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Pook acknowledges mistake at Brands
This SpeedTV.com article
says that Chris Pook is never one to pull any punches, especially when
it involves himself and mistakes he has made. So it was no surprise to
hear the CART president and CEO publicly shoulder the blame for the
pit stop regulations that turned last Monday's London Champ Car Trophy
into a fuel economy run reminiscent of Champ Car races before the
mandatory pit stop windows. More....
5/12/03
Ticket deal at Darlington
On Thursday, May 15 and Friday, May 16 ONLY, fans may purchase two
tickets for The Pantry Pole Day on Friday, August 29 PLUS two tickets
for the South Carolina 200 NASCAR Busch Series race on Saturday,
August 30th a $100 value, all for just $55. The pole day ticket is a
collectible featuring Jeff Gordon and Cale Yarborough, and the South
Carolina 200 ticket includes reserved seating in your choice of either
the Pearson Tower or Tyler Tower grandstands. To commemorate the
dominance of Gordon and Yarborough at Darlington Raceway, the track is
offering a special, limited-time ticket offer for the upcoming
Mountain Dew Southern 500 weekend, August 29-31. Fans may purchase two
tickets for The Pantry Pole Day on Friday, August 29 and two tickets
for the South Carolina 200 NASCAR Busch Series race on Saturday,
August 30, for only $55. This two-day, $55 ticket deal is available
only by calling the Darlington Raceway ticket hotline at 843.395.8499
on Thursday, May 15 or Friday, May 16 and asking for the 5+5 ticket
offer. Tickets are also available for the 54th running of the Mountain
Dew Southern 500 on Sunday, August 31. For more information on
upcoming events at Darlington Raceway. call 843.395.8892, or log onto
www.darlingtonraceway.com
5/12/03
Ticket deal at The Rock
North Carolina Speedway is offering ticket deals and prizes May 16 and
17 for fans who purchase tickets for the Nov. 9 Pop Secret Microwave
Popcorn 400 by calling the speedway ticket office or visiting two
special locations. Tickets will be sold at the NASCAR Cafe in Myrtle
Beach, S.C., May 15 and 16 during Bike Week and at the NASCAR Silicon
Motor Speedway in Concord on May 17. Prizes include pre-race pit
passes, autographed items, speedway souvenirs and a chance to ride in
the pace car around the 1.017-mile track. For a list of contest rules,
call (910) 582-2861 or (800) 748-7467 or go online to
www.northcarolinaspeedway.com
5/12/03
IndyCar video game to be released IndyCar
Series, the official video game of the Indy Racing League, will ship
to retail outlets nationwide for the PlayStation2 computer
entertainment system May 20, five days before the Indianapolis 500.
Officials from Codemasters, the publisher of the game, confirmed that
dedicated versions for the Xbox video game system from Microsoft and
PC-CD ROM will follow shortly. “We’re excited to release our IndyCar
Series game in time for the world-famous Indy 500,” said Steve Lux,
Codemasters’ senior vice president of marketing in the U.S. “Now
racing fans and gamers alike will be able to recreate the
adrenaline-pumping experience of the ‘Greatest Spectacle in Racing’
without ever leaving their living room.” Indy Car Series events are
broadcast to more than 313 million homes across 66 countries. With
speeds exceeding 220 mph, the IndyCar Series video game captures the
exhilarating, ultra-close racing as experienced only by the
professional drivers of the Indy Racing League. Set to be the most
exciting and entertaining open-wheel racing game ever designed,
IndyCar Series is the only game that features the official cars,
tracks, teams and drivers of the series, all in TV-style presentation.
“The Indy Racing League is thrilled that Codemasters has been able to
create a game that accurately depicts the speed, intensity and
excitement of open-wheel racing,” said Nicole Polsky, director of
licensing for the IRL. “Since IndyCar Series will be available before
the Indy 500 takes place, racing fans will be able to get their first
taste of the Indy 500 before it even happens.” The game will deliver
the entire Indy Racing season, including “The Greatest Spectacle in
Racing,” the Indianapolis 500. Players will experience lightning-paced
action, authentic and intuitive handling, spectacular collisions and a
dynamically adjusted level of difficulty to keep the challenges on the
circuits coming heavy and fast. Players will continuously have to pass
other cars by using drafting techniques, defending their position,
maximizing grip in the groove and switching fuel settings to
capitalize on speed or economy. For additional game information, check
out the game’s dedicated Web site at:
http://www.codemasters.com/indyracingleague [Editor's Note:
Well we know the IRL game will be on store shelves in time for
Christmas. CART's game was pending, but if they drag their feet
too long, they will miss another key Christmas season].
5/12/03
Cleveland night race newsFireworks, Other Activities Light Up Grand Prix …The 21 Musco
mobile lighting towers won’t be the only objects illuminating the
nighttime skies. The official City of Cleveland fireworks will take
place following Champ Car qualifying on Friday, July 4. The fireworks
will shoot right over Burke Lakefront Airport. Fan activities will
fill the schedule during the daylight also. An All Champ Car Driver
Autograph Session is scheduled for 7:00 – 7:45 p.m. on Friday. The
time frame has been expanded by 15 minutes this year. The Fan Forum, a
question-and-answer session for fans with key dignitaries from the
Champ Car World Series and race organizers, takes place Saturday, 2:00
– 3:00 p.m. The LaBatt Lounge featuring live radio remotes will be the
place for happy hour each day. As usual, the Midway will be packed
with vendors offering the latest racing souvenirs, collectibles and
merchandise. Metro Life Flight Returns … For the 13th consecutive year, the
distinct blue-and-yellow helicopters will be on site and on call again
at Burke Lakefront Airport. Metro Life Flight will offer its medical
services to all fans and participants who might require emergency care
while at the Cleveland Grand Prix. “The services provided by Metro
Life Flight fortunately go unnoticed by many race fans, but the
support and expertise provided by its personnel is absolutely critical
for us to stage this Champ Car weekend,” said Graham Hearns, IMG vice
president and director of events. “Metro Life Flight is recognized as
one of the elite trauma and critical care teams around winning many
national and international accolades. It’s certainly fitting to have
only the best emergency team involved in this world-class event.” Convention & Visitors Bureau Pitches In …The Greater Cleveland
Convention & Visitors Bureau is taking a more prominent role in this
year’s race. The CVB is broadening its promotional efforts of the U.S.
Bank Presents the Cleveland Grand Prix to draw more travelers to
Cleveland as their destination of choice for the Fourth of July
holiday. The organization has put forth a significant investment to
advertise and market this year’s 22nd annual race. “The City of
Cleveland is going to be action-packed with activities this Fourth of
July. The race at Burke Lakefront Airport provides a spectacular
centerpiece to showcase and draw more people to our city during this
holiday weekend,” said Dave Nolan, president of the Convention &
Visitors Bureau of Greater Cleveland. “The CVB is proud to step up its
efforts to promote this year’s Grand Prix. The race turns the national
spotlight on our city each summer and pumps $24.5 million annually
into our local economy. By contributing more promotional support, we
feel that number can be even greater especially combined with it being
a night race for the first time.”
5/12/03
CART & IRL overnight TV ratings Both
the taped delayed Brands Hatch race on Saturday and the German
500 on Sunday turned in an overnight TV rating of 1.2 with a 3
share on CBS, which equates to a little over 1.3 million
households watching each event. Meanwhile, the Indy 500 pole
day qualifying on ABC, the biggest spectacle in motorsports,
got a 1.0, we think a record low. The IRL's last race on
ABC came in with a 0.8 rating so it looks like CART is still
more popular than the IRL and getting better network TV
ratings and race day attendance. Not bad for a series
many said was dead. It's clear CART must move all races
to CBS in 2004.
5/12/03
CART hits a home run in Germany
There were more journalists at the EuroSpeedway on Sunday than
we have seen at any race in recent memory, the Indy 500
included, which leads us to believe CART's real future is a
little more international and a little less domestic.
The majority of them were from Europe, and Germany in
particular. As the race reached its exciting conclusion
with Bourdais nipping Dominguez and Jourdain Jr., the European
media let out a thunderous roar as the checkered flag flew.
They were smiling and their fingers immediately started to
type their story they were to file that evening. CART
got a lot of media coverage in Germany throughout the race
weekend, and from those we spoken too, in broken English, CART
was well received. As for the fans in attendance, in typical
European fashion, they were still blowing their air horns in
approval an hour after the race concluded. We can't
imagine what it would be like if a German driver were in the
race, and running competitively. Getting a German driver
in the series has to be high on CART's list of must-do items.
It's not even an option. Mark C.
5/12/03
Nadeau's hit the hardest
This Richmond Times
article says, #01-Jerry Nadeau's driver's-side crash
didn't resemble the head-on impacts involving Bobby Hamilton,
Derrike Cope and Sterling Marlin last year at Richmond
International Raceway. The accident, which put Nadeau in
critical condition with head, rib and lung injuries, also was
unique for its violence. The wreck ranked as the highest
G-force spike reported by one of NASCAR's "black boxes," the
data recorders installed at the beginning of the 2002 season
to measure the impact of crashes by the force of gravity. "It
was easily the hardest hit," said Jim Hunter, NASCAR's
executive vice president for communications. "It was a
whopper." NASCAR doesn't release the numbers recorded in
impacts, but Nadeau's crash easily exceeded the previous
hardest hit of a reported 80 Gs by Kyle Petty's car at Bristol
Motor Speedway in March. The RIR wrecks involving Cope and
Marlin reportedly topped 60 Gs, and Hamilton said he was told
his truck crash into the Turn 1 wall at the 0.75-mile oval
last September registered a hit of 58 Gs. "Jerry's car did not
have any chance to scrub off any speed," Hunter said.
"Normally you hit with a corner of a car. Kyle Petty hit with
one corner and then the other before hitting sideways. In
Jerry's case, the car almost hit perfectly flat against the
wall." The driver's side is one of the most vulnerable areas
during a crash because there is little separating the cockpit
from the concrete. Gary Nelson, who runs NASCAR's Research and
Development Center in Concord, N.C., is working on a method to
cushion the blow. Nelson is building a crash pad at the R&D
Center to help gather data.
5/12/03
NASCAR distances itself from Linden NJ track
This NJ Star Ledger newspaper
article says, Developer Morton Salkind says he wants
to build a car track in Linden, NJ (North New Jersey, outside
of New York City). Salkind says his track could one day host a
NASCAR race. Not so fast, says NASCAR. The stock car racing
sanctioning body recently sent a letter to Salkind distancing
itself from the plan. In the April 24 letter, NASCAR President
Mike Helton told Salkind, "Although NASCAR cannot and will not
advise you on the development of your stated project, you must
do so without any expectation or reliance that NASCAR will
ever sanction an event at (the) facility if and when it is
completed." Helton's letter was in response to comments made
by Salkind to The Star-Ledger in which he said NASCAR would
"happily" sanction a race in the region. In his strongly
worded letter to Salkind, Helton said, "NASCAR has absolutely
no affiliation or connection with you or your company and has
made no commitment or representation of any kind to hold a
NASCAR sanctioned event at your facility if built." Salkind's
proposal for Liberty Speedway on Tremley Point in Linden calls
for a 0.92-mile racetrack with 100,000-seat grandstand,
expandable to 140,000 seats. The plan also calls for a
400,000-square-foot entertainment center and a 20-story hotel
and conference center. Salkind would build the Liberty
Speedway on a 140-acre site that once housed GAF, a chemical
company. He said the $401 million project would be built with
private funds. Despite NASCAR's distancing itself from the
Linden proposal, the association in the past has said it would
like to sanction races in the New Jersey-New York area, the
No.1 media market. "A track in the New York area would be
absolutely huge for us," said Rob Copland, a NASCAR spokesman
based in the sport's Midtown Manhattan office. ISC is a
publicly traded company, but the France family, which owns
NASCAR, controls nearly 70 percent of ISC's common stock. ISC
owns 12 racetracks scattered across the country, from Daytona
International Speedway in Florida to the California Speedway
east of Los Angeles, along with a 37.5 percent share of
Chicagoland Speedway. "Our enthusiasm for being at the
Meadowlands has not dimmed," said John Graham, ISC vice
president of business affairs. "But recognizing that we have
been looking and talking (for) a long time, we do believe it's
in our interest, and the interest of the sport, that we are
beginning to explore other sites in New York and New Jersey."
