest man, the Duke of Westminster. He's valued at almost £5
billion. Interestingly, the next motorsport Brit on the list is
Paddy McNally. McNally, who is Bernie’s close associate and the
man who earns income from F1 trackside advertising and the upmarket
Paddock Club hospitality business, is rated at £250 million. The
Sunday Times claim that the two businesses produce a combined £160m in
profit a year ($254 million). Sir Richard Branson, the Virgin
baron, and rumored on these pages to have an interest in Motorsports,
is rated at 15th with a wealth of $2 billion USD. The top 10 in
England:
1 The Duke of Westminster £4,900m
2 Hans Rausing £4,800m
3 Bernie and Slavica Ecclestone £2,400m
4 Charlene and Michel de Carvalho £2,284m
5 David and Simon Reuben £2,100m
6 Philip Green £1,850m
7 Sri and Gopi Hinduja £1,836m
8 Joseph Lewis £1,800m
9 Kirsten Rausing £1,600m
10 Lord Sainsbury and Family £1,500m
When looking at Europe as a whole,
Ecclestone is the 40th richest. The Porsche family is 9th with a
wealth of about $10 billion.
4/27/03
Is there really any doubt Mario
Andretti is/was America's biggest star? UPDATE A reader writes, Dear
AR1, Is there really any doubt Mario Andretti is/was America's biggest
star? And my family and I have had the privilege to meet with him, eat
with him and have two laps around the streets of Miami circuit with
him. How lucky am I? When I saw him in the paddock at St. Petersburg,
he remembered my son and me by name. You could never convince me that
anyone else is worthy of the title of the greatest driver ever. Sam
Mancuso, Davie, Florida4/26/03 - Mario Andretti
commanded so much attention when he stepped back into an Indy Car this
week. Although his crash garnered major coverage, the fact of
the matter is that even before he crashed, the story of him stepping
back into a car made the sport pages around the world. When he
crashed and it was captured on video, it made as much noise worldwide
as Dale Earnhardt's death a couple of years ago. If, god forbid,
he had died as Earnhardt did, the story would have made the front page
of Time and Newsweek just like Earnhardt. Unlike AJ Foyt and
Richard Petty, who are USA heroes, Mario Andretti is known worldwide,
even to this day. The fact that he turned a lap at almost 226
MPH prior to the crash, his first day back in an Indy Car since 1994,
at the age of 63, shows just how good he was. This Indy Star
article talks about what the video they shot of the crash
meant to their ratings. The crash was shown on just about every
TV station around the world. Amazing....as was Mario.
Mark C.
4/27/03
Milwaukee
Mile grandstands near completion
The new Milwaukee Mile grandstands are nearing completion as seen in
this photo. We like they way they are building the grandstands
with a steep incline for better spectator viewing. CART would be
wise to insist that all promoters build grandstands and temporary
bleachers steep, so the fans can se over the head of the person in the
row in front of them.
4/26/03
Portenga Captures California Victory,
Herta 5th
Steve Portenga made a late-race charge to win the Pontiac Wide Track
Grand Prix 200 at California Speedway on Saturday. Portenga, who
started 13th on the grid, steadily worked his way to the front and
took the lead on the 92nd circuit of the 100-lap NASCAR Grand National
Division, Winston West Series event. He pulled away to win by a
margin of 2.429 seconds over Ken Schrader. Kevin Richards was close
behind in third, followed by Johnny Borneman and Bryan Herta, who was
making his first ever stock car start.
4/26/03
Lights at Dover a few years away
Lights more than likely won't be installed at Dover International
Speedway next year, according to speedway media relations director
John Dunlap. It's still being discussed, but night racing could be two
years away at the earliest. However, if television directs the
speedway to install lights, then plans could be altered. NASCAR
announced in January that its realignment for 2004 could include more
twilight or evening races.
Patriot-News
4/26/03
The
Big Gulp
A reader writes, Dear AutoRacing1.com, Given Mario's big crash, don't
you think it is appropriate that it said Big Gulp on the side of his
car? Robert Smith, Phoenix, Arizona
4/26/03
Misc. Saturday notes from Fontana
by Dave Yaeck
Matt Kenseth won the
CaliforniaSpeedway.com 300 over Michael Waltrip by .882 seconds.
Rounding out the top 5 were Kevin Harvick, Kasey Kahne, and Todd
Bodine.
Starting pitchers from the 2002 MLB World
Champion California Angels kicked off the CaliforniaSpeedway.com 300
Busch Series race. Pitchers Jarrod Washburn, John Lackey, Kevin Appier
and Mickey Callaway were on hand to make the famous call of “Gentlemen
Start Your Engines.”
Bobby Labonte was quickest in the morning
practice with a lap of 39.111 seconds, 184.091mph.
Kurt Busch was quickest in Happy Hour with
a lap of 39.800 seconds, 180.905mph.
There is the potential of a $100,000 bonus
paid to one of 3 drivers. Matt Kenseth (No. 17 DeWalt Power Tools
Ford), Dale Earnhardt Jr. (No. 8 Budweiser Chevrolet), and Jeff Gordon
(No. 24 Dupont Chevrolet) all have a mathematical opportunity of
collecting the NASCAR Winston Cup Leader Bonus.
The leader bonus is awarded to a driver
who wins the race and is the leader in the NASCAR Winston Cup point
standings.
4/26/03
Earnhardt says Talladega and Daytona
easy
In a comparison of rookies, Dale Earnhardt Jr. stated it took him
longer to get his nerve up at California and Michigan. “(Ryan) Newman,
he just got here and did it,” said Earnhardt before qualifying on
Friday. “I went out there and it took some time for me to feel
comfortable that my right rear tire wouldn’t spin as I drove through
the corner.” When asked to compare the tracks at Daytona and Talladega
to California in terms of “nerve” Earnhardt said, “Daytona and
Talladega are simple to drive, you just get on the gas and go. At
California you have to get comfortable with driving so hard into the
corners.” Stan Creekmore
4/26/03
Don’t sign up Steve Park for
unemployment just yet
Rumors that Park is about to be replaced by Shane Hmiel or Jason
Keller are untrue according to Ty Norris, DEI executive. Norris says
DEI stands behind Park and efforts to improve the performance of the
No. 1 Pennzoil Chevrolet are ongoing with a focus on keeping Park in
the car beyond the 2003 season. Stan Creekmore
4/26/03
Parrott finds happiness
Brad Parrott, ousted crew chief at Robert Yates Racing, has found
happiness in his new role as the car chief of the No. 99 Citgo Ford
driven by Jeff Burton and owned by Roush Racing. Parrott, once crew
chief of Burton’s Busch Series effort, might never have left the
employ of Roush but it was not his wish to be a replacement for
Frankie Stoddard. The best part of returning to the Roush fold, at
least for Parrott, is the measure of communication among the Roush
Racing camp, something he hints was sorely lacking at RYR.
Stan Creekmore
4/26/03
John Andretti takes swipe at cousin &
Gordon
According to this SPEED article
Andretti Green announced Friday morning that Robby Gordon, NASCAR
regular and eight-time competitor in America's holiest of automobile
races, would stand in for injured Dario Franchitti next month.
Franchitti was injured in a motorcycle wreck, suffering broken
vertebrae, and has been advised not to compete. Michael Andretti's
cousin, John Andretti, who migrated to NASCAR in 1994 with the
wound-down team of Billy Hagan, has been a NASCAR regular ever since,
with Michael Kranefuss, Cale Yarborough, and Petty Enterprises, his
home since 1998. Andretti, son of Aldo Andretti (Mario's twin brother)
and cousin of team owner/driver Michael Andretti, who will retire from
driving after the 400, expressed off-the-record bitterness toward his
cousin's choice. "I'll be there that Wednesday, and I'll qualify the
car, because [Gordon] will be in the hospital by then," John Andretti
said. "I don't really have much to say," he added. "You guys only come
around here when there's something like this to talk about."
4/26/03
Richards denies Sato rumors
BAR boss Dave Richards has denied that Takuma Sato will definitely be
replacing either Jacques Villeneuve or Jenson Button next season. He
told ITV-F1: "You might read stories suggesting that Sato has a
contract to race for us next year. This is not the case." "We have
some options but nothing is decided yet about Jacques and he is going
really well. We have two drivers who are pushing one another, why
would we want to change that?"
4/26/03
Webber talks tough about teammate
Regarding Antonio Pizzonia, Mark Webber's Jaguar teammate, who has
been struggling all year while he has been a big surprise, Webber had
this to say - "I feel sorry for Antonio but at this level there's no
way you can start helping another driver - this isn't Formula Ford,"
Webber told The Sun newspaper. "You have to stand on your own feet in
F1," he added. "In this game you fight the war with the soldiers
you've got because nobody wants to hear excuses." "I think Antonio
could turn things around because he has been quick during a Grand Prix
weekend - but it's been in the wrong sessions."
4/26/03
Mario Andretti calls for CART/IRL
merger
This London Free Press
article says, Michael Andretti may be a team owner and driver
in the Indy Racing League, but that doesn't mean his father supports
the all-oval IndyCar Series. "I'm a CART supporter. I'm not an IRL
supporter. I support my son," Mario Andretti said last night during an
appearance at Delaware Speedway. "An all-oval, open-wheel series like
IRL, I do not support. I believe in diversity." The CART Champ Car
World Series, where Andretti starred, has oval and road course events,
while IndyCar is run all on ovals. Andretti, 63, who this week was
successful in bringing CART and Road America back together for this
season, said having two open-wheel series in North America is not
healthy. "We need to marry the two," he said of CART and IRL. "If
somebody would listen, I would do it in a minute. I really do believe
it can be accomplished. "But it will take several minds. I cannot
devise a plan and run it down people's throats. Everybody has to throw
something at the wall and devise a plan beneficial to everybody."
Andretti said racing must "listen to the fans." That's why he
initiated talks between CART and Road America, in Elkhart Lake, Wis.,
to restore that long-standing event. It has been renamed the Mario
Andretti Grand Prix at Road America. "This can make a win-win
situation." Andretti said. "The reaction I've been getting from the
racing community is great and we should learn from that. "Events that
have tradition, it takes almost a lifetime to build and they should
not be taken lightly." It took Andretti a little less than a lifetime
to become a racing legend.