5/12/03 Industry News
New marketing chief for Brands
Alasdair Farrimond has been appointed as the new group
marketing manager of Brands Hatch Circuits Ltd - formerly
known as Octagon Motorsports. Farrimond is the latest
figure to join the management board of the
financially-troubled unit which is trying to turn its fortunes
around after heavy losses incurred last year prompted parent
company the Interpublic Group to confirm it was looking at
'exit strategies'. Farrimond will be responsible for the
development of all marketing campaigns to support Brands Hatch
Circuits’ core business sectors, namely events, corporate and
retail sales. His role will include the development and
implementation of an integrated marketing plan for the five
circuits, with key responsibilities to oversee the group’s
advertising strategy, media planning and buying, database and
customer relationship management, corporate branding and
overall management of agency relationships. Farrimond
joins Brands Hatch Circuits Ltd. from Walt Disney Parks and
Resorts, London, where he was head of travel industry
marketing. He has extensive experience in the leisure sector
having previously worked for Walt Disney Travel Company and
Universal Studios Escape and also the motor industry with
Proton Cars Ltd. Farrimond will be based at Brands
Hatch and will have a dedicated marketing team of six people.
He will report to Brands Hatch Circuits Ltd managing director
Andrew Waller - himself a former Disney executive.
Can't blame the economy
on Indy attendance2nd UPDATE Another reader writes, Jeff Scott you
are the "Man". You hit the nail on Tony's head. My father went
to Indy for 25 years and made me an open wheel fan. I will
not, however, go to Indy again and give my money to the man
who ruined the traditions of Indianapolis and open wheel
racing. I agree completely with you. Until Tony is gone,
please let it be soon, you will not see the fans return. Maybe
some day the press in Indy will see the light and quit sucking
up to that _________(fill in your own word here). Sincerely,
Michael Ultimo Chicago, Illinois UPDATE
Dear AR1, I have this to say: The economy didn't stop the fans
in Monterrey, St., Petersburg, Long Beach, Brands Hatch and
Lausitz to attend "CART" races. Meanwhile, the
"IRL" didn't have much attendance at Homestead, Phoenix and
qualifying for the "INDY 500," as "CART" events have had.
Mr. Tony George, Roger Penske, Chip Ganassi, Toyota, Honda,
Marlboro, Target, etc. must have a very strong reason to be
spending their money on a series that just doesn't have any
appeal. How ABC, ESPN chose the IRL is beyond my imagination,
The 500 is not what it used to be as we saw from last year's
fiasco of giving the race to the CAPTAIN and Marlboro. They
have the TV contracts, sponsors, etc., but "Where are the
fans? Regarding the economy, have you seen the
great attendance at NASCAR, and NHRA, races? Marta Campos,
Los Angeles, CA. 5/11/03 - A reader writes, Dear
AR1, This was a response sent to the Indianapolis Star in
regards to the recent
article concerning lagging attendance at IMS. Just
thought that you might like to publish it, since it won't get
printed in the Star. Jeff Scott To the editor, In regards to
the article entitled “Race Ticket Sales Flagging” by John
Fritze in Saturday’s Star, Mr. Fritze dances around the topic
like a 4-year old ballerina. Mr. Fritze’s points concerning
the economy may be valid, except that the Speedway didn’t have
attendance problems during the Carter years in the late 70’s,
when the economy was in much worse shape than it is now. I
believe that in Mr. Fritze’s haste to blame the economy, he
has ignored one very important factor -- an analysis of the
actions of the man who is ultimately responsible for the Indy
500’s success or failure. In 1995, Tony George gave a middle
finger to CART fans around the world and touted a more
affordable, all oval series with a level playing field that
would entice American drivers and smaller teams to participate
and allow them to be competitive. At the same time, he was
condemning CART for allowing engine manufacturers, large
teams, road courses, and foreign drivers to ruin American open
wheel racing. Understandably, many fans that yearned for the
olden, golden days of the Speedway supported what was then the
fledgling Indy Racing League. Although most CART fans weren’t
buying it, Tony was convincingly sincere and honest in stating
his “vision” for IMS and American open wheel racing. Nearly a
decade later, where does the IRL stand? The IRL now has engine
leases, Penske, Ganassi, rumors of coming road races, and a
majority of the IRL drivers that were born outside the USA. By
embracing the exact issues that he condemned in 1995, Tony
George had shown the same respect to the early IRL supporter
that he showed CART fans 8 years ago. Whereas CART fans are
not surprised, many of the original IRL fans’ eyes have been
opened to the real reason for the creation of the IRL - ego,
money and greed, mixed with a healthy dose of stupidity.
Because of this, I believe that Tony’s arrogance and ignorance
of fans is the largest factor in the decline of the Indy 500
attendance. Notwithstanding CART previous management debacles,
Mr. George is the most destructive force in history of open
wheel racing in this country. Most of the problems that both
CART and IRL have with attendance and TV ratings can be
directly attributed to his decision to split American
open-wheel racing in 1995. While it is curious that Mr. Fritze
failed to consider this, it is not at all surprising. The
Indianapolis media has treated Tony George with kid gloves
from the beginning, while painting CART as the villain at
every opportunity. But now that CART is on life-support and
the Indy 500 continues to fall off the radar, it should become
clear who the real culprit is for the current state of the
Indy 500 and American open wheel racing. Considering the
damage that Tony has done to IMS and the resulting impact on
the economy of Central Indiana during the month of May, the
media should be calling for his head on a platter instead of
placing him on a pedestal. Sincerely, Jeff Scott
5/12/03
CART's protest system passes
the test
CART's protest system, unlike the IRL's and NASCAR's, is set up
to be as fair as possible to the accused. On Saturday at
the EuroSpeedway, Michel Jourdain Jr's car failed
post-qualifying inspection. The team protested, which
set off a series of actions per the CART rule book. At
each race there is a totally independent judge onsite to
oversee an investigation should there be a penalty and a
protest. In this case the independent judge was Neil
Komai. Two other independent judges were called by
telephone, Steve Summers and John Bornholdt. Judge Komai
heard all the arguments on both sides, collected all the data
and then telephoned Summers and Bornholdt back in the USA..
Within hours the judges made their ruling, against the CART
officials. The protest was upheld and Jourdain Jr. was
able to start third in the race, which is where he qualified. Mark C.
5/11/03
Foyt loses control again
Clearly in over his head, A.J. Foyt IV has lost control of his
car yet again. During the early stages of qualifying at
Indy today, A.J. Foyt IV made a dramatic save (call it
downright lucky) after his No. 14 Conseco/A.J. Foyt Racing
Dallara/Toyota/Firestone spun exiting Turn 2 on his first
qualifying lap. The car headed backward toward the outside
wall, but Foyt steered it clear and coasted backward to a stop
down the backstretch. He was unhurt.
5/11/03
Credit where credit is due
We have been extremely hard on CART in recent months because
the drivers did not have a car/engine package they can make
passes with on tight road and street circuits. Ditto for
ovals in the recent past (Handford Device tracks not
withstanding) - it was follow-the-leader all day long.
With the new high-downforce package now in use, the drivers
put on a show in Germany on the 2-mile oval the fans will not
soon forget. We tip our hat to CART for getting it right this
time. Now CART needs to implement the passing button we
have suggested for the road and street circuits and the
drivers will then be able to put on races the fans will not
soon forget on those nearly impossible to pass tight circuits
as well. Mark C.
5/11/03
111,000 announced for German
500
The official 3-day attendance for the German 500 was announced
as 111,000. The breakdown: Friday - 15,000, Saturday -
28,0000, Sunday - 68,000.
5/11/03
Reader says fans are to blame Dear AutoRacing1.com, In response to a couple of INDY
500-related articles you've published by subscribers in the
last couple days, I have this to say. The fans are just as
guilty for the present state of open wheel racing (especially
at the 500) as the economy, those at the head of the
sanctioning bodies, NASCAR and whoever else you want to throw
in there. This time of year is a great experience for me and
my family. I drove 2 hours to be with my folks and watch pole
day. The 500 has been a great part of my family for the last
30 years. I can only blame the fans for not showing up. They
know it will be a great race. I say stop being complacent and
go and support open wheel racing (regardless of the
sanctioning body) while it's still around. Even though I'm
probably in the minority, I do support both. I have very
little interest in NASCAR and, when I have kids, they'll know
open wheel racing and no NASCAR! How does that sound?
Paul Richards, Des Moines
5/11/03
Brands Hatch race gets a lot of
media coverage in UK
Our Gary Parravani scanned pages from some of the extensive
media coverage that CART received in the UK media (the two big
motorsports publications in the UK, Autosport and Motoring
News) as a results of last Monday's race at Brands Hatch.
Photo Page
5/11/03
Zanardi's hand/foot controls
The photos below show the hand and foot controls specially
designed by Adam Schaechter of the Rocketsports team and Lee
Dykstra of CART.
Photos and illustrations by
Mark Cipolloni/AutoRacing1.com
5/11/03
Junqueira's flat-out lap comes
up a little short
A frustrated Bruno Junqueira had this to say after being
bumped from pole position for today's German 500 - "I was flat
out but still too slow to win the pole which is very
disappointing because I expected to do it. We were 2/10th off
of the pole time and I was flat out and I have no idea why.
Two-tenths (of a second) is like a lifetime here. For sure I
carry a TV camera and it causes drag but that is one-half of a
tenth of a second maximum though. For sure once the race
starts it will be different. Our plan is to keep the second
place starter the one that wins the race as it has happened
all year and put the PacifiCare team on the top spot on the
podium. It will be a very long race and maybe my experience as
well as having a good race car will help us win our first race
this year."
5/11/03
Newman Haas team working longer
hours to win
Sebastien Bourdais had this to say after winning the pole for
the German 500 -- "It's great to win the pole on my first trip
to an oval. It was not really my job (that earned the pole) --
the engineers did a wonderful job to make the car where I
could run flat out. I think we have had a strong car since the
beginning of the season. We were quick at Brands Hatch so I
didn't think we prepared the cars enough for this event since
we had to make a compromise and have one set-up that would
work on the road course and the oval. It was fairly easy to
stay flat out all the way around. We definitely have a good chance
to be on pace at all of the races. For once the winner will be
the one who starts on pole (instead of second place). My goal
is not to win the Championship - that is Bruno's goal. It is
my rookie year. I just want to take it race by race. Too much
confidence on an oval is not good for rookies. If you are
confident too quickly you are basically going too fast too
early. I scared the engineers (at the test) in Phoenix because
I was going too quick - driving too fast too soon. You must
work to slow yourself down. They say that driving on an oval
is the school of patience. I'm happy for the Lilly team and
all of Newman/Haas Racing. They are working harder than any
other team. They stay longer at the track that anyone in the
Paddock and they deserve the success they have achieved."
5/11/03
Is the Indy 500 debasement
complete?
A reader writes, Dear AutoRacing1.com, I felt the need to pass
along to all who have followed the CART/IRL split what struck
me at the quintessential summation of the havoc The * Grandson
hath wrought on open wheel motorsport in North America. I went
to my local White Hen Pantry ( I will not do business with 7
Eleven for reasons that should be obvious) a moment ago for
the Sunday “Chicago Tribune.” As I’m waiting in line I notice
the sign taped at eye level to the wall right next to the exit
door: “FOR SALE - 4 PIT ROAD TICKETS FOR THE 2003 INDY 500.”
Along the lower edge of the sign were the pre-cut phone number
tabs, maybe 15 of them, just like the “Need Ride To
(insert your city name here)” signs we all recall hanging in
the dorms. Not one phone number tab had been torn free. As
soon as my brain processed the image I felt sad at how the
once mighty spectacle had been reduced to this by its selfish
caretaker. A “For Sale” sign in a c-store. Great sorrow then
set in as I came to the realization that the damage is done.
The debasement complete. The 500 is well beyond repair. Even
if the IMS/IRL could figure out a way to put themselves back
into some favorable alignment with CART there is no way The
Indianapolis 500 will ever be the race it was pre-split. There
are simply too many asterisks after too many results. Especially
last year's “competition managed” finish. I mourn the passing.
RIP. J.N. Anderson, Chicago, Illinois
5/11/03
Alex Zanardi, the human race
Andrew Longmore talks to an inspiring racing driver who today
will exorcise the ghost of his crash. This must-read London Sunday Times
article (requires registration) says, Alex Zanardi is
sitting on a dustbin outside garage No 29, wearing racing
overalls and signing autographs until his arm aches. But he is
happy, ecstatically happy. For the first time since a dark day
back in September 2001, when he lost his legs but won the
battle for life, he can use the present tense and say: “I am a
racing driver.” Those who were at the Lausitzring on
Friday evening will forget the moment no more easily than
Zanardi. And yet it all seemed so remarkably ordinary. At just
after 5.30pm in this flat, gently rural part of eastern
Germany, Zanardi walked down the iron stairs from the team
offices on the balcony to go and drive a racing car. He
chatted to his mechanics for a time, climbed into the car, put
on his fireproof mask, his helmet and his gloves, and was
wheeled out on to the track. Zanardi had waited 18
months to feel the power beneath him again. His eyes were
alert, then anonymous beneath the visor. The engine spluttered
and howled, the grid cleared, and with barely a missed beat he
was back in his old world. For his wife, Daniella, waiting by
the pit wall, the familiar, receding drone, the theme tune of
her marriage, had never sounded so warm. The chants of a
small crowd, scattered across the vast grandstand, added to
the surreal nature of the scene, but there was no mistaking
the sense of relief as the pitlane community returned to their
rituals on the eve of a race weekend. Everybody felt
better: Alex was back. Today, before the start of the
German 500, the second leg of the Champ Cars European tour,
the laps will be for real, all 13 of them. The significance of
that number will not be lost on the crowd. Just 18 months ago,
Zanardi was exiting the pitlane to start his final stint of
the inaugural Champ Car race in Europe, when he spun across
the infield and out across the track. With all the instincts
of a double champion and long-time race leader, he tried to
correct the back end. Hurtling at 200mph round the tighter of
the two left-hand corners in the diamond-shaped
super-speedway, all Alex Tagliani could see was the burgundy
red and white cockpit of the Reynard Honda broadside across
his path. He didn’t even have time to brake before he and
Zanardi collided. The horrific pictures on television that
night caused nations to wince. It was that sort of accident.
There were 13 laps to go. (you really want to read the
entire
article).....“I don’t have to break the track record,”
he says quietly. “It’s just about the principle, about the
idea that there’s not much you can’t do if you really want it.
You can do a lot. Not everything, but a lot.” This, he says,
is an end, not a beginning. The end of the longest pit stop in
motor racing history.
5/11/03
Liked Brands Hatch
A reader writes, Dear AR1, I watched the CART race at Brands
Hatch today, I don't get what all the negative squawking was
about the event. I saw slow cars getting passed, I saw great
racing and hard driving. The race was well produced, and
exceeded any product ABC / ESPN TV ever did for or to CART.
The only minor oversight I saw in the program was they did not
follow the lead car on its last hot lap before they pitted,
the most important lap for a driver to gain a position on
another while still on hot tires. Regards, DRS, Louisville,
KY Dear David, While there was some real hard
driving going on at Brands Hatch, the fact that the race had
absolutely zero on-track lead changes, like all the rest of
the CART races this year, was the exact complaint F1 fans had
about the F1 follow-the-leader processions in recent years,
and the subsequent drop in their TV ratings. F1 had the
wherewithal to make drastic changes in order to mix things up
a bit this year. CART must make drastic changes as well.
In America, the majority of race fans are NASCAR fan where
passing for the lead is common place. The best way for
CART to gain a larger audience in the USA is by making their
product interesting to other 'race' fans. The chances of
winning over a football or baseball fan is remote. In
America, those 'other' fans are NASCAR fans and after watching
side-by-side racing, complete with lead changes all these
years, they simply will not watch follow-the-leader
processions. That's just the way it is in the USA, CART's most
important market. So either CART is going to tailor its
product to what potential new customers want, or they will
continue their follow-the-leader processions and not gain any
new customers. The choice is rather academic really.
Mark Cipolloni
5/10/03
Chevrolet outclassed in the IRL
Chevrolet has been thoroughly beaten by Toyota and Honda this
year in the IRL despite a 5-year head start in the series. Chevy
wants to test a new engine this coming week at another track.
If they actually believe Honda and Toyota are going to wait
for them to catch up, they had better go to church and pray
for a few miracles. Those two fiercely competitive
companies are always going to be two or three steps ahead of
Chevy. Chevy's only hope is for the IRL to give them
extra revs, which they said they would not do. The fastest Chevrolet lap that has
been run all week is Jaques Lazier's 228.401 mph on Thursday.
That ranks 24th of all laps run by the 52 different cars that
have been on the race track. IRL champion, Hornish's best
speed is 228.210 mph run during Tuesday's practice. That's
28th on the speed list. Hornish's mission was derailed
Thursday when a Chevrolet engine blew up during practice,
setting the team behind for Friday's last full day of practice
before qualifications. "We've made quite a few gains since the
beginning of the season, but obviously our competitors haven't
been standing still, either," Negri said. "We made some big
gains in reliability and added some new features to the
engine. That has been excellent. We had some problems with the
gear drive early on and that has been fixed now. We have made
some significant gains in fuel economy and some gains in
horsepower, but not enough horsepower." "We thought we would
be a little more in the game than we are," Negri said. "We
have had some good gains on the dyno that haven't seemed to
run as well on the cars as expected. We're all working
together very closely. There are engines going back and forth
from one dyno to another. There isn't as much difference to
everybody in the group." "If we had been able to give him a
little bit more horsepower, he would have passed a lot of
guys," Negri said. "I saw him get behind some guys who
actually finished better than him who were running slower lap
times, but it would take five laps to go by because they were
faster on the straightaways."
5/10/03
Kenny Brack's new band to debut
On Carb Day, Kenny Brack’s new band, Kenny Brack and the
Subwoofers, will open the concert stage at 3:30 p.m. followed
by the rock group, Cracker. Brack’s new
Pioneer-sponsored band will make its national debut next
Tuesday in Indianapolis at the famed Ike and Jonesy’s Bar and
will be seen live on three Indy television stations as well as
ESPN’s RPM Tonight.
5/10/03
Tagliani predicts pack racing
on Sunday Alex Tagliani stated today - "The
EuroSpeedway is awesome and I'm running flat out all the way
around the track. The car is smooth, but we're looking for
more speed," said Tagliani. "We qualified ninth this
afternoon, but we expected to do a little better than that,
especially after good results in the morning practice
session." Tagliani spent the rest of the afternoon considering
improvements to the # 33 Johnson Controls Lola that would give
him any aerodynamic advantage in tomorrow's race. Along with
engineers Will Phillips and Adam Schaechter, Tagliani worked
the Lola over for slight mechanical and/or aerodynamic changes
in an effort to run with as little drag possible. "We're
restricted to how the car is set so we need to work on details
which will reduce drag and make us quicker," explained
Tagliani. The scene in the Rocketsports office is often
fascinating as Tagliani becomes involved in intricate details
of engineering the Lola and highly technical discussions. At
other times Tagliani engages in animated dialogue with team
owner Paul Gentilozzi on driving strategy and considers all
factors when preparing for a race. For the German tri-oval
track Tagliani has stressed how important staying with the
pack is in order to maintain optimum speed and how crucial it
is to do this properly. "For the race tomorrow, I predict
there will be a lot of pack driving, so we must all respect
each other and stick to the oval rules. We must pay attention
to the two-stage speed limit, where slower cars stay lower,"
added Tagliani. "It'll be intense." However, other
drivers told us that because there is very little banking,
much like Homestead, don't expect too much side-by-side stuff.
5/10/03
Bahrain could take Brazil's
date Next year two new venues will be joining the
Formula One circuit, and one, Bahrain, could slot in as early
as round three of the World Championship. Round three is
typically the Brazilian GP slot. Bahrain, together
with China, will be hosting its first grand prix in 2004, and
both venues have still to be assigned a place on the calendar.
However it appears as if they will be allocated places at
either end with Bahrain's race taking place near the start of
the year and China's at the end. The Middle East country's F1
circuit is still under construction, but is due for completion
by March 7, 2004. This means it will be conceivable for
Bahrain to hold a race in early April. Sheikh Fawaz bin
Mohammed al-Khalifa, president of Bahrain's general
organization for youth and sports, told Autosport: "Initially
we just want to make the event a success for the fans but
fixing a date is important for us and for the continuation of
that date. Ideally it will be at the beginning or the end of
the season because we can't have a date in the middle of the
season as it's too hot." "I've been to the Malaysian Grand
Prix where the humidity is around 90 percent and I've seen the
drivers after the race. It's not really a pleasant feeling,
not for the spectators or the drivers. We don't want that." He
added: "We have almost zero humidity during the beginning of
the season so we'd prefer the climate to be acceptable for
everyone."
5/10/03
Billy Boat medical update
A medical update on Billy Boat, who crashed during
Indianapolis 500 pre-qualifying practice May 10 at the
Indianapolis Motor Speedway: Medical update from Dr. Henry
Bock, medical services director for the Indianapolis Motor
Speedway and the Indy Racing League: Billy Boat has been
released from Methodist Hospital in Indianapolis. He will be
re-examined tomorrow morning at the Clarian Emergency Medical
Center in the infield of IMS to determine his fitness to
participate in tomorrow's activities.
5/10/03
Jourdain fails post-qualifying
inspectionUPDATE
After hearing the formal protest lodged by Team Rahal covering
Saturday’s decision by the CART Champ Car World Series to
disallow the German 500 qualifying time of driver Michel
Jourdain Jr., the series judges have decided in favor of the
team, and have revoked all penalties. On May 10, 2003, initial
technical inspection found the team’s car to be in violation
of Champ Car rule 9.5.2H.2, which states ‘No addition of air
ducts or modification of the filter mounting is allowed’.
After hearing from both sides in the matter and an examination
of the race car parts in question, the judges upheld the Team
Rahal protest. As a result, the team will not be fined, $500
of their protest fee will be returned and the #9 Gigante
Ford-Cosworth/Lola/Bridgestone of Jourdain will be returned to
its rightful place on the grid, meaning that Jourdain will
start third in Sunday’s German 500 at EuroSpeedway Lausitz.
The race starts at 2 p.m. local time, (8 a.m. Eastern) and can
be seen on a same-day, tape-delayed basis on CBS Sports at 1
p.m. Eastern. 5/10/03 - The Team Rahal Champ Car entry
driven by Michel Jourdain Jr. (#9 Gigante
Ford-Cosworth/Lola/Bridgestone) failed post-qualifying
technical inspection for Sunday’s German 500 at EuroSpeedway Lausitz and will start the race on the tail end of the grid
after qualifying third this afternoon with a time of 37.274
seconds (195.386 mph). CART Champ Car officials found the Team
Rahal machine to be in violation of Rule 9.5.2H2 of the Champ
Car Rule Book which states, “No addition of air ducts or
modification of the filter mounting is allowed.” The violation
will also result in a $10,000 fine for Team Rahal. As per
provisions allowed in the Champ Car Rule Book, Team Rahal has
protested the disqualification. The protest is currently being
heard by a panel of CART judges and an announcement of the
decision will be made upon completion of the review.
5/10/03
Seen
at EuroSpeedway Danish ALMS driver Tom Kristensen, shakes hands with CART president Chris Pook
while chatting with CART team owner and fellow ALMS driver
Stefan Johansson. In the past, Kristensen, who has been
fast in F1 testing, has not been willing to make the
commitment necessary to land a Champ Car ride, but we know for
certain, he was interested.
5/10/03 Industry News
Conseco reorganization opposed
A Bankruptcy trustee is opposing Conseco's bankruptcy
reorganization plan. The reason is a release of liability
clause for a broad range of people employed or affiliated with
Conseco operations. Mark C.
5/10/03
Very European
The 20,000 fans in attendance for CART qualifying today at
EuroSpeedway really hit home how much different they are than
American fans. Not only are they enthusiastic to see
anything American, they even ask for autographs of the team
owners. The air horns some fans blow in the grandstands
give this race a very F1-like flavor. Mark C.