4/26/03
Toyota Atlantic teams to test at
Portland
What: Testing of the CART Toyota
Atlantic teams at Portland International Raceway Who: The CART Toyota Atlantic Championship is the final rung in
the “Champ Car Ladder System” designed to develop the best young open
wheel racing talent. The G.I. Joe’s 200, scheduled June 20-22, will
feature a Toyota Atlantic race on Saturday. The drivers are here to
test the track and prepare their cars for that race in June. Where: Portland International Raceway 1940 N. Victory Blvd.
Portland, (exit 306B off I-5) When: April 30th and May 1st from 10am-4pm Cost: FREE when you present your 2003 G.I. Joe’s 200 ticket or
ticket confirmation card, or pay $5 per day at the gate. Teams/Drivers
DSTP Motorsports: Joey Hand
Sierra Sierra Racing: Ryan Dalziel Marc DeVellis
Rahal: Danica Patrick
Polestar Atlantic LLC: Jonathan Macri
Pacific Coast Motorsports: Alex Figge
Lynx Racing: Michael Valiante, Bryan Sellers
Transnet Racing: Alex Garcia
Dorricott Racing: Luis Diaz, Kyle Krisilof
4/26/03
Magny-Cours upgrades
Magny-Cours has completed modifications designed to improve overtaking
opportunities. Re-profiling of the circuit cost $8.5 million, and
includes a tight right-hander leading into a chicane at the end of the
lap. The changes make the track 200m longer.
4/26/03
A1 Ring upgrades
According to reports in Kleine Zeitung, Austrian-based energy drinks
company Red Bull has promised a 200 million Euro investment in the
A1-Ring, having acquired the Austrian circuit late last year. Red Bull
owner Dietrich Mateschitz, who will assume control of the venue on
October 1, plans to build a flight academy, a private university for
applied science, and a hotel complex, even though the A1-Ring will
lose its F1 fixture after this season.
4/26/03
Barrichello was asked to take
Franchitti's ride
According to brazil.crash.net, Andretti Green Racing spokesperson
stated that Ferrari F1 driver Rubens Barrichello was offered to take
the Dario Franchitti seat for the Indy 500, but Rubens was not
available. We doubt Ferrari would have allowed him to step foot
in a car at Indy given the chance of injury. Rubens also has no
oval track experience, so we doubt he would say yes for that very
reason.
4/26/03 Industry News
GM workers quarantined
General Motors Corp. has quarantined four or five hourly employees in
the Toronto area as a precaution related to SARS in that city, said a
GM-Canada spokesman. The GM employees volunteered for the 10-day
quarantine because they might have been in contact with people who
visited the two Toronto hospitals where SARS has been treated.
DaimlerChrysler Corp. had quarantined three workers in the Toronto
area because they had visited Scarborough Grace and York Central
hospitals, visited Hong Kong or exhibited SARS-like symptoms. Those
workers have passed the 10-day incubation stage and are back to work,
said a DaimlerChrysler spokeswoman.
4/26/03 Industry News
Record sales for Honda
Strong sales in North America helped Japanese automaker Honda Motor
Co. improve profits by 9.4 percent in its fiscal fourth quarter. It
closed the fiscal year with record earnings for the second straight
year and said Friday that it expects higher results this year. Japan's
second-biggest automaker earned 116.7 billion yen ($970 million), for
the January-March period, up from 106.7 billion yen a year ago and the
best quarterly profits in the company's five-decade history. Honda
said sales for the period totaled 2.13 trillion yen ($17.7 billion),
up from 2.1 trillion yen a year ago. The Pilot and Element
sport-utility vehicles and the Accord sedan led sales in North
America, and cost-cutting helped offset the negative impact of a
higher yen, which tends to shave off the value of Honda's overseas
earnings. Global vehicle sales jumped 7.4 percent to 780,000 for the
quarter, driven primarily by North American sales, which accounted for
61 percent of revenues. Tokyo-based Honda sold 402,000 vehicles in
North America, up 10 percent from 364,000 a year ago.
4/26/03
CART, Toronto and SARS
A reader writes, Dear AR1, I have a suggestion for CART. Chris
Pook should go to Toronto and appear at a Press Conference with the
Mayor to say that the CART race is going ahead and the city has the
full backing of CART. If possible take along Paul Tracy, Paul Newman,
a representative from PacifiCare, to give a realistic medical
assessment of the risk, "Tag", Carpentier, and Jimmy Vasser to show
"American Spirit" and get the message across that (1) Toronto is safe
and (2) CART backs Toronto. Results:
1) CART gets exposure, as do drivers, and sponsors, building
awareness.
2) CART shows venues that it supports them. (Portland take note)
3) Toronto gets a confidence boost.
4) Toronto natives get interested in CART and the fan base grows.
This would also be one in the eye for Tony George's Flying Circus
feat. Mario Andretti.
I majored in microbiology at University, so I am not taking SARS
lightly. Unless it mutates into a modern version of pneumonic plague
in the next month or so, - the disease that inspired the 17th Century
English nursery rhyme "A Ring-a-ring of roses, a pocketful of posies,
Attishoo, Attishoo, We all fall down." (Dead) - then I stand by this
policy. It says on my Brands Hatch ticket that "Motorsport can be
dangerous" Yes it is. But I'd rather risk SARS with CART than risk an
IRL car land on my head at 223 mph! (Never mind the racing). Go
on CART, show some leadership and back Toronto. Ed McFarlane (B.Sc.
Hons.), Goadby, England
4/26/03
Montoya Ordered To Stay Off Bike
Juan Pablo Montoya has been ordered to keep off his motorbike after
IndyCar ace Dario Franchitti injured himself in a crash. The pair
share a racing manager in Julian Jakobi, who revealed yesterday that
his Scottish charge, Franchitti, would miss the Indy 500 after
crashing through a hedge on his Ducati. He said: 'Dario is on a
special high-calcium milk diet with his trainer Tony Mathis in
Switzerland. Hopefully he will back in action soon. 'We thought it
best that Juan did not do any more riding for the moment!'
4/26/03
Saturday F1 News In Brief
Formula One's threatening manufacturers are working to attract teams
to their GPWC series by offering significantly more racing revenue.
Under Bernie Ecclestone's existing Concorde Agreement, 47% of all F1
revenue finds its way into the Grand Prix teams' pockets. But GPWC,
set to kick off in 2008 if a compromise is not reached with Formula
One bosses before then, has reportedly offered potential competitors a
full 75% of all revenue. In other quick news, Austrian energy drink
company Red Bull has vowed more than $200 million in investment for
the embattled A1-Ring circuit. Located in Zeltweg and acquired by Red
Bull late last year, the A1-Ring has lost its Grand Prix for 2004
after the Austrian government vowed to accelerate a total ban on
tobacco advertising. Meanwhile, Jos Verstappen has slammed Italian
driver Matteo Bobbi for traveling too slowly in his first Friday test
at the Enzo e Dino Ferrari (Imola) track last weekend. The 24-year-old
Milanese, Bobbi, is bringing more than $1 million in sponsorship to
struggling team Minardi in return for four two-hour, Friday morning
test sessions under the Heathrow agreement provisions. But Verstappen,
lead Minardi racer, said 'Bobbi drives in some Friday tests, but
that's almost useless. 'He is just too slow. And [team-mate Justin]
Wilson simply copies my car set-up, so I also can't gain anything from
that.'
4/26/03
German Brothers Mourn Mother
Michael and Ralf Schumacher, excused from Formula One testing duties
this week, mourned their mum at a private funeral in Germany yesterday
(Friday). The Ferrari and Williams-driving pair lost mother Elisabeth
Schumacher, 55 - who was suffering of cancer - after she fell and died
in a coma last Sunday. She was buried in the small village cemetery of
Mannheim-Kerpen, near the go-kart circuit where she and father Rolf
supported the early careers of their GP-conquering boys. Kerpen
chaplain Berthold Schmelzer backed the 34 and 27-year-olds' decision
to race in San Marino on the day their mother died (Easter Sunday)
despite criticism in the press. He said: 'Everyone must decide for
themselves how to mourn and how to remember. To race was a sign of
strength and the power of the will.'
4/26/03
Rubens: I Felt Sorry For Michael
Rubens Barrichello has praised his Ferrari team-mate for emerging
triumphant despite family tragedy at last weekend's San Marino Grand
Prix. The Brazilian worked hard to stay isolated from the sadness in
his scarlet garage at Imola after Michael Schumacher learnt that his
mother, Elisabeth, had died after a fight with cancer. 'When we were
driving, it was okay,' said 30-year-old Brazilian Rubens, 'but when we
were together that was difficult as I felt sorry for Michael. 'We have
grown closer and got to know one another better and better over the
years. Everyone knows how close I am to my family, so I really felt
sorry for him.' Barrichello told his German team-mate that he was
praying for his family. And despite scathing criticisms in the media,
the Paulista admires Schumacher for taking part in the race - 'it was
a tough decision,' said Barrichello. 'And probably one of the toughest
decisions he has ever made.' Rubens was testing the all-new F2003-GA
at Autodromo del Mugello this week despite suffering a bad bout of
common cold. 'I could not miss this important test session,' he said,
referring to Schumacher's week off to grieve and attend his mum's
funeral. 'For obvious reasons, Michael is not here and in any case, I
needed to make adjustments to my seat position. I am optimistic for
the next race.' Rubens and Michael will steer the all-new F2003-GA at
Circuit de Catalunya for the upcoming Spanish Grand Prix (May 4).
4/26/03
Ralf Thanks Supportive Fans
Ralf Schumacher has thanked his fans and a supportive contingent of
Formula One media for helping him through the loss of his mother. The
27-year-old Williams ace, brother to similarly grieving world champion
sibling Michael (Ferrari), lost his mum to cancer last Sunday before
racing in the San Marino grand prix. Ralf and Michael, accompanied by
father Rolf, attended a private burial for Elisabeth Schumacher in
their German home-town of Kerpen on Friday. 'Naturally, following the
loss of my mother last weekend, I am having a hard time at the
moment,' Ralf said in a pre-race message for BMW-Williams. 'I
therefore appreciate the support and consideration both the fans and
the media have shown myself and Michael at this difficult time.'
Despite his anguish, Schumacher will contest next weekend's Spanish
Grand Prix at Circuit de Catalunya after sitting out the week's
testing at Silverstone. He added of the Barcelona track: 'It is a
demanding circuit with four high speed corners and changeable wind
conditions; the track is on a hill so considerable pressure is placed
on the aerodynamics of the car and the tires.' Ralf noted that Spain's
is not a traditionally competitive circuit for Williams but with the
'intense development' of the FW25 and its aerodynamics of late, 'I am
fairly optimistic.' 'Then we'll see if our performance will be better
than in recent races,' the German concluded.