5/10/03
Did you know?
Did you know that when the Montreal race was scheduled for
September 7th 2003 the promoter would have been allowed to
construct as many grandstand seats as they have for F1.
However, between mid-June (right after the Canadian F1 race)
and Labor Day weekend, they are restricted in how many
grandstand seats they can construct because the track is in a
park. However, the promoter chose to move the CART race
to just before Labor Day weekend, and hence be limited to how
many seats they can erect. The reason they chose August is the
weather. There is a much higher risk of rain in
September, so the promoter chose to go with full grandstands
of 70,000+ vs. risking a rainy day and attendance of only
50,0000 in 100,000 seats. Mark C.
5/10/03
IRL racing comes to CART
We spoke to rookie Dingman driver Tiago Monteiro about
how it feels to be on an oval for the first time. "The
car feels good but we're slow," said Monteiro. "I am
easy flat, 100% throttle all the way around, but the Lolas
are blowing by me." In traffic it's still 100% throttle,
but the car does tend to wash out, or understeer, some.
Then it's a little more dicey." Are you running a lot of
drag/downforce in the car, we asked. "No, we are
running minimum downforce, stated Monteiro." 100%
throttle on an oval, CART takes a page out of the IRL play
book. Every driver told us the same things - it's easy
flat all the way around EuroSpeedway. As you know, we are against 100% throttle racing
because it masks driver weaknesses, but it should make for a
better show. After Milwaukee, CART is back on the road
courses, where driver talent means something. Mark C.
5/10/03
Might Indy Car racing become
extinct? Has Tony George's splitting of Indy
Car racing in two with the creation of the IRL doomed the
sport to eventual extinction? Shall we plan the funeral?
Order the flowers? Based on low attendance so far this
year, and a possible short field at Indy, the handwriting is
on the wall. The last time CART raced at Indy, the TV ratings
were 10.9. Since then they gradually plunged to a 4.8
last season, so low that now almost all Winston Cup races get
a higher TV ratings than the once king of the hill, the Indy
500. The IRL teams count on the Indy 500 to sell sponsorship,
as the Indy 500 drops in stature, selling sponsorship becomes
harder.. But there are more signs. High speeds, big name
drivers, close racing do little for ticket sales at the IRL's
biggest event. By fracturing Indy Car racing in two,
Tony George has allowed NASCAR to monopolize auto racing in
the USA. So strong is their monopoly, Indy Car racing is
floundering by all measures. According to this Indy Star
article, Blame it on the economy or the price of
tickets, but whatever the reason, ticket sales for this year's
Indianapolis 500 have been lower than usual, maybe the lowest
ever (Editor's Note - or maybe many of the fans think Paul
Tracy really won last years race and have become so disgusted
with the Speedway they are not buying tickets anymore). The
Indianapolis Motor Speedway won't say how many seats are still
for sale, but officials did say this is one of the first years
a slump has warranted advertising to promote "The Greatest
Spectacle in Racing." The radio, television and newspaper
spots proclaim that a "limited" number of reserve-seat tickets
are still available for the race on May 25. But the Speedway's
Internet site Friday showed openings in virtually every box,
stand and vista around the 2.5-mile oval. "I've never seen it
this bad before," said Dave Brusslan, owner of Preferred
Tickets, a ticket brokerage based in Castleton. The company is
sitting on 200 of the 500 tickets it bought for the race.
"There's just no demand," said Brusslan, who has owned the
business for 15 years. A spokesman for another broker, Tickets
Together, said the demand is the worst he's seen in the 20
years he has been in the business. There are 30 sellers for
every buyer, he said.....Speedway officials just announced
plans to raise ticket prices next year by as much as $10 (and
they think ticket sales are slow this year). "It's sad when
attendance drops off," said Carol Bowling, 44, an Indianapolis
resident who has been attending the race since she was 15.
Bowling, along with a handful of fans, braved showers during a
practice day at the Speedway earlier this week. "I've noticed
a drop-off in everything right now because the economy is very
slow." The economy may be one factor, but John Antil, a
University of Delaware marketing professor, said he thinks
sports fans in general are fed up by high ticket prices or
simply have found other things to do.....In a 24-hour period
ending Friday afternoon, about 120 Indianapolis 500 tickets
were for sale on the Internet auction house eBay -- and only
about 29 had received bids. "It's all events at this point --
not even just sporting events," said Scott Cutshaw, owner of
Wholesale Ticket Service, an Indianapolis ticket broker.
"Everything is extremely soft."
5/10/03
Tony George says full Indy
field not guaranteed
How can the biggest race in the world be reduced to this?
One reason Tony George gave for creating the IRL was to ensure
a full field. He was concerned CART could not guarantee
him a full field for Indy? So he fractured the sport in
two with the creation of the IRL. According to this Indy
Star
article, Speedway president Tony George is concerned
about not having 33 cars for the 87th Indianapolis 500. But he
vowed Friday not to affect the natural process by giving money
to teams. Only 28 cars have practiced for qualifications that
begin today. Another will join the action next week when
driver Jimmy Vasser arrives from Europe. Just one more car, at
Team Menard, is believed to have an engine program to go with
it. "If we end up with a short field, we end up with a short
field," George said. "I don't know that anybody's going to do
anything out of the ordinary just to create a full field of
33. "I'm not putting that burden on (the teams, engine
manufacturers) or myself." Many veterans in Gasoline Alley
expect George to exert his influence next week if teams don't
step forward to add cars. "There will be 33 cars, you can
count on that," team owner A.J. Foyt said.
5/10/03
Indy Qualifying a washout?
The weather forecast is for severe weather on pole day
qualifying. Today...occasional thunderstorms.
Some thunderstorms may be severe
with damaging winds...large hail and heavy rainfall. Very warm
and
humid with highs in the upper 70s. Southwest winds around 15
mph.
Chance of rain 80 percent. Tonight...occasional thunderstorms. Some thunderstorms
may be severe
with damaging winds...large hail and heavy rainfall. Not as
warm and
humid with lows in the lower 60s. Southwest winds around 15
mph.
Chance of rain 80 percent.
5/10/03 Red-Bull driver
search
12 drivers move to next stage
The 12 winners moving to Phase 2 of the 2003 Red Bull Driver
Search are as follows:
Tony Richter: Thunder Alley Indoor Speedway, Brooklyn Center,
MN
Shane Berndt: Thunder Alley Indoor Speedway, Brooklyn Center,
MN
Amanda Stoddard: Thunder Alley Indoor Speedway, Brooklyn
Center, MN
Brandon Stroschein: Thunder Alley Indoor Speedway, Brooklyn
Center, MN
TadFunakushi: SpeedRing Indoor, Sacramento, California
Nick Green: SpeedRing Indoor, Sacramento, California
Wesley Boswell: SpeedRing Indoor, Sacramento, California
AJ Piferini: SpeedRing Indoor, Sacramento, California
Steven Elliott: Dromo One, Orange, California
Michael Mantel: Dromo One, Orange, California
Alan Sciuto: Dromo One, Orange, California
Casandra Quaglierini: Dromo One, Orange, California
5/10/03
NASCAR
can learn something from V8Star cars
The German V8Star series is racing at EuroSpeedway. The
cars are a lot like NASCAR Winston Cup cars (actually closer
to German DTM cars), in that they are front engine tube frame
cars. For safety, the driver's seat is actually a CART
and F1-like carbon-fiber combination seat/tub, cut open on the
top for easier ingress and egress. The driver sits
further back in the car than in a Cup car and away from the
drivers door by almost 1 foot.
Zanardi back in the seat at
EuroSpeedway Alex Zanardi did some test laps
late Friday afternoon at EuroSpeedway and turned a 37.8 second
lap, faster than some of the cars are practicing at this
morning. This with the same turbo boost pressure and
wing package as everyone else. He went out, did two
warm-up laps, then came in for a slight wing adjustment, went
back out and cracked off a series of laps that would have
easily been fast enough to qualify for the race. As one
CART official told us, Alex is an amazing man.
Photos by LAT courtesy of CART
5/10/03 Fran-Am
Fran-Am cars can race in SCCA
Effective immediately, Fran-Am 1600 cars are homologated for
racing in SCCA. Cars may be entered as Formula -S in regional
SCCA events. Drivers must provide their chassis number and
have a homologation certificate issued by SCCA National office
prior to showing up at the event. Drivers must have an SCCA
license.
5/10/03
Former winners in Austria
This grandprix.com article
says that this is likely to be the last Austrian Grand Prix
for some years and as a result the organizers have invited all
the drivers who have won the race to attend. Of those who have
won the event, which dates back to 1964, Jacky Ickx (The
winner in 1970), Emerson Fittipaldi (1972), John Watson
(1976), Jean-Pierre Jabouille (1980), Jacques Laffite (1981),
Niki Lauda (1984), Jacques Villeneuve (1997), David Coulthard
(2001) and Michael Schumacher (2002) will all be there. Alain
Prost (1983) will be busy elsewhere looking after his son's
racing career while Alan Jones (1977 & 1979) is unable to
attend because his wife is recovering from a road accident.
Carlos Reutemann (1974) is busy with gubernatorial activities
in Argentina. Lorenzo Bandini (1964), Jo Siffert 1971), Ronnie
Peterson, (1973) Vittorio Brambilla (1975) and Elio de Angelis
(1982) are dead. There is no word on Eddie Irvine (1999),
Nigel Mansell (1987) and Mika Hakkinen (1998 & 2000).
5/10/03
The things race track owners
have to do
This grandprix.com article
says that we may think that organizing motor racing is not a
difficult business but it is a lot more complicated a business
than some would have you believe. In preparation for this
month's big NASCAR events at the Lowe's Motor Speedway in
Charlotte, NC, the circuit management has just run an
impressive test of its plumbing system. This involved the
simultaneous flushing of the speedway's 3000 toilets to
simulate a peak demand and to ensure that there are no nasty
incidents... Apparently all went well.
5/10/03
CART to take page from IRL
CART teams will be using last weekend's Brands Hatch high
downforce wing package this weekend in Germany. That
means that the cars will be glued to the track much better
than in the past, so drivers will be 100% throttle much more,
a la the IRL, though downforce is not as much as the IRL, and
this track is not high-banked like many IRL venues. Top
terminal speeds will be limited by the drag from the wings.
There is a good chance we will see IRL like pack racing, or
shall we call it driving.
5/10/03
Gordon looks for front-row spot
“I think we feel just as good as we did in 2001, when we sat
on the front row with A.J. (Foyt). I think we were the
quickest car that day in Happy Hour going into qualifying.
Maybe we weren't quickest, but top three, I know. I feel real
good about that 231 (mph). That first 231, maybe you could
call it a tow, but the next time I was all by myself, with the
231.1, so I feel good about that. We did three or four laps in
the 231 (mph) range. We came here to win the pole. You come
here to win a couple of elements of the month. You want to sit
on the pole, and you want to win the race. Everybody wants to
do that. Being quickest in practice, it's nice. It builds a
lot of confidence overnight. I'm sure I can run four laps flat
tomorrow. I don't know if it will be exactly 231 or if it will
be 230.5's, but it will be real close. You see how close the
IRL has got these cars (i.e. excessive downforce, 100%
throttle racing).
5/10/03
Dixon fastest when it counts
“We were the fastest car out there in the heat of the day. We
posted our fastest speed without a tow at around 3:15 this
afternoon. Obviously, we’re very happy with where we’re at. I
think that the pole will be 231 (mph) or 232 (mph), depending
on the weather. It would be great to be on the pole, but I’m
hoping for a spot in the top three rows. That should keep us
out of the mess that might happen at the start.”
5/10/03
Luyendyk crashes at IndyUPDATE “I’m hurting
between the shoulder blades pretty bad right now. But
fortunately, nothing is broken; no fractures, cracks, nothing.