4/26/03
Testing Action In Italy
Formula One racer-turned-tester Takuma Sato returned to the Formula
One track in style yesterday as he went fastest. Wrapping up four days
of grand prix testing action at the Italian track, near Tuscany
(Mugello), the 26-year-old Japanese was quickest of a four-strong
field after McLaren and Ferrari returned to base. His BAR-Honda
team-mate Jacques Villeneuve was next best as he focused on a
Bridgestone tire program, followed by Antonio Pizzonia who finally
managed some mileage with his Jaguar R4. Cristiano Da Matta brought up
the rear in his TF103 but is hopeful of renewed competitiveness at
next weekend's Spanish Grand Prix. 'Circuit de Catalunya is one of the
tracks I actually know,' the Brazilian smiled as he concluded a
three-day Toyota test at Mugello. 'All in all, despite the ups and
downs we had yesterday, I am really happy that we have been able to
finish on a positive and encouraging note,' said the 29-year-old.
Takuma Sato BAR Honda 1:22.853 73 laps
Jacques Villeneuve BAR Honda B 1:23.010 78
Antonio Pizzonia Jaguar 1:23.134 73
Cristiano da Matta Toyota 1:23.254 63
Meanwhile, at the private Ferrari testing facility otherwise known as
Fiorano, Felipe Massa and Luca Badoer continued development work for
their scarlet Scuderia. Italian ace Luca Badoer was in action at the
wheel of a brand-new F2003-GA, on the day that Maranello announced it
had passed reliability checks and would definitely debut the car at
next weekend's Spanish GP. Massa, who also celebrated his 22nd
birthday, drove an older F2002 and traveled overnight to the 'Ferrari
Days' event in Belgium where he will steer the car at
Spa-Francorchamps (Saturday and Sunday). Born in Sao Paulo and
debuting for Sauber in 2002, Massa will take to the classic track for
a display at the wheel of F2001 chassis number 214, the car which
triumphed in the 2001 Japanese Grand Prix.
4/26/03
Villeneuve Slams BAR Reliability
Outspoken racer Jacques Villeneuve is still scathing of his BAR team's
reliability record. The 31-year-old Canadian, who won the championship
with Williams in 1997 before commencing a draught-stricken, four-year
career at Brackley, broke down with another technical gremlin at last
weekend's Imola grand prix. 'I was extremely disappointed,' Jacques
said of his San Marino failure, traced to the hydraulic system. 'We
have been experiencing too many mechanical problems since the
beginning of the season, when we should have been collecting as many
points as possible. 'I was confident that we would be very competitive
in Imola and it was frustrating to once again walk away without any
points.' Villeneuve opted to test at the Autodromo del Mugello this
week with his troubled 005 contender and managed some decent mileage
in between further mechanical breakages. 'It's just delaying our
progress in so many ways,' Jacques continues. The diminutive pilot
from Quebec says next weekend's race at Circuit de Catalunya, in
Spain, is often 'boring' because so much pre-season testing is carried
out there. 'It is a good race track, though,' he hastily adds. 'There
are some exciting high speed corners. It should make for an exciting
race.'
4/26/03
A letter of thanks to Mario
This Arizona Republic
article says, Dear Mario Andretti, Thank goodness you came to
your senses and decided against attempting to qualify for the
Indianapolis 500. But what in the name of A.J. Foyt were you
thinking? When you exited your mangled car after Wednesday's
horrific crash at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, the first words out of
your mouth to slack-jawed reporters were about returning to the car
when Indianapolis 500 practice begins May 4. What are you, nuts?
We don't care how fit you are or how great you used to be - and in the
eyes of many, including the staff here at Motorsport Central's
Southwest bureau, you were the greatest ever - you don't need to be
traveling 225 mph in an Indy car. Not at your age, which if
you've forgotten, is 63. Even Foyt, your archrival, had the good sense
to walk away in 1992 at age 57, which remains the age of the oldest
starter in Indy 500 history. Worse, the last time you drove was
in 1994. That's nine years, Mario. What are you trying to do,
catch lightning in a bottle?
4/26/03
Another F1 driver praises HANS Device
Have all the F1 crybaby drivers put their crying towels away yet
regarding having to wear the HANS device? BMW WILLIAMSF1 driver
Juan Pablo Montoya has praised the HANS safety device after he escaped
from a terrifying high-speed crash during testing at the Silverstone
circuit on Wednesday. “When I turned the wheel right for the second
Becketts there was a light oversteer and then things started to happen
very fast”, Montoya recalled. “I think I was driving about 300kph when
I went off and may have crashed into the tire walls with something
between 250 and 270 kph." "HANS did exactly and completely what it is
supposed to do by holding my head during this extremely hard impact.
Finally I ended up underneath the tire barrier and it took me some
time to get out of the car. But now I’m feeling well again. Only my
back and my elbow are just a bit sore.”
4/25/03
Ferrari will run new car in Spain
The Spanish Grand Prix, the fifth round of the Formula 1 World
Championship, marks the race debut of the F2003-GA. The decision to
run the new car as from the Barcelona event was taken today in
Maranello, after an in-depth analysis of the data acquired over the
last few days of testing, when the car ran at Mugello and Fiorano, in
the hands of Luca Badoer, Felipe Massa and Rubens Barrichello. “We are
happy to have overcome the running-in problems which prevented us
giving it its debut in Imola,” said Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro
Technical Director, Ross Brawn. “Now we are ready to use it in a race.
This week’s testing went very well and I am as confident as one can be
when running a new car. The F2002 was a fantastic car, but it has
reached the end of its development cycle. The new machine has already
shown itself to be quicker and we have some further improvements in
mind for the rest of the season.” “We have signed off the 052 engine
in reliability terms, having successfully completed all the tests,
both on the bench and the track,” added Engine Department Director,
Paolo Martinelli. “Badoer has completed three Grand Prix distance
simulations at Mugello, without experiencing any technical problems.
Now, the new engine is ready to face a race weekend and we are already
working on further evolutionary steps for later in the year.” Today,
Ferrari was testing at Fiorano, with Luca Badoer driving an F2003-GA
and Felipe Massa, celebrating his twenty second birthday, at the wheel
of an F2002. Tomorrow will be another working Saturday at Fiorano,
with Badoer carrying out a further day of testing.
4/25/03
Andretti.com to host silent auction
Indy racing legend Michael Andretti announced today an online auction
of race-worn and collectible items, as well as the once-in-a-lifetime
opportunity to be part of his pit crew for the final race of his
career, the 2003 Indianapolis 500. The auction will be held online at
http://auction.andretti.com
beginning April 25, 2003 and will culminate in a combination live and
online auction May 10, 2003, ending at 10:30 p.m. EDT. Attendees at
the “Countdown to Indy” Party being held on Saturday, May 10th from
7:00 – 10:30 pm EDT will have the opportunity to bid in conjunction
with fans online. Proceeds will benefit the newly formed The Michael
Andretti Foundation and Education is Freedom, a foundation launched
last year by Andretti team sponsor 7-Eleven, Inc. to fund college
scholarships. In addition to the pit crew opportunity, bidders can bid
on many unique items including a pace-car ride at this year’s Indy
500; Michael Andretti-autographed gloves; a Klein Tools Aerobatic
ride; a Tony Kanaan/Michael Andretti combined paint scheme helmet, a
rookie/veteran design combo helmet of both Dan Wheldon’s helmet design
along with Andretti’s, a two-seater ride provided by the IRL; a Mario
Andretti replica helmet; and other notable celebrity collectibles and
driver items. Also up for bids are two tickets to Andretti’s
invitation-only retirement party set for Saturday, May 10 at the
Brickyard Hotel Pavilion. 7-Eleven, Honda, Motorola, Archipelago,
Klein Tools, Jim Beam, Firestone, Budweiser, Pepsi and other associate
sponsors are playing an active role in supporting Michael’s “Countdown
to Indy” activities. Proceeds from the auction will benefit Andretti’s
new foundation, a non-profit organization that will support a variety
of charitable causes promoting programs for better health, education
and welfare. Proceeds will also benefit Education is Freedom, a public
charity launched in 2002 by 7-Eleven, the primary sponsor for Michael
and teammate Tony Kanaan this year. Education is Freedom (EIF) is a
new 501(c)(3) public foundation that focuses national attention and
resources on students that have shown academic promise and leadership,
but need financial assistance and guidance to go to college. Its
objective is to remove the economic obstacles to higher education for
young people up to age 24 by providing scholarships to high school
graduates who qualify for little or no financial aid. For more
information or to donate, visit the EIF website at
www.educationisfreedom.org,
or call 1-866-EIF-EDUCATE. For more information on the auction,
including the various auction items, visit
http://auction.andretti.com.
To learn more about Michael Andretti and his Countdown to Indy
activities, visit
http://www.andretti.com.
4/25/03
What CART move-over rule means
CART will give all cars on the lead lap a clear path to the
checkered flag after any restart in the final 10 laps of a
race. Beginning with the May 31 Milwaukee Mile 250, CART will
use a new "move-over" rule permitting the chief steward to
send cars that are one or more laps behind the leader to the
end of the restart line during the closing laps of a race.
That will enable the leaders to race each other without having
to dodge slower cars that, presumably, have no chance to win.
4/25/03
More Feedback on Chicken and Egg
article Another reader
writes, Dear AR1, In regards to the Chicken and Egg
article.
Toronto is an amazing event. Everyone knows. And for that
week, the Molson Indy is everywhere. However, when the CART
circus folds it's tents up, so does the media coverage by and
large. Many of the "fans" go back to their baseball etc. The
trick is getting those people hooked to the whole series. As I
drive around Toronto I am amazed at all the NASCAR stickers
etc I see. We have no race, no drivers or teams. Yet it is
everywhere. Amazing. Jeff Teravainen, Toronto
4/25/03
Nick
Carter of Backstreet Boys kick off GP of Americas Race Week
Nick Carter from the Backstreet Boys appeared at a press
conference for the Miami Sports & Exhibition Authority
promoting Race Week Miami. Race Week Miami will kick off with
the Super Boat National Championships September 19-21st and
conclude with the Grand Prix Americas featuring the American
Le Mans Series and the Champ Car World Series September 26th -
28th. The week of racing also includes the Race Week Miami
Regatta, Outboard Motor Boat Events, family activities and
numerous special events with a grand finale concert at the
Miami Arena Sunday September 28th. Nick Carter will be part of
the El Diablo Racing Team that will be racing in the Superboat
Unlimited Class for Super Boat International. His boat, El
Diablo, will be on display on Watson Island throughout the
weekend.
4/25/03
Scott Dixon broke pelvis tooUPDATE This Aukland NZ
newspaper
article has more details on Dixon's injuries.
4/23/03 - More bad news for the IRL, as the injury rate mounts for the most
dangerous form of motorsports in the world. Scott Dixon's
injuries are far worse than first thought after his recent high speed
crash in the Japan round of the Indy Racing League. X-rays today in
the US have revealed that Dixon has fractured his pelvis in three
places, that is to go along with his broken wrist. Dixon has been
complaining of a sore hip ever since the crash and doctors have only
just discovered the latest injury. However he still remains optimistic
of driving in the famous Indy 500 next month. But his mother Glenys
Dixon says if Scott does drive in the Indy 500, he will still be in
some pain and discomfort. Add the Kenny Brack and Mario Andretti
cars that were wiped out at Indy today, Foyt's car two days ago, and
one can see that the human and race car expense in the IRL is pushing
costs through the roof.
4/25/03
Pizzonia suffering much like
Andretti did
The new rules are hitting Pizzonia much the same as when
Michael Andretti tried F1 at McLaren as Senna's team-mate. He
never got to grips with his new challenge. Shortage of
pre-season testing in a year when the sport's rule-makers
imposed a limit to the number of practice laps hardly helped
Michael, who was hampered by seemingly endless spins and minor
collisions. Also, having a team-mate who is obviously faster
doesn't help your confidence. Michael was running at the head
of the pack in CART to being a backmarker in F1. Pizzonia went
from being quick in his role as BMW-Williams tester last year
and fourth in F3000 to driving over his head to compensate for
lack of track time. Warren Davis
4/25/03
Feedback on Chicken and Egg
article A reader
writes, Dear AR1, I think Scott Morris hit it right on the
head in his
article. CART needs to do a little 'begging' for
once! CART certainly is in no position to 'dictate policy', if
you will, to potential series sponsors. As it stands right
now, their TV package is absolutely terrible, and they have no
significant driver personalities. Don't get me wrong, I think
Chris Pook has done almost an impossible job at even keeping
CART alive let alone to prosper. But the way I see it, they're
going to HAVE to do SOMETHING to reestablish themselves in the
motorsports marketplace. (EXAMPLE: American drivers, drivers
in commercials, etc... and just some plain old brand
awareness.) That takes time and leverage (MONEY!). I don't see
ANY trend toward that goal. I hope I'm wrong. All I see is
what got CART into this mess in the first place and that is
arrogance. Again, I hope I'm wrong. There is one area where I
think Pook is apparently missing the mark and that is his
'assertion' that CART needs to be built up in a similar manner
that was done with the NFL with races being held in major
metropolitan areas (aka, street races). That would be a huge
mistake, at LEAST in part. It's true that Long Beach is great
event and very well attended BUT attended by who? The hardcore
racing fan? I think not. The majority of these fans are 'event
goers', not true racing fans. And while this IS an important
segment to put your product in front of (that's what grows
your business), I believe that if CART shifts their entire
focus on street races (something Pook has alluded to as well)
you will alienate A LOT of TRUE racing fans which is your core
business. DON'T underestimate the amount of true racing fans
out there that support CART because they race in places like
Road America, Mid-Ohio and even Milwaukee! If CART abandons
its core fans so they can parade around at 20 street course
events, I believe they're doomed. And if CART is unhappy
because nobody shows up to the venues I just mentioned, well
then I guess you're just going to have to open your wallets
and promote it! Or sell part of CART to Coca Cola so you can
gain some leverage, for example. Kenneth Holland
4/25/03
Mosley warns car makers about
rival series
This Financial Times
article says, The largest car makers in Formula One
motor racing were warned on Thursday by Max Mosley, president
of motor sport's governing Fédération Internationale de
l'Automobile, that any attempt to run a rival series to
Formula One outside the FIA's jurisdiction would be blocked.
His warning came after all 10 teams in F1, including such
independents as Jordan and BAR, signed a memorandum of
understanding on detailed proposals for a rival championship
to start in 2008. The proposals, full details of which have
been seen by the Financial Times, were put to the teams in
Munich several days ago by Goldman Sachs, advisers to Grand
Prix World Championship, a company formed by DaimlerChrysler,
Ford, Renault, BMW and Fiat to set up the rival series. They
offer the teams a much bigger share of revenues than from SLEC,
F1's existing commercial rights holder. SLEC is 75 per cent
owned by three creditor banks of failed German media group
Kirch and 25 per cent by promoter Bernie Ecclestone's Bambino
family trust. The GPWC championship, which would start in 2008
after F1's current contracts expire, has arisen from the
teams' growing discontent with their share - 22 per cent - of
SLEC's revenues and the car makers' determination to gain
control of an activity into which they are collectively
sinking well over $1bn a year. Mr Mosley said there would be
no problem with the FIA sanctioning a GPWC championship. But
it would not be allowed to use the Formula One name and F1's
commercial rights would remain with SLEC, which bought
100-year commercial rights to F1 from the FIA several years
ago. What has concerned Mr Mosley and the FIA is a reference
within the memorandum agreement that the new series could be
regulated by an "independent" body separate from the FIA. Such
a plan was "impractical" and could not be allowed to proceed,
Mr Mosley said. Should GPWC seek to stage a rival to F1 wholly
outside the aegis of the FIA, the FIA can bar companies such
as Ford from other commercially valuable motor sport like the
world rally championship.
4/25/03
Sellers
to drive for Lynx Lynx Racing announced today that
it has latched on to an All-American rocket -- Bryan Sellers,
the 20 year old reigning Formula Ford Zetec champion from
Centerville, Ohio, has been signed to partner current Toyota
Atlantic points leader Michael Valiante beginning with the
Laguna Seca round of the 2003 CART Toyota Atlantic
Championship season. The team also has an option on Sellers
for the full 2004 Atlantic season when Valiante finishes his
two year Lynx 'scholarship' and graduates to Champ Cars.
Sellers will begin his tenure with the team at the Atlantic
series test at Portland International Raceway on April 30 -
May 1, and will make his first start as Valiante's teammate at
Laguna Seca on June 14. Sponsorship is in place to run at
least five races, and the team will be working to secure
additional funding that will allow Sellers to compete in all
the remaining events. At this point, Sellers will run with
backing from several long-time sponsors, including
laser-cutting specialists 3 Dimensional Services. He will also
receive support from Microsoft executive Rick Waddell's
Drive4USA, a program which - like Lynx Racing - seeks to
identify young drivers with championship potential and provide
them with the funding and support to move up the ladder to the
top levels of motorsports. Waddell and his Kart2CART program
(now re-named Drive4USA) sponsored Grant Ryley, Valiante's
teammate during the 2002 Atlantic season. "This is the
opportunity of a lifetime, and things have been moving very
fast since we signed the deal," says Sellers. "I had the
opportunity to spend a day in the car at a Lynx test earlier
this year, and was really impressed with how fast and
well-prepared it was, as well as the professionalism of the
engineering staff and crew. I'll be living near the team
headquarters in Sonoma from now on and will spend as much time
in the shop and with the team as possible so I should be
pretty much up to speed by the time I get in the car. I'm
really looking forward to being Michael's teammate, and hope
to be able to contribute to his run for this year's
championship." In 2002, driving for Cape Motorsports in the
Formula Ford Zetec Championship, Sellers scored eight wins and
started from the pole seven times on his way to the
championship. As a result, he was named to the American Auto
Racing Writers & Broadcasters Association (AARWBA)
All-American First Team, joining such notable drivers as
Cristiano da Matta, John Force, Sam Hornish Jr., Boris Said
and Tony Stewart. His championship also earned him a test at
Sebring in Christian Fittipaldi's No. 11 Lilly Newman/Haas
Racing Toyota Lola.
4/25/03
Robby Gordon to replace
Franchitti
Indianapolis 500 veteran Robby Gordon will replace Dario
Franchitti in the #27 Alpine/Archipelago/Motorola/Budweiser
Dallara/Honda/Firestone for Andretti Green Racing during the
87th running of the Indianapolis 500. Gordon, who has eight
career Indianapolis 500 starts, will run both the '500' and
NASCAR's Coca Cola 600 on May 25, marking the fourth time in
his career he has attempted to run both events in one day.
Last season Gordon successfully completed the Memorial Day
double," finishing eighth in the Indianapolis 500 and 16th in
the 600-mile Winston Cup event held annually at Lowe's Motor
Speedway in Concord, N.C. "I'm thrilled to have the chance to
attempt one of the ultimate racing challenges again this year
and hopefully win both races," said Gordon. "I've run the Indy
500 eight times and been competitive and run near the front
each year. I certainly haven't given up on the goal of winning
both races and hope 2003 will be my year to do it. Running in
an Andretti Green prepared-car will no doubt give me a good
shot at having one win down and one to go when I head to
Charlotte that afternoon." Gordon, who drives the #31 Cingular
Wireless entry for Richard Childress Racing, is currently in
14th place in the 2003 NASCAR Winston Cup point standings and
finished sixth at the season-opening Daytona 500. He won the
2001 season-ending Winston Cup race at New Hampshire
International Speedway. "I want to thank Richard, all of the
guys on the Cingular Wireless team, and everyone at RCR for
letting me chase one of my dreams," said Gordon.
4/25/03
Mario To Appear On The Today Show And
Good Morning AmericaUPDATE
A reader writes, Hi. Just saw Mario on the Today show, being
interviewed by Matt Lauer. Mostly it involved his crash, what
was going through his mind, what was he thinking driving at
63, and how he explained "his little fender bender" to his
wife. Mario explained that he thought it was going to be a
private test, and he didn't realize until after the incident
that there were several reporters and a helicopter filming.
Tim Bogert4/24/03 - Race car legend Mario Andretti will
appear on two morning talk shows Friday, April 25, 2003, discussing
his recent driving experiences at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and
his accident. Video of the accident will be shown during the segments.
4/25/03
BAR signs new sponsor
The BAR F1 team has signed industrial chemicals company Amik
as a new sponsor.