So that’s the good news. The bad thing is I have to walk
around with my arms folded to keep from hurting as much. My
status is day-to-day. There’s no telling when I’m going to be
cleared to drive. The doctor says it’s totally up to me, when
I feel absolutely comfortable doing what I have to do to drive
my Meijer race car. It’s strange, what happened. I’ve had much
harder crashes where I didn’t get hurt at all. I wasn’t
pushing the car too hard at the time. We finally got the car
to where it was balanced just right through (Turns) 3 and 4,
and I came by and swapped ends in (Turn) 1. I was planning to
go around one more time before really standing on the gas. But
I didn’t get that far, did I? The car was set up in a way
where maybe it was too tricky for the conditions, which are
different than they have been. 5/9/03 - Two-time Indianapolis 500 winner Arie Luyendyk crashed this
afternoon during the final practice before Pole Day at the
Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Luyendyk did a 90-degree spin to
the right exiting Turn 1 in the No. 20 Meijer Mo Nunn Racing
Panoz G Force/Toyota/Firestone, hitting the outside retaining
wall with the rear of the car. The car then slid to the left
and hit the outside retaining wall and SAFER Barrier at the
entrance to Turn 2, turning 180 degrees and stopping on the
track facing backward. Luyendyk climbed from the car with
assistance from the IRL and IMS safety crews. He was
transported via ground to Methodist Hospital in Indianapolis
for evaluation after complaining of back pain. Before the
accident, Tony Kanaan was fastest at 39.1037 seconds, 230.157
mph in the No. 11 Team 7-Eleven Dallara/Honda/Firestone.
5/10/03
Indy 500 qualifying order
1. 24 Robbie Buhl
2. 31 Al Unser Jr.
3. 10T Tomas Scheckter
4. 66 TBA
5. 10 Tomas Scheckter
6. 13 Greg Ray
7. 3 Helio Castroneves
8. 32 Tony Renna
9. 15 Kenny Brack
10. 26 Dan Wheldon
11. 12T Tora Takagi
12. 6 Gil de Ferran
13. 32T Tony Renna
14. 55T Roger Yasukawa
15. 52T Buddy Rice
16. 31T Al Unser Jr.
17. 66T TBA
18. 4 Sam Hornish Jr.
19. 9 Scott Dixon
20. 5 Shigeaki Hattori
21. 55 Roger Yasukawa
22. 27 Robby Gordon
23. 19 Jimmy Vasser
24. 7T Michael Andretti
25. 52 Buddy Rice
26. 14T A.J. Foyt IV
27. 54 Shinji Nakano
28. 27T Robby Gordon
29. 20 Arie Luyendyk
30. 3T Helio Castroneves
31. 20T Arie Luyendyk
32. 2T Jaques Lazier
33. 5T Shigeaki Hattori
34. 8T Scott Sharp
35. 21T Felipe Giaffone
36. 2 Jaques Lazier
37. 21 Felipe Giaffone
38. 26T Dan Wheldon
39. 9T Scott Dixon
40. 7 Michael Andretti
41. 68T TBA
42. 18 Jimmy Kite
43. 4T Sam Hornish Jr.
44. 6T Gil de Ferran
45. 12 Tora Takagi
46. 11 Tony Kanaan
47. 91 Buddy Lazier
48. 15T Kenny Brack
49. 98 Billy Boat
50. 23 Sarah Fisher
51. 8 Scott Sharp
52. 98T Billy Boat
53. 14 A.J. Foyt IV
5/9/03
Dixon Gordon tops final pre-pole
practice day Add Robby Gordon’s name to the
crowded ring of MBNA Pole contenders for the 87th Indianapolis
500, as he led the final practice before qualifications with a
lap of 38.9000 seconds, 231.362 mph May 9 at the Indianapolis
Motor Speedway. Gordon turned his top lap in the No. 27
Alpine/Archipelago/Motorola Dallara/Honda/Firestone in sunny,
warm conditions during the last 30 minutes of practice. He
became the fifth different driver to lead one of the six
practice days leading up to Pole Day. Rookie Dan Wheldon led
two days, including Thursday with the top speed of the month,
232.202 in his No. 26 Klein Tools/Jim Beam
Dallara/Honda/Firestone. Other daily leaders besides Wheldon
and Gordon were Scott Sharp, Tora Takagi and 1999 Indianapolis
500 winner Kenny Brack. Qualifying for the MBNA Pole starts at
noon (EDT) Saturday. Robbie Buhl is the first driver in the
qualifying line – determined in a blind draw after practice
Friday – in the No. 24 Purex/Aventis/Dreyer & Reinbold
Dallara/Chevrolet/Firestone. Gordon’s speed was the fifth
fastest of the event, marking him as a strong contender for
the pole and the accompanying $100,000 bonus. “We came here to
win the pole,” Gordon said. “Being quickest in practice is
nice, but that’s not when it counts. We’ve been chasing a
loose car all week. Today, we made some chassis adjustments
and changed some of the dynamics of the car. That seemed to
help settle the car down and gave the car a good balance. “I
think I’ll have a good car, both for qualifying tomorrow as
well as for the race.”
5/9/03
Mario on TV Auto
Racing great and winner of the F1 World Driving Championship,
Indy 500 and Daytona 500, Mario Andretti will be the guest on
Speed Channel's Wind Tunnel with Dave Despain tonight [May
9th] at 11:00pm/et. More...
5/9/03
Penske to run one of each
Team Penske plans to run two different makes of chassis for
the Indianapolis 500 for the first time in seventeen years. In
2003, Roger Penske, Team Penske manager Tim Cindric and the
team’s two drivers have decided that two-time Indy winner
Helio Castroneves will attempt to qualify his tried-and-true
Dallara while Gil de Ferran will opt for the Panoz G Force.
“We’re kind of splitting the deck,” Penske said this morning.
“I felt more comfortable in the Dallara,” Castroneves
explained. “(I want) not only a fast car, but a car that’s
stable in the race. “I won two Indys with the Dallara chassis,
so why change?” Full Transcript
5/9/03
Luyendyk crashes at Indy
Two-time Indianapolis 500 winner Arie Luyendyk crashed this
afternoon during the final practice before Pole Day at the
Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Luyendyk did a 90-degree spin to
the right exiting Turn 1 in the No. 20 Meijer Mo Nunn Racing
Panoz G Force/Toyota/Firestone, hitting the outside retaining
wall with the rear of the car. The car then slid to the left
and hit the outside retaining wall and SAFER Barrier at the
entrance to Turn 2, turning 180 degrees and stopping on the
track facing backward. Luyendyk climbed from the car with
assistance from the IRL and IMS safety crews. He was
transported via ground to Methodist Hospital in Indianapolis
for evaluation after complaining of back pain. Before the
accident, Tony Kanaan was fastest at 39.1037 seconds, 230.157
mph in the No. 11 Team 7-Eleven Dallara/Honda/Firestone.
5/9/03
Ryan Hunter-Reay like Europe
venues “I have been anticipating this event (German
500) all season, and to make my oval debut at such a first
class facility makes it even better. I like the ovals, I have
had a lot of success on them and I think we should run very
well here. My experience so far in Germany has been excellent
and I hope that will continue this weekend. What a fantastic
series we have, last weekend we were racing on one of the most
historic road courses in the world; rich with history and
tradition. This weekend, here we are in Germany on a 2-mile
superspeedway; most likely the world’s finest oval facility,
this is a great experience.” Hunter-Reay will represent
the city of Grossraschen this weekend at the German 500. The
mayor of the town will be an honorary team member.
5/9/03
An apology to Nadeau
This Hartford Courant
article says, Last Friday, Danbury native Jerry Nadeau
sustained what were described at the time by NASCAR as
"possibly serious injuries" in a crash during a Winston Cup
practice at Richmond International Raceway in Richmond, Va. A
press release Saturday from Nadeau's team said that he was
"being treated for head, lung and rib injuries." In Sunday's
Courant, I reported that Nadeau had sustained a skull fracture
and his prognosis was not good. This information was relayed
to me from a source close to Nadeau who asked for anonymity. A
statement Monday from Nadeau's public relations representative
said Nadeau did not have a skull fracture, according to
doctors. Nadeau's condition was upgraded from critical to
serious. I was neither ordered nor asked by my superiors at
The Courant to write this, but feel I must express my deepest
apologies for any pain caused Nadeau's family, friends,
teammates or fans.
5/9/03
Promoter won't let CART cut
engine This St. Petersburg Times
article says, The Grand Prix of St. Petersburg will
continue, the race's promoter pledged Wednesday, even if its
sanctioning group succumbs to financial difficulties. The
promise by Mark Rossi, vice president of sales and marketing
for Dover Motorsports, came a day after financial reports
filed with regulators showed that the race's financially
troubled sanctioning body, Championship Auto Racing Teams,
suffered substantial first-quarter losses. "Absolutely, we
would have the race next year," said Rossi, whose company
markets and sells tickets to the event. "We have invested
millions in that course. We would find another race
sanctioning body." CART recruits racing teams, gets them to
the track and negotiates television coverage of races, which
are held on street courses and ovals. Its quarterly report,
filed Tuesday with the Securities and Exchange Commission,
revealed a net loss of nearly $9-million for the quarter ended
March 31, up from $1.5-million a year earlier. Dover's
commitment to continue the St. Petersburg race is backed by
the Delaware company's relatively strong financial position.
But even Rossi acknowledged that "with short notice, it would
be difficult" to find another race sanctioning body for the
St. Petersburg race. CART's primary rival in open-wheel
racing, the Indy Racing League, currently races only on ovals,
not street courses. The St. Petersburg race, a new event this
year, was held on 1.8 miles of city waterfront streets.
There's also talk of a different scenario that would directly
affect the future of the St. Petersburg race: Formula One, the
premiere open-wheel racing series in the world, would buy CART
and take it private. The Long Beach, Calif., Press-Telegram
reported last month, based on anonymous sources, that Bernie
Ecclestone, the head of Formula One, is engaged in talks to
buy a majority interest in CART. Rather than being reduced to
a feeder series for Formula One, the report said, CART would
serve as a compatible series. The executive infrastructure of
CART seems ripe for such a move. David Clare, who had long
been one of Ecclestone's top deputies, joined CART earlier
this year as chief operating officer. A takeover of CART by
Ecclestone probably wouldn't affect the agreement the promoter
has with St. Petersburg to hold the race in the city, said
Jackie Kovilaritch, an assistant city attorney familiar with
the city's deal with race organizers. The agreement, signed in
February 2002, says that CART, IRL, a successor to either of
those sanctioning bodies or one that runs Indy-style cars
could conduct the race. "If for some reason CART ceases to
exist, it wouldn't necessarily require renegotiation of this
agreement," Kovilaritch said. The initial agreement runs to
February 2007, with the City Council having the option to
extend it for two more terms, for a total of 12 years. If
organizers wanted to race a substantially different type of
vehicle, that would have to be approved by City Council
members, Kovilaritch said. Whatever comes of such
possibilities, the people at Dover continue to talk to
sponsors for next year's race. Ross said race sponsors
generally are renewing their commitment for next year's race,
but the event still lacks a title sponsor. Then there's the
challenge of improving turnout. Initially, organizers said
they expected a crowd approaching 100,000 for this year's
race. But city officials estimated the event's three-day total
at 50,000. "It's a major priority for us to get a title
sponsor," he said. "At the end of the day, our No. 1 priority
is to get people out to the race."
5/9/03
Atlanta sponsor renews
Atlanta Motor Speedway officials announced today that
Atlanta-based Georgia-Pacific has renewed its title
sponsorship of NASCAR Winston Cup's Georgia-Pacific Qualifying
Night. Under terms of the new agreement, Georgia-Pacific will
continue to back the fall qualifying session.
Georgia-Pacific's paper towel brand, Brawny, will also sponsor
the 150-lap Goody's Dash Race following qualifying.
5/9/03
Stewart's mom handles Tony's
business When you're the reigning NASCAR Winston Cup
Series champion and you own a World of Outlaws team, five
United States Auto Club (USAC) teams, two three-quarter
Midgets, one Legends car and a radio-controlled car company
called Custom Works, you need someone you can trust to handle
the very important paperwork and personnel issues that are a
necessary part of such a multi-faceted organization. You need
your mom. Just as Tony Stewart, driver of the #20 Home Depot
Chevrolet. "She basically runs the whole office," said Stewart
of his mom - Pam Boas. "She does the merchandising and pays
the bills. Any business that I conduct, she oversees all of
it. She does a really good job for me. A lot of people warn
you about having family work for you, but it's probably the
best thing I've ever done as far as my business is concerned.