4/25/03
CART moves closer F1
This Grandprix.com article
says, the CART franchise board is continuing to change its
rules to make its Champ Car World Series more flexible in the
future. The new rules include the elimination of the mandatory
pit window that was introduced last year which meant that cars
had to pit within a specific number of laps. This was designed
to avoid races being decided on fuel economy. The board has
left open the possibility of the rule still being applied at
the larger ovals. There are also changes to the pace car rules
with lapped cars in future having to move over and drop behind
those on the lead lap (if the yellow flag is in the last 10
laps of the race). This avoids the possibility of the outcome
of a race being affected by backmarkers. CART is also
bringing in cost-cutting measures, which sound similar in many
respects to those tried in F1. Teams will nominate a lead car
and are not allowed to run a spare unless that first car is
damaged beyond repair. If the spare car is needed at any time
after qualifying, the car will start the race at the rear of
the field. For 2004 there is a restriction on the number
of people teams can bring with them to races with a maximum of
15 working crew members per car, not including marketing and
PR staff. Third shock absorbers are to be banned and only
mechanical differentials will be allowed. There is also
going to be an aerodynamic freeze on the cars for the next two
years, beginning in the middle of May. This move will
eliminate the need for chassis update kits. It is worth noting
that the rules continue the current CART trend to moving
towards the F1 regulations - which may or may not be
significant, depending on whether or not F1 boss Bernie
Ecclestone buys CART.
4/25/03
Tony
Ave to drive for P1 Racing San Clemente, California based
CART-Toyota Atlantic team P1 Racing has announced veteran driver and
past Atlantic race winner Tony Ave will contest the third round of the
series at the famed Milwaukee Mile oval for the team. The deal is only
for the one race with no immediate plans to continue. Ave last ran in
Toyota Atlantics when he drove for P1 for the entire 2001 campaign,
winning at Nazareth Speedway, and finishing second at Chicago Motor
Speedway, both ovals. The win at Nazareth was also the last victory
for the team. P1 owner Bill Fickling is excited to be working with Ave
again. "I'm really pumped to have this opportunity with Tony again,"
he said. "He is one of the most versatile drivers out there right now,
and really knows his way around an oval. I felt we had a really good
car there last year, and with Tony's race craft we just might surprise
some people." Fickling is under no illusions of the task at hand
stating, "we know this is going to be a David vs. Goliath situation,
with many teams probably spending more on hospitality than we have in
our whole budget," he joked. "But seriously I think we have a great
chance to score an upset here." Ave, who recently scored an impressive
third place at the Phoenix International Raceway in an Infinity Pro
Series Race in a one-off, knows the difficulties of such a situation.
"One-offs are always difficult under the best of circumstances," he
said. "But the guys at P1 are certainly capable of pulling it off. I'm
really gratefully to the team for this opportunity and hope we can
demonstrate what we are capable of." The Loyning's-powered team will
also field a car for Trois-Rivieres, Quebec native Stephan Roy who
signed with the team just prior to Long Beach and plans to contest the
rest of the season with P1. Roy scored an impressive eighth place
finish at Long Beach after not having driven since August of last
year. Roy also raced with P1 in 2001 for the majority of the season
and enjoyed his best result of third at Chicago where he shared the
podium with teammate Ave. P1's next outing will be a two day test at
Portland International Raceway with Roy behind the wheel on April
30th-May 1st, before heading to the May 31st race at the Milwaukee
Mile. Check back to www.p1racing.com
for more info on the team.
4/25/03
Jordan leads soggy Silverstone
Brazilian GP winner Giancarlo Fisichella was quickest in testing at a
damp and foggy Silverstone circuit on Thursday. The Roman finished his
day at the wheel of a Ford-powered EJ13 a couple of tenths up on his
yellow-clad team-mate Ralph Firman within sight of the Jordan factory
in Northamptonshire. Rain and fog interrupted running at the English
circuit as the team, Renault and Williams wrapped up preparations for
next weekend's Spanish Grand Prix. Fisichella and Firman worked on
tires, aerodynamics and control systems work, in addition to some wet
tire testing. Gary Anderson, Director of Race and Test Engineering
said, 'It was a little bit difficult with the inconsistent weather
conditions but we did some wet tire testing and achieved some
productive tests in the other areas we worked on.' Allan McNish, in
the sole Renault R23, trailed the Jordan-powered pace by half a second
as Enstone wrapped up a two-day session. The circuit remained closed
at the beginning of the afternoon, but as conditions improved, the
Scottish tester managed a 'limited amount of laps' of engine mapping.
Technical director Mike Gascoyne reported, 'In the morning we tried
the development engine again without any problems, and also continued
with the suspension development.' Marc Gene brought up the rear in his
FW25 after Juan Pablo Montoya smashed his own Williams racer into the
wall on Wednesday. A statement explains how the Grove-based team
'focused primarily on chassis development work with additional
emphasis on tire and gearbox improvements.' 'We've learnt a great deal
and tested some new parts ready for the Spanish Grand Prix next week,'
chief engineer Sam Michael added. Dr Mario Theissen explained how
engine partner BMW worked on further improvements to the traction
control now that the FIA has assured teams that electronic bans are
delayed until 2004. The German concluded by stating that 'a race
simulation had been scheduled but was hampered and interrupted' by the
bad weather.
4/25/03
F1 legend visits Minardi
American F1 legend Phil Hill was a special visitor to the Minardi
factory in Faenza following last Sunday's San Marino Grand Prix.
The 1961 world champion was at Imola's Enzo e Dino Ferrari circuit
(Italy) to support his son Derek who will spend 2003 at the wheel of
an International F3000 - support category to F1 - contender. 'We
are honored to have enjoyed a visit from this great racing driver and
former champion, and to have had the opportunity to show him the
reality of the team,' said team founder Gian Carlo Minardi. He
added, 'From a personal point of view, I was very excited to meet with
Phil Hill. 'His is a legendary name, and one I have known since
I was 14, when I took my first steps in the world of motorsport.'
4/25/03
Tire accusations fly Formula
One's tire war reached a new level of intensity this week with
Bridgestone accusing Michelin of breaking a 'gentleman's agreement.'
'Those who test on Friday morning are absolutely free,' Michelin's
competition boss Pierre Dupasquier said. 'They can test anything.'
Not, however, according to Bridgestone and technical manager Hisao
Suganuma. The Japanese reckons his firm and Michelin
agreed that tire development would be forbidden from the extra Friday
test sessions. Suganuma insists that Bridgestone are abiding the
agreement, but accused Michelin - who test on Friday mornings with
Renault and Jaguar - are not. 'My understanding of Friday
testing is you supply the tire for that weekend,' Suganuma said.
He said Bridgestone would continue to 'respect that condition,' but
admitted that the world champion marque would think about 'how to
react' to this matter.
4/25/03
Jungle Boy responds to pressure
After being put 'on notice' by his Jaguar team, Antonio Pizzonia says
he will bounce back and prove what he can do in Formula One. Sources
say that 22-year-old Brazilian is being given one last chance to shine
at next weekend's Spanish Grand Prix before Alex Wurz is drafted in to
substitute his sluggish pace. 'I think I have a chance to prove what I
can do and I will do it,' he told reporters while testing at the
Autodromo Internazionale del Mugello on Thursday. 'I hope I have a
productive weekend in lots of ways in Spain.' Some news reports,
meanwhile, are already putting lanky McLaren tester Wurz in the R4 for
his home Austrian Grand Prix later next month, but a Jaguar spokesman
denied that 'any decision has been taken.' 'He's not been dropped,'
said Nav Sidhu of Jungle-Boy Pizzonia. 'On the contrary, we are
working very closely with him to help him improve. We make no secret
that his position, however, is under review.' Most worrying for the
Milton-Keynes team is Pizzonia's performance deficit to Australian
team-mate Mark Webber. At his home race in Brazil, Antonio was 17th
while Webber lined up third. At San Marino last weekend, Pizzonia was
15th, while Webber qualified impressively again to start from 5th.
4/25/03
HANS Device saves Montoya
Juan Pablo Montoya is nursing nothing worse than sore elbows and a
strained back after crashing at nearly 300km/h during Silverstone
testing this week. The Colombian ace, trying developmental aerodynamic
components and a new gearbox at the Northamptonshire session, lost
control at the Maggot's section of Silverstone's flat-out Beckett's
complex. 'When I turned right,' said the 27-year-old, 'the car
oversteered a bit and suddenly it was gone.' Montoya said the impact
was the 'biggest' of his Formula One career and so praised the
mandatory Head And Neck Safety (HANS) for working 'really well.' 'I
could actually feel it hold my head because the impact was huge,' says
Juan Pablo. He ended up underneath the tire barriers, the marshals and
trackside doctors taking some 10 minutes to free a shaken Montoya from
the wreckage before sending him off for medical checks. 'Now I'm
fine,' he promised. 'Just a bit sore in my back and elbows.' Despite
the FW25 write-off and early end to his Silverstone test, Juan Pablo
Montoya said his BMW-powered Williams team made significant progress
ahead of the Spanish GP (May 4). 'The car was very good,' he added.
'Both days I was quickest and the car is improving all the time. Today
I went to visit the factory to see how things are going.'
4/25/03
Zanardi comments on return
Alex Zanardi's return to the scene of his career-ending crash will be
an emotional one, the former Formula One ace explained. Zanardi lost
both of his legs, and nearly his life, in an horrific CART accident at
Germany's Lausitzring circuit in September of 2001. Now, two years on,
the Italian has been named grand marshal of the German 500 on May 11
and says he 'wouldn't be human' if he didn't feel a twinge of emotion
when he surveys the tarmac. Zanardi, who lives in Monaco, has been
keeping himself busy on projects including building go-karts for the
physically challenged and on a mono-ski so that double amputees can
return to the slopes. The former double CART champion, who also raced
for Lotus (1994) and Williams (1999) in a brief and disappointing F1
career, admitted there will be 'something' going through his mind when
he returns to Lausitz. 'But, quite frankly, I feel that
psychologically, the accident is definitely behind me. 'I have raced
fantastic cars throughout many years and I've been able to enjoy great
satisfaction at many different levels. I have no regrets.'
4/25/03
Mario Andretti challenges all promoters
On Thursday CART teleconference with Chris Pook and Road America
President George Bruggenthies, racing legend Mario Andretti commented
on a question about making Road America a success again, especially in
these hard economic times. “It’s all about work,” Andretti said
in challenging race promoters who are finding the rows hard to hoe in
recent years. “You can blame the economy, you can blame a lot of
things and have all the excuses in the world. But the bottom line is
you gotta grab the bull by the horns and say ‘this can be done.’”