I even have my sister and my aunt helping me. It's given me
the ability to focus on my racing with Home Depot, and not
worry so much about what's going on with my business." After
working in an orthodontist's office, Boas went to work for her
son in late 1998. "I was a rookie right alongside Tony in
1999," said Boas, referring to Stewart's rookie season in
Winston Cup. "Outside of raising my children, learning the
business has probably been one of the biggest challenges in my
entire life. We handle anything and everything that Tony's
involved in - all of the corporate entities and all of the
employees. Our corporate headquarters is right here in Indy,
and everything falls under the umbrella of True Speed
Enterprises. We do all of the accounting out of here, all of
the insurance, all of the charitable donations, all of the
merchandising from his website - even the shipping and
receiving, as our warehouse is here too."
5/9/03
Hendrick Lowes team promotion
Team Lowe's Racing and Hendrick Motorsports announced today it
has promoted Ron Malec to car chief of the No. 48 Lowe's
Chevrolet Monte Carlo effective immediately. Malec, 28, has
been with Hendrick Motorsports and Team Lowe's for the past
two seasons as a team mechanic and rear tire carrier on race
day. He replaces Jason Burdett, who recently left the team to
pursue other racing interests. "Ron has been a vital part of
Team Lowe's," explained crew chief Chad Knaus. "Since last
season, we've been looking for a way to get his talents more
involved with the team. Ron brings a lot of experience to the
position, and this is the perfect opportunity for him to take
on more responsibility. We're confident Team Lowe's won't miss
a beat."
5/9/03
Craker to head Carb Day concert
Popular rock band Cracker will headline the annual Miller Lite
Carb Day Concert on Thursday, May 22, at the Indianapolis
Motor Speedway. The concert will be the finale of a busy day
at the legendary 2.5-mile oval. Miller Lite Carb Day begins
with final practice for the Indianapolis 500 starting field
from 11 a.m.-1 p.m. (EST). Pride and a hefty payday will be on
the line for 12 Indy Racing League IndyCar Series teams
competing in the 27th annual Indy 500 Pit Stop Challenge from
1:30-3 p.m., and Cracker will take to the Coca-Cola Stage for
the Miller Lite Carb Day Concert at 3:30 p.m. The Coca-Cola
Stage is located in the Pagoda Plaza behind the 13-story
Bombardier Pagoda control tower.
5/9/03
Miller Lite official beer of
500 Indianapolis Motor Speedway and Miller
Brewing Company officials announced May 9 that the Miller Lite
brand is returning to IMS as the official beer sponsor for the
Indianapolis 500-Mile Race and Brickyard 400. Miller Lite will
be a major sponsor at the Speedway during the Indianapolis 500
on May 25 for the IRL IndyCar Series and the Brickyard 400 on
Aug. 3 for the NASCAR Winston Cup Series stock cars. The
brewery has had a presence at the Speedway dating back to the
1973 Indianapolis 500 when Miller High Life sponsored the car
driven by Jim Hurtubise. “Miller is very happy to continue our
great association with the Hulman-George family and the
Indianapolis Motor Speedway,” said Steve Lauletta, director of
event marketing for Miller. “We have had a tremendous
relationship with the Speedway for several decades, and we are
very excited to be again be a partner at the world’s greatest
racing facility. We look forward to working with the Speedway
in the future.”
5/9/03
NC Governor uninjured in NASCAR
crash North Carolina Gov. Mike Easley was not injured when
the race car he was driving at 165 mph hit a wall at Lowe's
Motor Speedway on Friday. Easley, driving the car of Winston
Cup driver Jimmie Johnson, hit the inside retaining wall
exiting Turn 2. The governor was practicing for pace laps he
will run next week as part of NASCAR's all-star race, The
Winston. ``I am fine. They strapped me in good and tight here
and the Hendrick car is a good car,'' Easley said, describing
himself as ``a little embarrassed'' but otherwise unhurt.
Easley was driving a car by Hendrick Motorsports when he hit
the soft wall coming out of the second turn. The soft walls at
Lowe's are Styrofoam blocks. ``It was fun for about four or
five laps, but the last part wasn't too good,'' said Easley,
who was wearing the HANS device, a head-and-neck restraint
system mandated by NASCAR in October 2001. ``I was pushing and
the car was running tight and it got loose on me and I
wrecked.'' After the wreck, Easley stood by the car joking
with his staff and track officials. He even autographed the
crumpled car before it was towed away. Track spokesman Jerry
Gappens said Easley was examined by the speedway's medical
staff and was fine. ``Just a bruised ego right now,'' Gappens
said. ``He's a good sport about things, so he's fine. He's a
good race car driver, he talked about the car pushing and it
was tight, so he's got some of the racing lingo down.''
AP Story
5/9/03
Emmo
meets with German manufacturersUPDATE We have added a
photo of the press conference, which included Tiago Monteiro, Emmo and CART COO David Clare (photo by LAT courtesy of CART.
We hear the German media and Mercedes was particularly
interested in CART's future direction 5/9/03 -
Champ Car World Series team owner and representative Emerson
Fittipaldi met with Mercedes-Benz Motorsport director Norbert
Haug on the eve of the German 500, according to Die Welt.
The newspaper also reported that the US series promoter plans
similar discussions with Audi and Opel. Fittipaldi said: "Our
series wants to sign a German manufacturer and a German driver
as fast as possible."
5/9/03
Mosley - I listen to fans, not
owners Formula One's new regulations are working
well, according to their principal author and President of the
FIA, Max Mosley. Mosley insists that he will ignore the
complaints of the teams and drivers and listen only to the
'people that matter' - racing fans on the street. He said:
'People come up to me in the street and say, 'I'd stopped
watching F1 - now I'm watching it again.' That's what
matters.' 'It's the TV figures that really matter. I'm not
going to strive for regulations that the teams think are
perfect if no-one's watching the race!' l
5/9/03
Arie Jr. looks to move up
According to this AP
article, Arie Luyendyk Jr. wants to follow in his
father's tire tracks. While the elder Luyendyk is a two-time
Indianapolis 500 winner and one of the IRL's most popular
drivers, Luyendyk Jr. will race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway
for the first time with the Infiniti Pro Series. He's no
rookie though at Indianapolis. Luyendyk Jr. has come with his
father since he was Rookie of the Year in 1985. Now, he's
looking to win the 100-mile, 40-lap Infiniti Pro Series
Freedom 100. "It's interesting to be here and actually be on
the track," Luyendyk Jr. said. "It's a different perspective."
"My goal is to have a full IRL ride next year," he said. "I
try not to think about too much. I'm really trying to
concentrate on doing well in the Indy Pro Series."
5/9/03
Why CART needs all races on CBSUPDATE A reader writes,
Dear AR1, That rating was achieved even though the preview
show was pre-empted in many major markets, including here in
Houston. The good news is that putting the races on CBS means
that more viewers get to see them, but the bad news is that
many CBS affiliates don't have any respect for racing. Last
year, we had one of the CBS races pre-empted for a telethon.
I've repeatedly complained to our local affiliate, but get no
response. Thank goodness this year for Fox Espanol. Now if I
can just locate that Spanish-English dictionary I have around
here somewhere . . . Cathy Stucker, Sugar Land, Texas
Dear Cathy, even with affiliates pre-empting the CART
broadcasts in some markets, the ratings dwarf those on SPEED
Channel. It's more important that CART help its teams get
sponsorship by having their TV broadcasts reach more people.
All CART CBS race broadcasts will likely exceed a 1.0 rating,
despite the loss of key markets like Houston. Mark C.5/9/03 - CART's 1/2 hour Brands Hatch preview last
Sunday got a 0.9 TV rating. That is higher than the IRL
got on ABC for it's Motegi race, and this was just a preview
show. The 0.9 is also larger than the combined total all
of CART's races on SPEED year to date. And you wonder
why we stress CART must move all races to CBS in 2003.
Without that, teams can't get sponsorship. The
cost to CART per viewer is far lower on CBS than SPEED.
The only races on SPEED should be those that would air at
Midnight in the USA (Australia), qualifying and any specials.
Mark C.
5/9/03
EuroSpeedway hoping for 70,000
We spoke to Hans Jorge Fischer, President of EuroSpeedway
today in Germany. He said the weather forecast looks
good for this weekend and he is hoping for a race day crowd of
70,000. If he gets 70,000, that will make the race one
of CART's best attended events for 2003, certainly the best
attended oval race. Unfortunately, as you know, the
track is in bankruptcy, so it's questionable whether they will
be in business for the long run to grow this event into
something big. Mark C.
5/9/03
Highlights of Alex Zanardi
press conference
Alex Zanardi held court today at the EuroSpeedway to answer
questions from the media. Here are some highlights:
It feels good to be back at the
EuroSpeedway. The German fans are really enthusiastic and I
feel very close to them. They make me feel very welcome.
I look forward to finishing my race for them and for me.
Decided to do the final 13 laps
this weekend last year at Toronto when he was having coffee
with Chris Pook. Told CART he could take the car pretty close
to its limit if he had enough time in the car.
Tested hand controls that were
originally developed for go-karts, but modified for a Champ
Car. Uses same throttle system as a Jet Ski.
Clutch is like a motorcycle clutch and is mounted behind the
gear shift. He will be using his hip to press his artificial
leg to engage the brake pedal. Rocketsports engineer
Adam Schaechter, played a big part in the development of the
system for Alex Zanardi.
Money from CART will go to Alex
Zanardi foundation for kids. "I am not doing it to prove
anything, but to have fun, because that is what I love to do.
I had a 1.5 year pitstop, but here I am.
I hope what I am doing here is
encouragement for people with limitations to get out and do
more instead of staying home and just pushing buttons on a
video game the rest of their life.
A question was asked, Alex, do you
have any plans to start a race team? "No, I don't think I
would be good at that. If I had to hire a driver, I would pick
the one who is a nice guy over the one who was more talented,
I would leave the more talented driver unemployed because I
would made decisions based on emotion rather than what makes
good business sense. That of course would not be very
smart.
When he left the media, the German
fans gathered outside cheered loudly. It was a moving
moment.
5/9/03
CART aero package should make
racing good
Fernandez Racing Race Engineer David Watson estimates top
speeds of 194 mph and minimum speeds of 184 mph around the
2.023-mile tri-oval. New aerodynamic rules were implemented
for Brands Hatch and EuroSpeedway, whereby what is qualified
at Brands Hatch is raced at EuroSpeedway Lausitz. Watson
estimates that drivers will be flat [no lifting] around the
circuit with no shifting. With the five degrees of banking,
drivers will pull 3.5 Lateral G-force in the corners.
5/9/03
Toyota comes clean
Toyota have signed a sponsorship deal with cleaning systems
manufacturer Karcher. The company’s logo will appear on the
side of the TF103’s cockpit and on team overalls from next
weekend’s Austrian Grand Prix onwards. Toyota Motorsport
president John Howett said: "We are delighted that Karcher has
joined Panasonic Toyota Racing as one of our sponsor partners.
"We warmly welcome them to the worldwide Toyota Family.
Karcher products are well known with a strong international
reputation. "Both Toyota and Karcher are focused on and
dedicated to customer service and engineering excellence, and
together, we look forward to a fruitful and mutually
beneficial partnership, further strengthening our marketing
programmes." Karcher marketing manager Georg Metz added: "We
are confident that working with Toyota in F1 will help us not
only to increase our brand awareness worldwide, but also to
develop a close partnership with Toyota and their dealer
network. "The Toyota F1 team has displayed its strong F1
potential this season, well highlighted at the last race in
Spain where the team picked up three championship points."
5/9/03
EuroSpeedway impressions
AR1 was not able to attend the inaugural German 500 due to
events of 9/11. Upon arriving at the track for the first
time today (CART has no on-track activities today) we were
surprised at what a magnificent facility the Germans have
built. Not only do European road courses blow away USA
road courses in every aspect, the EuroSpeedway blows away
every USA oval facility including the latest ISC and Bruton
Smith facilities. There are over 200 media members here
already and there must be at least 5,000 fans lined up
for the Champ Car driver autograph session.
Jaguar extends Webber's
contract Mark Webber will stay with Jaguar Racing
for at least two more years, having agreed to extend his deal
with the squad until the end of 2005. Jaguar had been keen to
resign the driver for next year after his impressive early
season showings, the highlight of which came when Webber
qualified third on the grid for the Brazilian Grand Prix. "I
hope that, by making this announcement so early in the season,
people will realize just how serious both our intentions are
to firmly establish Jaguar's place in Formula 1," said Webber.
"We know it's not going to happen overnight, so I'm very happy
that we've made this commitment now and can continue the hard
work we've already started this year. We see Mark as an
integral part of our long-term development. "For me personally
and as a driver, I'm very excited by the prospect of being
involved in what is a long-term objective, and to see our
goals being released as we make further progress over the next
two years." David Pitchforth, Jaguar's managing director,
said: "Mark is an outstanding talent and everyone at Jaguar
Racing is naturally delighted that the partnership will extend
to the end of the 2005 season. Mark's start to the season has
been very impressive and his approach to racing is very
professional – both inside and outside the cockpit – and we
see Mark as an integral part of our long-term development."
5/9/03 Industry News
Toyota posts Japan's biggest
profit
Japan's leading carmaker Toyota Motor yesterday announced
record net earnings and sales in the year to March and the
biggest pretax profit by a Japanese company as it continued to
make inroads into world markets. The company said its net
profit jumped 53.4 per cent to a record 944.67 billion yen.
Recurring profit, operating profit and sales all set new
records for the third consecutive year. Recurring profit was
1.41 trillion yen, up 27 per cent from a year earlier when
Toyota became the first Japanese company to top one trillion
yen in pretax profit, and sales rose 6.3 per cent to 16.05
trillion yen. "We achieved our best-ever results by creating
products that respond to the needs of our customers around the
world and strengthening our global sales organization," Toyota
president Fujio Cho said. "Our substantial increase in sales
volume during the . . . fiscal year, in which we surpassed six
million units for the first time, was a major contributor to
our record performance."
5/9/03
Paul Ricard Day 3 - It's Ralf
Pos Driver Chassis-engine Tires
Time Laps
1 Ralf Schumacher Williams-BMW M 1m11.221s 96
2 Alex Wurz McLaren-Mercedes M 1m11.322s 76
3 David Coulthard McLaren-Mercedes M 1m12.069s 155
4 Jarno Trulli Renault M 1m12.780s 73
5 Ricardo Zonta Toyota M 1m13.013s 84
6 Takuma Sato BAR-Honda B 1m13.161s 109
7 Mark Webber Jaguar M 1m13.432s 69
8 Olivier Panis Toyota M 1m13.574s 59
9 Jenson Button BAR-Honda B 1m13.601s 116
10 Nick Heidfeld Sauber-Petronas B 1m14.052s 87
11 Allan McNish Renault M 1m15.015s 72*
5/9/03
McReynolds calls for Soft Walls
I don't have a Ph.D. or even a college degree. The closest
I've come to college is being on campus for a football game.
But when I think about Jerry Nadeau's injuries and what
happened to him as the car hit the wall at Richmond, I think
that race car did its job. The drivers are staying in place.
They're not moving around in their race cars. Their necks
aren't snapping because they are wearing head-and-neck
restraint devices. Obviously NASCAR, the teams and the
manufacturers won't stop working on the cars. We have to keep
moving forward. But what is our weakest link now? To me, our
weakest link is the fact that these cars slap a solid concrete
wall. The car stops, and the driver's body stops, but we can't
control the organs and tissues within that body that are not
stopping, including the brain, the lungs and the heart. No
matter how many head-and-neck restraint devices, how many seat
belts, how much of a cocoon we put around the drivers, we
can't stop those organs from moving. It's the way God made us.
So how do we deal with it? We do things to dissipate the
energy of the impact. We install soft walls. It's not about
speed. It's not about big race tracks. If you look, people are
getting hurt at these slower race tracks. Why? There's no
banking to scrub off the speed. We need soft walls everywhere,
but if I made a priority list, you'd be shocked. It's not
Daytona, Talladega, Atlanta or Charlotte. It's places with
flatter corners where there's no banking. We need them at
Pocono, Homestead, Phoenix, Martinsville and Richmond. You
have to be careful that you don't fix one problem and create
others. Soft walls are very complicated pieces. I know people
may say, "Well, they have them at Talladega." But they have
them on the inside retaining wall, and it's a pretty simple
process because it's a straight wall. Indianapolis has them in
the corners, but the design and radius of the corner at Indy
differs from anywhere else we race. You have to make sure that
the soft walls don't just catch the car and stop it more
quickly or harder than the concrete would.
FOX Sports
5/9/03
Wheldon credits tow for fast
lap “I got lucky again, I guess. I was running
behind Scott Sharp when that lap actually came about. Again,
it’s really nothing to get excited about when you get one of
these laps. I said last time, my mum would kill me if she knew
I was going 232 (mph) again. It was a tow, for sure. I have to
give credit to the team. They’re doing a very good job,
Andretti Green Racing. We’ve been strong, particularly my
crew. The Klein Tools/Jim Beam car has been fast, but it’s
definitely not that fast. Probably not even close to that.”
(Your results here seem to be raising your profile): “It’s
good. I started in the IRL last year with Panther (Racing),
and the results really weren’t what I wanted them to be. But
the championship stuff, it’s not easy to break into. It’s a
different style of racing. It’s so competitive. You look at
the times out there right now, and it’s unbelievable. I don’t
think there’s any championship in the world that’s even close
to that.
5/9/03
Boris Said suspended, penalized
Boris Said, driver of the No. 33 ACS Express Racing Ford
Mustang, has been assessed penalties and fines after
statements made during Round 2 of the Trans-Am Series for the
BFGoodrich® Tires Cup in Long Beach, Calif. April 11-13. Said
was fined $7,500 and his Trans-Am Series competition
privileges have been suspended for 45 days, beginning May 1.
Additionally, a $3,000 fine that was suspended from an
infraction earlier this season was placed in force. The most
recent penalties came as a result of the following violations
of Trans-Am Series rules: 1.22.1.8., “Public criticism of a
series, its officials or sponsors;” 1.22.1.9.,
“Unsportsmanlike conduct;” 1.22.1.11., “Inappropriate,
objectionable, or profane language or gestures;” and
1.4.13.1., “Conduct of entrants, drivers and crew.” Said was
penalized for the following, all of which happened during the
Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach: multiple negative comments
made in public, including those made to a high-ranking race
circuit official, that the Series was “out to get him and ruin
his career;” and additional comments made by Said to
credentialed media on at least three occasions that continued
his attack and referred to the Series as "the Gestapo" and
compared Paul Gentilozzi and his sons to Saddam Hussein and
his sons. “These statements went well beyond the bounds of
common decency and good sportsmanship,” said Trans-Am Series
Chief Steward Terry Dale. “Boris is an immensely talented
racer, and our defending champion, but he simply crossed the
line while he was on probationary status. Said’s repeated
inappropriate comments are becoming a habit—one that we will
not tolerate. “Boris’ most recent actions are a very serious
contravention of the Trans-Am Series rules, particularly given
his previous conduct as a Trans-Am Series competitor,” added
Dale. “In the past, including earlier this year, Boris has
been placed on probation and/or fined for his actions, which
included unsportsmanlike behavior, public criticism of the
Series and officials and the use of inappropriate,
objectionable and profane language. Unfortunately, the
punitive action taken against Boris to date has proven to be
unsuccessful in altering his conduct. As a result, I saw no
other option but to assess the current penalties.” Earlier
this year, Said was fined $5,000, of which $3,000 was
suspended, and he was placed on probation for violating
Trans-Am Series rule 1.11.1.8., "Public criticism of the
Series, its officials or sponsors," rule 1.11.1.9.,
"Unsportsmanlike conduct," and 1.11.1.11., "Inappropriate,
objectionable, or profane language or gestures." The earlier
penalties arose, in part, out of conversations between Said
and several Series officials relative to the aerodynamics of
the Ford Mustang body. The Series has undertaken wind tunnel
tests, at significant cost to the Series, to ensure parity
among its major marques, which includes the Mustang. “These
penalties have never been about aerodynamics, but about Boris’
unprofessional and inappropriate attitude, behavior and
comments about the Series and its officials,” said Series
Executive Director John Clagett. “The Ford Mustang body was
wind-tunnel tested twice this season. It was determined at the
first test that it was down on front downforce. Therefore
teams running the Mustang were given the option to run add-on
front dive planes at St. Petersburg and Long Beach, in order
to ensure parity. Recently, a new Mustang hood panel and nose
were tested in the wind tunnel and approved. This new setup
allows the Mustang to remain competitive with the other major
marques, after the removal of the add-on dive planes. “The
Mustang has yet to be at a competitive disadvantage, as
evidenced by Boris’ runner-up finish in the season opener at
St. Petersburg after starting last, and by his victory at Long
Beach,” added Clagett. “Our goal from the beginning was to
achieve parity among the marques, and that parity has existed
from the very first race of the season.”
5/8/03
Foyt IV crashes yet again
This is going to bankrupt AJ eventually. Foyt IV keeps
crashing his cars (almost every venue or test) and teammate
Hattori did a number on one the other day -- Rookie A.J.
Foyt IV, grandson of four-time Indianapolis 500 winner A.J.
Foyt, was the victim of the second accident of the month in
his No. 14T Conseco/A.J. Foyt Racing Dallara/Toyota/Firestone.
At 4:47 p.m., Foyt did a quarter spin to the right in Turn 1
and made contact with the outside retaining wall between Turns
1 and 2 with the rear of the car. There was no contact with
the SAFER Barrier. Foyt was uninjured and returned to the
track just before it closed for the day in teammate Shigeaki
Hattori’s No. 5T EPSON/A.J. Foyt Racing Panoz G
Force/Toyota/Firestone. “Today was not too good of a day,”
Foyt said. “We started off struggling and ended up getting in
an accident. It was a horrible day. I’d been running flat out
all the way around for the last four laps and coming off the
corner, the car stepped out on me without any warning, which
was pretty weird. My grandfather just found out from Firestone
that it showed a cut tire, which caused me to spin. He put me
in (Shigeaki’s) back-up car just to give me some laps. The old
‘get back on the horse’ deal.”
5/8/03
Wheldon tops speed charts on
Thursday Rookie Dan Wheldon continued to impress at
the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on May 8 when he led the fifth
day of practice for the 87th Indianapolis 500. Wheldon, who
was fastest on May 6, turned a lap 38.7594 seconds, 232.202 in
his No. 26 Klein Tools/Jim Beam Dallara/Honda/Firestone, the
fastest lap in practice, qualifications or the race since
1996. This came a day after Wheldon didn’t turn any laps as he
and his team decided not to practice on May 7. "We definitely
got a tow on that lap,” Wheldon said. “But it’s great for the
Klein Tools/Jim Beam crew to be top of the timesheets again.
It’s going good, but it’s still early in the month. I think
the pole (speed) will be around 231 (mph), 232, but it just
depends on the weather, really. It's hard to predict. “I
haven't been involved in the race like I am now, so I've got
to leave it to the experienced guys: Barry Green, Tino Belli.
They're doing a fantastic job for me. I just kind of want to
stay away from that and just get in the car when they tell
me.” Another rookie, Tora Takagi, who led Day 2 of practice,
was second fastest of the day with a lap of 38.7919, 232.007
in the No. 12 Pioneer Mo Nunn Racing Panoz G
Force/Toyota/Firestone. A total of 11 drivers topped the 230
mph mark under cloudy skies throughout most of the day.
Goodyear Tire management
changes
Samir Gibara told shareholders of Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co.
yesterday that he is resigning as chairman after a reign that
saw the company expand internationally but also saw its stock
collapse. Gibara's expansion helped the Akron company again
become the world's largest tire maker. But he acknowledged at
the company's annual meeting that Goodyear has fallen on hard
times. Goodyear shares, which closed yesterday at $6.82, sold
for a high of $75.75 six years ago. "While we have enjoyed
many successes, there is no question I am disappointed with
the recent performance of the company, and I think you are
disappointed as well," he told a few hundred shareholders
assembled at the company's Akron headquarters. Shareholders
clapped politely as Gibara, 64, then turned and shook the hand
of his successor, Robert Keegan, president and chief executive
officer, who is leading efforts to make Goodyear profitable
again after two years of deepening losses.