Andretti was speaking in reference to work he’s done in the past six
weeks to resurrect a CART race at Road America in Wisconsin. A dispute
between CART and Road America led to lawsuits until Andretti stepped
in and brokered a settlement that put the race back on the CART
schedule. “A lot of these promoters have to get off their duffs and
work harder. You need to work harder today. There’s more competition
and there are more choices out there. You have to believe in what
you’re doing and that’s contagious.” “I must thank Mario
Andretti for his tireless efforts toward getting Road America back on
our schedule,” said CART Champ Car President and CEO Christopher R.
Pook. “It is great to see that he has the same level of passion for
the heritage of CART Champ Car racing that he did when he was behind
the wheel.” “We are delighted to have the issues resolved and the
Champ Cars coming back to Road America,” said track General Manager
George Bruggenthies. “We truly appreciate Mario Andretti, the CART
Champ Car staff and Board working closely with Road America to make
another two seasons here a reality. We also want to thank the fans who
have written and called to express their support for both open-wheel
and road racing.”
4/25/03
Brands Hatch, an Engineer's view
A native of England and a veteran of British Motorsports, Graham
Taylor, the race engineer for the #31 entry of Ryan Hunter-Reay gave
us some tips on what to expect at the upcoming Champ Car event at
Brands Hatch. “I think the race at Brands Hatch is going to be
unbelievably exciting. This is a true bull-ring of a circuit with
incredible overtaking opportunities. The drivers will have to muscle
their cars around, there will be 2,000 gearshifts and they will
definitely have had a work-out by the end of the 165 laps. The most
exciting corner for the drivers will be the Paddock Hill Bend, it will
be a fifth gear corner at 135-140 mph and the apex is blind. In
addition to the other elements, we will be running a compromised road
course aero set-up to accommodate the fact that we race on an oval the
following weekend with that same aero package, it should make for an
exciting show. The spectators at Brands Hatch will be able to see all
of the action all of the time, it will be a race they won’t soon
forget.” Taylor joined American Spirit and the Champ Car World Series,
from Arrows Formula One Team, prior to his three years at Arrows; he
engineered the Volvo team to the series title in the British Touring
Car Championship.
4/24/03
Snyder joins Dreyer & Reinbold
Veteran IRL IndyCarTM Series mechanic and engineer Owen Snyder III has
joined Dreyer & Reinbold Racing as the chief engineer for Robbie
Buhl’s entry. Snyder worked on the Indianapolis 500-winning cars of
Eddie Cheever Jr. in 1998 and Al Unser Jr. in 1992, serving as
engineer for Cheever and chief mechanic for Unser. Snyder’s mechanical
roots were planted in sprint-car racing before moving to Indy-style
cars in 1980. He has worked on cars driven by Indy legends Johnny
Rutherford, Emerson Fittipaldi, Mario Andretti and Gordon Johncock.
“The proudest thing is that I’ve been able to make a living in
racing,” Snyder said. “It’s all I’ve done all my life, and I know not
everyone gets to making a living at what they like to do. Overall,
I’ve had pretty good success, but I’ve still got a long way to go.
There’s always more races to win.” Snyder will serve as engineer for
the No. 24 Purex/Aventis/Dreyer & Reinbold Dallara/Chevrolet/Firestone
driven by team co-owner Buhl. The team also fields a car driven by
Sarah Fisher. “Dreyer & Reinbold is definitely a growing team,” Snyder
said. “They have a nice long-term plan, growing bigger and better, and
I hope to help them get back in the winner’s circle and grow with
them. A two-car team is definitely the way to go to compete with the
top teams and to have a better setup on race day. You’re not going to
do with one driver. If we can get our two working together to go
faster and better, we’ll have achieved something. “It’s kind of the
mentality of American racers, to take what you have and make the best
of it. Right now, there’s a lot to be gained because Robbie isn’t
happy with car’s handling. Until we’ve got both of our cars at least
competing as the fastest Chevy’s, we’ve got some work to do.”
4/24/03
Vegas sets Indy 500 odds
Sports betting is legal in Nevada, and a Las Vegas casino has wasted
no time in setting odds for the 87th Indianapolis 500 on May 25.
According to a report in the Las Vegas Sun, Station Casinos has set
Michael Andretti as the race favorite at 7-1 odds. Tony Kanaan and
1999 Indy winner Kenny Brack are next at 8-1. Two-time defending Indy
champion Helio Castroneves, Scott Dixon and series points leader Scott
Sharp are at 10-1. Two-time Indy winner Al Unser Jr., Felipe Giaffone
and Gil de Ferran are at 15-1, while Tomas Scheckter is alone at 18-1.
Two-time defending IndyCar Series points leader Sam Hornish Jr. is at
25-1 along with Indy rookies Buddy Rice and Dan Wheldon, while Tony
Renna and Jaques Lazier are at 30-1. Two-time Indy winner Arie
Luyendyk and 1996 winner Buddy Lazier are each at 35-1, with Billy
Boat and Vitor Meira at 40-1. Robbie Buhl and 1999 series champion
Greg Ray are at 45-1, with Sarah Fisher at 50-1, A.J. Foyt IV at 55-1
and Scott Mayer at 75-1. Shigeaki Hattori, Tora Takagi and Roger
Yasukawa round out the odds at 100-1 each.
4/24/03 World Series by Nissan
Bas Leinders fast at Zolder
Thursday’s World Series by Nissan practice sessions at the circuit of
Zolder (Belgium) were dominated by one man, Racing Engineering’s Bas
Leinders. Bas marked the fastest lap time and broke the track record
with 1,21.540, ahead of Montagny (1,21.609) and Kovalainen (1,22.248).
Racing Engineering has arrived at Zolder with high expectations. Not
only is it the home track of Bas Leinders, but also after the
technical problems he had to face in Jarama Stephane Sarrazin is very
motivated and ambitious to prove his capabilities at the Zolder track.
Bas, content with the work done today, finished the private testing
day recording the fastest lap time. Stephane Sarrazin is also
satisfied with the results of today’s practice, in which he finished
6th. Stephane’s focus was mainly on gathering information on the track
and the car in order to prepare a very competitive car for the
qualifying and races. After the free practice Bas announced “We are
happy with the work done in Zolder. My position is partially due to
the good testing done in Jerez last week. We improved the car quite a
lot after Jarama and hopefully we can continue in this way.”
4/24/03
CART Stars go-kart series kicks off
this weekend Many of the nation's future auto racing stars
begin their trek to possible stardom this weekend (April 25-27) when
the 2003 Snap-on.com Champ Car "Stars of Tomorrow" presented by RACER
national karting series opens at the new Buttonwillow Raceway karting
track near Bakersfield. Led by a host of top national karting drivers,
the season opener for the Western Division of Stars of Tomorrow will
feature young racers in six separate classes including the new
international categories ICC (125cc Shifters) and ICA (100cc direct
drive). In addition, the other categories include the Senor Class of
Rotax (125cc Clutch), 80cc Junior Shifter, Junior Super Can (100cc
shifter) and the Grand Proucts Cadet class for youngster 8-12 years of
age). "We are very excited about the opening of the new Stars of
Tomorrow season," said Bobby Rahal, the three-time Champ Car champion
and one of the prinicipals of the Stars series. "We have updated the
series over the winter with the international classes, a major series
sponsor, a presenting sponsor, new management, new media opportunities
including a new partner in the SPEED Channel. We know the racing will
be close, competitive and very entertaining this year and the 2003
series will produce some of North America's future racing stars." The
Buttonwillow event, set on the new seven-tenths of a mile course, will
be run in conjunction with the Sports Car Club of America's (SCCA)
regional event on the bigger road circuit. Practice for the Stars
event will be on Friday with two full programs (qualifying, heats and
finals) slated for Saturday and Sunday. "We are expecting a good field
for the opening race of the year," said Paul Zalud, director of
operations for Stars. "We had some great racing last year and, with
the competition set for 2003, I expect the action to be even better.
These young racers will have some great wheel-to-wheel racing at
Buttonwillow." Many of the nation's top karting teams are expected to
be on hand this weekend at Buttonwillow Raceway including Trackmagic
Racing, PTK Racing (Paul Tracy's team), Italian Motors and KLS Racing.
Among the top drivers will be former national champion Kyle Martin of
Dallas, Ben Petter of Seattle, Alex Speed of Manteca, Calif., younger
brother of former national champion Scott Speed, past karting champion
Darren Elliott of Canyon Country, Calif., Lorenzo Mandarino of
Vancouver, B.C., Canada and 16-year-old Nick Green of San Jose,
Calif., son of former World of Outlaws sprint car driver Tim Green. In
addition, 17-year-old Michael Abbante of Las Vegas, one of the
finalist in Danny Sullivan's Red Bull American driver search, will be
returning to the Stars of Tomorrow series this weekend. Abbante is
considered by many to be one of America's hopes for a Formula One
drive in the future.
4/24/03
Ferrari fastest again Ferrari
are likely to debut the striking and lightening-quick F2003-GA racer
at next weekend's Spanish Grand Prix. The world champion marque said
it would green-light the introduction of its delayed car if it
completed three back-to-back race distances in testing this week. On
Thursday, Luca Badoer and Rubens Barrichello were back at work on a
sunny Autodromo del Mugello, where Italian-born Badoer pounded home
another 81 laps of long-run race simulation. Rubens Barrichello, the
quickest man of the day in Italy, continued on development work with
the new car, concentrating mainly on various changes of set-up as well
as tire testing. Kimi Raikkonen was next best in his 'older' McLaren
MP4-17D and only managed to get within 1.2 seconds of Barrichello's
pace in the F2003-GA. Pedro de la Rosa (McLaren) was also in action,
while BAR drivers Jacques Villeneuve and Jenson Button continued work
with a relatively unhindered day. Olivier Panis and Cristiano Da Matta
were again the men in charge of Toyota testing, ending the day with
mixed feelings after a few reliability problems on their TF103s. 'I
must admit that we had problems today with some of the mechanical
development parts we tried and had to go back to running with more
standard specifications,' said Panis, a Frenchman. Nick Heidfeld was
ninth of a field of ten in his Sauber C22 as the German admitted that
the Hinwil squad have a 'lot of work to do' to make the car faster.
Head of engineering Jacky Eeckelaert, however, said Sauber discovered
some improvements which 'could pay off' at the forthcoming races.
Embattled Jaguar rookie Antonio Pizzonia brought up the field after a
troubled day epitomized by two Cosworth engine failures.
Pos Driver Chassis-engine Tires Time
Laps
1 Rubens Barrichello Ferrari B 1m21.193s 74
2 Luca Badoer Ferrari B 1m21.869s 86
3 Kimi Raikkonen McLaren-Mercedes M 1m22.467s 61
4 Pedro de la Rosa McLaren-Mercedes M 1m23.255s 35
5 Jacques Villeneuve BAR-Honda B 1m23.559s 93
6 Olivier Panis Toyota M 1m23.630s 52
7 Cristiano da Matta Toyota M 1m23.868s 61
8 Jenson Button BAR-Honda B 1m23.895s 88
9 Nick Heidfeld Sauber-Petronas B 1m23.985s 97
10 Antonio Pizzonia Jaguar M 1m24.979s 35
Photos of F2003-GA at Mugello today
4/24/03
Mario Andretti backs away from
qualifying for 500 This Indy Star
article says, Mario Andretti acknowledged today he is leaning
toward not being the substitute driver for Tony Kanaan in qualifying
for the Indianapolis 500. Andretti awoke today with a sore body and a
new outlook after Wednesday's spectacular multi-flip crash at the
Indianapolis Motor Speedway. After seeing the television replay, the
63-year-old racing legend now knows he was very lucky to escape
serious injury. "It's almost a message that tells me, 'Mario, you've
been getting away with s--- for a long, long time," Andretti said from
his home in Nazareth, Pa. "(Son) Michael and I need to talk and
reflect to see what makes sense. But I feel I have to use an ounce of
wisdom here. I can't be exposing myself like that." That was a change
from his stance after the accident Wednesday. Here is another article
on this topic.
4/24/03
7-11 a sponsor success story
for the IRLUPDATE
A reader writes, Dear AutoRacing1.com, Thank you for the
common sense approach you took on the 7-11 story. You are so
right that the best thing for open wheel racing is for the
7-11 deal to succeed. That same thought should be applied by
everyone in CART and IRL toward everything in both series.
Success is good for both. Forget the war rhetoric, the them or
us, with me or against me stuff, wishing the worst on each
other for attendance and ratings, talking about traitors and
unwilling to put out bodies on fire. Let's celebrate the
differences: ovals vs road courses; who are the best drivers;
are open wheelers better than NASCAR guys? Think about this
and how we should adopt it. I am very pleased that RA is back
on the CART schedule. That is good for everyone. It is good
that Mario did something about the situation. It is good that
he ran at Indy yesterday. The situation yesterday ended up,
thank God, being a positive rather than a negative for
everyone, including CART, where Mario is still recognized as
being a very important part. Enough said. Thanks again.
Name withheld. Dear nameless, You are quite welcome.
What you and many IRL fans don't realize about AR1 is that we
tell it like we see it, good or bad. Both CART and the IRL get
the "AR1 wrath" at times, and they will get the kudos when
deserved. While many don't like what we say, or agree with
what we say, they always know where we stand. That stance on
the split is quite simple - the CART/IRL split should have
never happened (we fear it will ultimately destroy the sport)
and the sooner the two sides come together under some sort of
common league with two divisions, the better. Instead of
stealing sponsors from NASCAR, CART and IRL are trying to
steal (and have stolen) them from each other. How stupid is
that? We just hope it's not too late - NASCAR is like a
snowball rolling downhill. It's getting bigger and bigger, and
burying everything in it's path. It's so mainstream now, when
you say racing, the average guy on the street thinks NASCAR.
If this war/split goes on much longer, there will be no hope
for open wheel racing. The only way for the two sides to work
together and not steal/harm each other, is to be under one
umbrella. If CART instead aligns itself with F1, they may very
well succeed, but it won't necessarily do any good for open
wheel racing in the USA.....CART and IRL teams will continue
to try to steal sponsors from each other and confuse the
fractured fan base. Mark C.4/24/03
- While CART's sponsors are doing very
little in the way of promoting the CART series, the IRL is
following in the footsteps of NASCAR in getting its sponsors
behind the series and out to consumers. Mario Andretti
is giving the IRL more publicity by qualifying for Indy than
CART will receive all season. You think 7-11 is doing
back-flips about their sponsorship? Their sponsorship program
is a MAJOR one with 7-11 getting fully behind their IRL
program. If you go into any 7-11 right now, you see that they
are selling 7-11 "gift cards" that basically work just like a
debit or phone card, but solely for 7-11 purchases. These
cards feature the 7-11 IndyCar and the IRL program. Millions
of people who may have no knowledge of auto racing at all, see
the 7-11 IndyCar. In addition, 7-11 has become the first-ever
presenting sponsor for the Indianapolis 500 television
coverage (not the event, but ABC's coverage). While this is a
huge plus for the IRL, ironically, the best thing to happen to
CART might be if its success for 7-11, which then may another
future sponsor to do something similar with CART. Strange as
it may sound, both sides of the open-wheel racing "war" need
the other to develop successful sponsorship programs simply to
show sponsors that they can get benefits from open-wheel
racing. For example, if Target has success in IRL, maybe Walmart or even Kmart, should they come out of bankruptcy, may
decide to run an opposing program in CART. Likewise, the worst
thing that can happen to CART is for the 7-11 thing to flop,
giving further evidence to sponsors that NASCAR is the only
thing that can be successful in terms of motorsports
sponsorships. Unfortunately, it appears CART's sponsors
are pretty much hands-off when it comes to consumer marketing,
perhaps doing business-to-business deals behind the scenes
with other sponsors. If this is so, it explains why
CART's TV ratings are so low and going lower - fringe fans
don't know CART even exists. CART's failure to have any
of its sponsors make a big pitch to consumers, will ultimately
lead to its demise. Mark C.
4/24/03
Vegas seeks 2nd Cup date
Seven weeks after hosting a NASCAR Winston Cup Series event
before a sold-out crowd of approximately 140,000, Las Vegas
Motor Speedway would like to attract a second Winston Cup
event to Las Vegas. "We continue to see other speedways going
public with their efforts to land a second yearly NASCAR
Winston Cup event," said Chris Powell, general manager of Las
Vegas Motor Speedway. "But there clearly is only one speedway
that can offer everything – a destination city; more than
125,000 hotel rooms; great weather; excellent atmosphere and
great racing. That's why we sold every seat for the UAW-DaimlerChrysler
400 in March. "Ask the people who attend Winston Cup races –
the drivers, the crew members, the sponsors, television
executives, even NASCAR officials – which speedways should be
awarded a second race. Las Vegas is at the top of everyone's
list. And ask the fans who voted this year by filling the
speedway beyond its seating capacity. "The reality is this:
People love coming to Las Vegas." Powell said a second yearly
event in Las Vegas makes good business sense. "What better
market than Las Vegas to visit twice a year?" Powell said. "As
new sponsors come into the sport, they want exposure in large,
popular markets. We appeal to NASCAR's good business sense
that another race in Las Vegas would be a tremendous benefit
to the sport." Powell added that Las Vegas Motor Speedway, in
contrast to other venues that host NASCAR Winston Cup events,
would not be seeking state funds in order to upgrade its
facility. "Our speedway will stand on its own merits," Powell
said. "We will not leverage the possibility of a second
Winston Cup race in order to seek public money from taxpayers.
This facility already features all the amenities that make it
worthy of another Winston Cup date. In fact, we've taken a
leading role in helping build the sport of stock-car racing."
As for shifting a date from another Speedway Motorsports
facility, Powell said that would not happen. "Bruton (Smith,
SMI chairman) has been firm on that issue, and we fully
support his stance," Powell said. "But it wasn't long ago that
NASCAR said it had capped the schedule at 32 races. Today
there are 36. In the case of a unique destination such as Las
Vegas, which offers a record of past success, there is a
calling for one more."
4/24/03
Jos says Bobbi too slow
Minardi driver Jos Verstappen is not happy with Minardi test
driver Matteo Bobbi. The Italian Test driver drove the Minardi
PS03 for the first time around the circuit last week at Imola.
Bobbi was 3 seconds slower then Justin Wilson and Jos
Verstappen. "Bobbi drives some Friday tests, but that is
almost useless," said Jos Verstappen in the Dutch media today.
"Bobbi is too slow. Wilson does the same thing with the set-up
as I do, I can't take profit out of that." Verstappen is happy
with Minardi and thinks the Italian team can do better as they
work harder. We can do better, but they have to give 100%
then. We have to work hard to improve the car, we need more
downforce. However I'm confident that it is going to be OK."
4/24/03
Will Champ Cars break Brands
Hatch lap record?UPDATE
AR1 has learned that CART's Lee Dykstra predicted lap times of
36.99 seconds at Brands using simulation software. That
information was passed on to all the cart teams. If so, we
think the record will indeed fall, especially if it does not
rain, and the cars can put some rubber down on the circuit.
4/24/03 Brands Hatch Indy Circuit record
holder Mathew Mortlock, from Cambridge, England, looks forward
to Round 4 of the Champ Car World Series which takes place at
Brands Hatch on 5th May. Mortlock set the record time of 39.4
seconds in 2002 driving an ex-Michele Alboreto Arrows Judd in
the EuroBOSS Championship. Q: Do you think your Brands Hatch lap record will be
beaten by the Champ cars? A: No, I think they’ll find it just too quick. The
circuit is tight and twisty and probably suits F1 cars better
than [the grossly overweight] Champ Cars. Of course if they do
beat my time I’ll just have to drive faster when EuroBOSS
comes to Brands Hatch on 18th May. My lap record is 39.4s (an
average of 112.03mph), although a few weeks ago I did a 38.6
and could probably get it down into the mid 37’s. Q: What tips can you give the Champ teams? A: The first team that offers me three complimentary
weekend passes I’d be delighted to walk them round the circuit
and tell them everything I know: blind braking points, best
overtaking positions, best defensive positions and all of the
intricate peculiarities of Brands. Q: How do you think a lap at Brands Hatch in an F1
compares with a lap in a Champ car? A: I think the F1s are probably better in the corners
and there are plenty of them at Brands Hatch. There aren’t
really any long straights for Champ cars to benefit from. The
only experience I have of a Champ Car is the 1999 ex-Bryan
Herta, Team Rahal, Indy Car that Robbie Stirling has driven in
EuroBOSS. That car excels on long straights with its sheer
physical power but it is heavy and not as nimble through the
corners. Q: How would you like to drive a 165 lap race at Brands
Hatch like the Champ Cars will be doing? A: It would be physically very tough. The most I’ve
ever driven there is 50 laps in a saloon car and it was quite
tiring. The Indy circuit has no rest points and I would
suggest that all the drivers need to be at their physical and
mental peak. I’m sure they will feel very tired by the end.
Not only does Mathew hold the outright lap record he is
probably the only racing driver to have parachuted into
Brands, when in the late 70’s, he was one of the world’s
leading free-fall parachutists.
4/24/03
CART announces changes for
2003/2004 Less than one week after the Franchise
Board of the CART Champ Car World Series voted to add more
flexibility to its rule-making process, the owners and
management of the series combined Monday to ratify a number of
positive rule enhancements that will carry the open-wheel
series through the remainder of 2003 and well beyond.
More.....
4/24/03
Andretti steers them straight
This Milwaukee Journal
article talks about the reinstated CART race at Road
America, and Mario Andretti's efforts to resurrect it.
4/24/03
CART officials look at Oregon
possibilities This Portland Oregonian
article says, Although Long Beach has used the event
to open the door to thousands of jobs, Pook contends the
Portland race has been practically ignored by Portland and
Oregon, a state with one of the highest unemployment rates in
the nation. About all the city does to promote the race at PIR
is keep the grass mowed. That difference in approach is a
source of frustration for Championship Auto Racing Teams
officials and local business leaders. Pook, who founded the
Grand Prix of Long Beach, now heads the racing series and
views Oregon's apparent indifference to the race as an
opportunity lost. That needs to change, and change fast, said
Rena Shanaman, who heads marketing efforts for races that CART
sponsors. "Portland and CART are like a couple who have been
married for 20 years and take one another for granted," she
told the Portland Sports Authority on Wednesday. "It is time
to renew those vows." Michael Harrison, assistant to Portland
Commissioner Jim Francesconi, who oversees the city's parks,
including PIR, said: "There's no doubt there is more that
could be done. We know that we can do more, and in this
economy, we can't overlook any opportunity."........Shanaman
and Mike Nealey, who promotes the G.I. Joe's 200 for CART,
recognize there are less than two months until the June 22
race. Nealey said he is working with business leaders to
create an "Oregon Pavilion" to showcase the state to visitors.
Francesconi has asked Mark Wigginton, PIR manager, to work
with the Portland Development Commission to explore a similar
display for the June race. Wigginton lived in Long Beach
during the Grand Prix's early years and has seen the change
the race has made there. "He's pretty impressed," Harrison
said. "He keeps telling us that."
4/24/03
What is Mario thinking?2nd UPDATE Yet another
reader writes, To the reader who wrote Mario is a racer first
and foremost. WRONG! Mario used to be a racer/driver,
now he is on the CART BoDs. His driving an IRL car for an IRL
team at IMS is in direct conflict with the best interests of
CART and CART stockholders. I greatly admire and respect
Mario, but if I were a MAJOR CART stockholder I would be
upset. Mark
McCauley, Texas4/24/03 - Another reader
writes, To those wringing their hands about Mario in an IRL
car: “Lighten up, Francis.” Mario is a racer first and
foremost. When your own son says, hey, dad, go ahead and enjoy
yourself, take it out and let’s see if you can get it in the
show, what’s Mario going to do? Race fans of the greatest
driver of the 20th Century should be drooling at the chance to
see him go for it at IMS. Toss all the politics aside. Forget
the war. Put your worry beads in a drawer for ten minutes and
enjoy Mario’s fun. He’s unhurt and he’s absolutely pumped to
return. Michael, let’s take it one step further. It’s your
last race. Wouldn’t you love to have your father race with you
in your last 500? Maury Williams, Dayton, Ohio
4/23/03 - One of many letters we have received on this
topic - Dear AR1, I can not believe that Mario Andretti would take the
wheel of an IRL car. This from one of the most outspoken critics of
the Georges and the IRL. What is he doing/thinking? At a minimum he
could take the opportunity to where a uniform that is representative
of his sponsorships and affiliations (like a large CART logo) rather
than the sell-out Andretti-Green 7-11 IRL uniform. I just don't get
it. Is he being paid for the appearance? Is money grubbing just the
Andretti way? I would never want to see anyone get injured and I am
very glad to hear he and Brack are ok, but I am glad this IRL PR stunt
did not end the way Tony wanted it. I hope Mario realizes that Indy is
no place for him. Chris Pook must be killing himself in trying to deal
with all of the back stabbing he has to deal with. Perhaps you could
post Mario's email address as well as those of his corporate sponsors
on your home page so we can all tell him what we think of his test
ride. No need for a reply. Just venting at another senseless CART back
stabbing. Dan Thomson Dear Dan, you are absolutely
correct, unless those rumors of Bernie Ecclestone trying to push CART
and the IRL together are true, in which case Mario would probably know
what's coming down. Mark C.
4/24/03
Vasser named 2nd Rahal driver
for 500 Team Rahal announced today that veteran
open-wheel racer Jimmy Vasser will be the team's second driver
at next month's Indianapolis 500. Vasser's #19 Rahal/Letterman
Racing Honda/Dallara/Firestone entry, when combined with Team
Rahal's full-season entry of the #15 Miller Lite/Pioneer
Honda/Dallara/Firestone car with Kenny Brack, gives Team Rahal
a two-car entry at Indianapolis for the first time since 1995.
Vasser, who drove for Team Rahal during the 2002 season, will
attempt to qualify the second Rahal/Letterman entry on the
final day of qualifying for the 87th running of the Indy 500.
While driving for Team Rahal in 2002, Vasser won the fastest
500-mile race ever (197.995 mph avg.) last November at the
California Speedway. Not only does this entry mark a reunion
for Vasser and Team Rahal, but also for Vasser and Honda, for
whom he won their first open-wheel championship in 1996.
Vasser currently drives for American Spirit Team Johansson in
the Bridgestone presents the Champ Car World Series powered by
Ford, and he will be in Germany racing in the German 500 on
the opening weekend of Indy qualifying. "I am very pleased we
have been able to assemble this effort as I have great respect
for Jimmy as a person and driver," said 1986 Indianapolis 500
winner Bobby Rahal. "Although I was disappointed we were
unable to stay together for the Champ Car World Series due to
sponsorship difficulties, I am pleased that we will once again
be together for the 500. Last year, the team and Jimmy were
running very competitively and only an unfortunate gearbox
failure prevented us from figuring strongly at the end of the
race. With Jimmy joining Kenny now, I believe we are in good
shape for presenting a formidable effort for this years' 500.
I would also like to thank all the Honda people for their
support in making this possible." "To run Indy is always
special and to do it with Team Rahal and coupled with Honda,
both of whom which I have a lot of respect for and with whom I
have a lot of fond memories of my time with, makes it even
more special," said Vasser. "Certainly we will have our work
cut out for us with one day in which to qualify the car. Our
qualifying chances would be better if we were there for the
full duration, but that isn't possible because of the race in
Germany. Certainly I will be the beneficiary of hours of work
that Kenny Brack and Don Halliday will log in early May."
"Honda is looking forward to working with Jimmy again," said
Robert Clarke, Vice President and General Manager of Honda
Performance Development. "Honda and Jimmy enjoyed some
excellent results from 1996 through 1999, and it would be
great to win with him again at Indianapolis."
4/24/03
Will IRL/CART split lead to
extinction? Has
the creation of the IRL so fractured open wheel racing in
America that it will become extinct in a few short years?
Consider this. NASCAR's Martinsville race drew 5,631,000
US TV Households. That is more than the combined 9 2003 CART,
F1 and IRL races that drew 4,664,000 HH's. History may
ultimately show that Tony George's legacy is one of total
destruction of a sport, a sport that started long before
NASCAR, but appears headed for extinction long before
NASCAR....unless drastic measures are taken soon.
Mark C.
Mario Andretti ups speed to 225 MPH2nd UPDATE Before the crash
Andretti had completed 50 laps with a best of 225.4mph. He needs to
speed up a little in order to qualify for the 500, last year's final
qualifier having lapped at 227.09mph. However, his 225.4 is one
of the fastest speeds so far at Indy this year. 4/23/03 - Mario has been involved in
a terrible accident at Indy with Kenny Brack - see Home page.
4/23/03 - Unofficial time keepers in the afternoon had Mario
Andretti up to 223 MPH at Indy today as he contemplates whether or not
to attempt to qualify for this years Indy 500 in place of regular Team
Andretti Green driver Tony Kanaan, who broke his arm in Motegi, Japan.
4/24/03
Mario - I was lucky “I’m very
lucky indeed,” said CART board member Mario Andretti following his
violent crash at Indy Wednesday. “I didn’t hit anything hard except
for the debris on the track. It just happened so quickly. Something
happened to Brack’s car and he spun and hit the wall. There was debris
all over the place and I had no warning whatsoever. It happened so
fast there wasn’t time for anyone to warn me. I was going for it
obviously and I came off of Turn 1 at full throttle and all of a
sudden there was debris everywhere. What I hit wasn’t big but it was
solid and it was able to launch me and then all I saw was sky. It is
just one of those things. It happens and you know it is unfortunate
because I feel worse about the car but I just couldn’t avoid it.”
Andretti was testing the car in preparation for qualifying on May 10
for the 87th running of the Indianapolis 500. Andretti may be asked to
qualify the #11 Team 7-Eleven Dallara/Honda/Firestone if Tony Kanaan
is unable to drive on the first day of qualifications. Kanaan suffered
a radial fracture in his left arm battling for the lead of the
Bridgestone Indy Japan 300. “I don’t have any second thoughts about
being out here,” said the 1969 Indianapolis 500 winner, Andretti. “It
was just a freakish situation that I’m sure won’t happen again. Up
until the accident the day was awesome. We were working and learning
things about the car and from my standpoint I surprised myself that I
was back in the groove. We were only making small changes and the car
was responding beautifully. All we needed was another three minutes
and we would have walked away very happy.”
4/24/03
AGR back testing this weekend
Today marked the final day of private testing at the Indianapolis
Motor Speedway for Andretti Green Racing before opening day on May 4.
Andretti Green Racing will be on the track this weekend, Saturday
April 26, testing at Nashville Superspeedway with driver Dan Wheldon.
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Another
China connection Right now, Alex Yoong is CART's best
connection to China, should it choose to race in Beijing. In F1, the
Jordan team has a Chinese sponsor and is looking to expand that.
Another driver with Chinese connections is on the horizon,
Chinese-Dutchman 
Much
More...click on 2002 archives button below