5/8/03
Bahrain to get March date
Despite earlier speculation that the Bahrain F1 race, the
Middle East's first Grand Prix, would be staged late in the
year, the circuit's technical director said: 'The track is on
target and an [early] date for the race is tentatively set. We
are just waiting for a final confirmation.' 'I have the master
plan here with the model and most people who visit our display
at the Gulf Air stand are really impressed,' he added. 'I tell
them that F1 will definitely be held in Bahrain next year.'
5/8/03
Nadeau upgraded to fair
Nearly a week after his wreck during practice at Richmond,
Jerry Nadeau was upgraded from serious but stable to fair
condition Thursday afternoon at Virginia Commonwealth
University's Medical College of Virginia Hospitals. According
to hospital officials, Nadeau has been moved from ICU and is
continuing to recover in a private room.
5/8/03
Steve Park completes the trade
Richard Childress Racing signed Steve Park today to drive the
No. 30 America Online Chevrolet for the remainder of the year.
Park replaces David Green, who just replaced Park in his ride
at DEI. The trade will be complete when both drivers flaunt
their new colors at the Winston weekend at Lowes Motor
Speedway next weekend. "Steve is going to give the America
Online team a fresh start going into the summer months of the
season," said Richard Childress, hoping the infusion of a new
driver will lead to success on the track.
5/8/03
Ferrari completes 2nd test day
at Monza Today was the third and final day of
testing this week for Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro at the Monza
circuit today. Once again, Felipe Massa was at the wheel of an
F2002 today, continuing with a Bridgestone tire development
program. Massa completed 55 laps on the standard track layout,
with a best time of 1.22.800.
Massa hammers around Monza
5/8/03
Penske to announce chassis
choice Friday morning Marlboro Team Penske has used
a Dallara chassis in 20 IRL IndyCar Series events at the Indy
Japan 300 when Alex Barron used a Panoz G Force. Barron was
substituting for Gil de Ferran, who suffered a concussion in
an accident at the Purex Dial Indy 200 in March at Phoenix.
The team has entered both Dallara and Panoz G Force chassis
for the 87th Indianapolis 500 and has practiced with both of
them. Team officials indicated they will make an announcement
about their chassis selection at a press conference at 10 a.m.
May 9 the in Trackside Conference Room.
5/8/03 Industry News
ISC to sell more stock
International Speedway Corporation (ISC) has filed a
registration statement for a secondary equity share offering.
The company filed the statement with the Securities and
Exchange Commission for a secondary equity offering of
3,477,621 shares of its Class A Common Stock. The shares,
which will be sold by Penske Performance, Inc. and White River
Investment Limited Partnership, will also include an option
for the underwriters to purchase an additional 521,643 shares
from Western Opportunity Limited Partnership to cover
over-allotments, if any. The new share offering is designed to
fund ISC's continued investment in the retail automotive
industry. Recall the rumor we posted recently that ISC
made an offer to Tony George to buy the Indy Speedway for $1
Billion and would sell stock to fund it. Hmm....
5/8/03
Ferrari headed to A1 Ring early
The AutoRacing1.com spy satellite spotted three large Scuderia
Ferrari transport trucks, a small van and a ProDrive transport
truck on the A23 Autostrada northeast of Venice this morning
headed to Austria. We assume they were headed to the A1
Ring. What was puzzling was why they would be going on
today, over a week before the race weekend begins. The
vehicles appeared to be logistics and hospitality trucks, not
car transporters. Mark C.
Have HP, run fast For
one day, at least, the underdog kept up with the big dogs (In
the IRL, it only requires a "big motor"). Former Indy Racing
League champion and Indianapolis 500 pole winner Greg Ray,
driving the one and only car his Access Motorsports team has
in its unmarked garage, ran a 229.539 mph lap Wednesday that
was fourth-best on the day behind leader Kenny Brack. The Team
Rahal driver set the pace at 231.039. Ray and his partners
have no illusions about their chances against the well-funded
and fully equipped Penskes, Ganassis, Kelleys and Andrettis of
the Indy-car world, which made Wednesday's showing all the
more rewarding. "There's no doubt a lot of teams are farther
down the road than we are. We don't have thousands of miles of
testing and haven't been to a wind tunnel," Ray said during a
rain delay. "But every person on this team has been part of
either (an IRL) championship or an Indy 500 win. "We're in a
very unique situation. That it has come together this fast is
pretty astounding." The Access team combines the assets of
Blair Racing and many of the personnel from Treadway Racing,
both of which folded after last season. The team missed the
first two races before debuting last month in Japan, where Ray
finished ninth.
IndyStar.com
5/8/03
Naming rights at EuroSpeedway
German venue EuroSpeedway Lausitz has signed three new
partners for the German 500 Champ Car race meeting, taking
place this weekend on its tri-oval. Goodyear, Bosch and
Coca-Cola have purchased the naming rights for three corners.
Coca-Cola has also acquired exclusive rights to supply soft
drinks at the venue in 2003.
5/8/03
Hattori
hits wall at Indy2nd
UPDATE Shigeaki Hattori underwent surgery
Wednesday on the broken little finger of his left hand after
he crashed the day before during practice for the Indianapolis
500. Hattori also sustained a concussion when he slid backward
into the outside wall, spun across the track and hit the
inside wall with the rear of the car. He was listed in good
condition Wednesday. 5/7/03 - This Sports - canada.com
article says that Shigeaki Hattori was hospitalized
Tuesday with a concussion and a broken little finger of his
left hand after a crash during Indianapolis 500 practice. He
was admitted to Methodist Hospital for further tests and was
awake and alert, speedway medical director Dr. Henry Bock
said. The 39-year-old Japanese driver was practicing at about
220 miles per hour when he lost control of his Toyota-powered
Dallara coming out of the first turn. The car slid backward
into the outside wall, spun across the track and hit the
inside wall with its rear. Hattori remained conscious and was
quickly out of the car. It was the first crash since practice
for the May 25 Indy 500 began Sunday. Hattori was 20th as a
rookie at Indianapolis last year. [Editor's note: We hear he
didn't do too much damage to his car, just bolt on stuff.
Hattori’s car wiggled in Turn 1 and then did a quarter-spin
exiting the turn, hitting the outside retaining wall with the
rear of the car. The car then slid across the track and into
the infield grass, hitting the inside guardrail before
stopping near the entrance of Turn 2. However, he is
just another in a long line of oval track victims. We
wonder if his concussion will keep him out of the 500]
5/6/03 - Shigeaki Hattori has just hit the wall at Indy between Turns 1
and 2. No report on damage yet.
5/8/03
HP is everything in the IRL
As we have pointed out on several occasions, HP means
everything in the IRL 100% throttle racing series. Buddy
Lazier tells it like it is from Indy - “For today, I think we
ran a 225.8 (mph). We are just flat out (100% throttle
racing). We put a new motor in last night. We broke the engine
in, did the leak check and ran just how we have been running
all week, flat out, trimmed out (i.e. 100% throttle racing). I
know everybody is trimmed out (i.e. everyone is driving 100%
throttle). Probably those with the same package I have are
particularly trimmed out, just trying to get speed. It depends
on how big of a qualifying motor we get delivered to us (i.e.
driver talent not required, just give me a big motor and I
will go fast). I think it is about as much as we can get out
of our race car right now. It should be down to the bits and
the motors. I could see qualifying pole speed between 232
(mph) and 236 (mph) depending on the weather and what kind of
qualifying engines we have. We are going to try to do the best
that we can with everything we have. I know that everybody at
Chevy is working very hard to improve the situation (i.e.
without more power for Chevy, I can't run with the Honda's and
Toyota's).” [Editor's Note: Indy became great because
the greatest drivers in the world had to win using driving
talent. Indy Racing used to be a sport, now it's just a
show. It's sad when a sport is reduced to nothing more
than entertainment where a driver can go fast and win if their
engine builder gives them the HP. Where is IRL star Sam
Hornish now that his Chevy does not make the HP the Toyota and
Honda engines make? Answer - nowhere. Sad.]
5/8/03 Industry News
Vintage cars return to Road
America Vintage cars will be on track for the
Johnson Controls Presents the Vintage GT Challenge at Road
America May 16-17-18. The spectator gates will open and first
race sessions start at 8 a.m. each day. Road America's annual
Tailgate Party, a free family community picnic, will run from
10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, May 17. The Tailgate Party will
include carnival rides, food tasting, a car show and live
music. For those new to Road America, the track will offer a
free guided tour. Tickets to enter the race track are $30 for
the weekend or $10 Friday, $15 Saturday and $15 for Sunday.
All tickets include paddock access. The Sports Car Vintage
Racing Association is the sanctioning organization. The
Tailgate Party will feature three-wheel racing in the
Community Bank and Trust Big Wheel Contest (pre-registration
required), with Miss Wisconsin, Jayme Dawicki, presenting
prizes. Big Wheel races start at 10 a.m. Local grilling
gourmets and talk show hosts Mad Dog and Merrill will provide
cooking demonstrations from 12:30–3:00 p.m. St. Nicholas
Hospital will have children's helmet fitting 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
The Plymouth Piggly Wiggly will host food and beverage
sampling from 11 a.m. to noon. WLKN will have a live remote
broadcast and a celebrity dunk tank. Children's carnival rides
are available for $1 each and helicopter rides are $25 each.
5/7/03
Herta turns first laps of month
at Indy Open-wheel veteran Bryan Herta turned his
first laps at Indianapolis since the 1995 Indianapolis 500
today. He practiced in the No. 27T Alpine/Archipelago/Motorola
Dallara/Honda/Firestone that Robby Gordon will drive in the
Indianapolis 500, recording a top lap of 39.9326, 225.380.
Herta will substitute for the injured Dario Franchitti in the
car at the IndyCar Series events June 7 at Texas Motor
Speedway and June 15 at Pikes Peak International Raceway. He
also is on standby to drive the car at Indy if any weather
delays force Gordon to leave for Charlotte, N.C., for his
full-time drive in the NASCAR Winston Cup Coca-Cola 600 on May
25. “From my perspective, today went perfect. I
was able to get comfortable in the Archipelago/Motorola car
and run flat out," stated Herta. We started out with a lot of
downforce and then trimmed it out a little. I was able to give
the team some feedback, so I felt like I could contribute some
on the setup, as well. I needed to run some laps at Indy
because if something happened with the weather and Robby
(Gordon) couldn’t start or couldn’t finish the race, you don’t
want to jump in here without having some laps. Today also gave
me a chance to get ready for my test next week.”
5/7/03
Brack fastest at Indy on Wed.
1999 Indianapolis 500 winner Kenny Brack knows the ways of the
month of May at Indy: Start slowly, stick to your program and
build to a peak. 1998 IRL IndyCar Series champion Brack
climbed closer to the speed summit May 7 by turning the
fastest speed of a rain-interrupted practice at the
Indianapolis Motor Speedway. His top lap was 38.9544 seconds,
231.039 mph in the No. 15 Rahal/Letterman/Miller Lite/Pioneer
Dallara/Honda/Firestone. That lap was the second-best speed of
the month, topped only by Dan Wheldon’s 231.108 Tuesday in the
No. 26 Klein Tools/Jim Beam Dallara/Honda/Firestone. “It’s too
early to say what today really means, but we are very happy to
be competitive today,” Brack said. “I say thanks to Team Rahal
and Honda and everybody for pushing forward and giving me the
stuff we need to be fast. “It’s going to be tough with the
competition here, so we’re not taking anything for granted.
We’re just going to go through our test program and find a
little more speed.” Practice for the 87th Indianapolis 500
continues from noon-7 p.m. (EDT) Thursday in preparation for
Pole Day on Saturday. The 87th Indianapolis 500 is scheduled
for Sunday, May 25. Practice was interrupted twice by
rain this afternoon for a total of one hour, 43 minutes. But
the session still was busy, with 32 cars turning a total of
1,524 incident-free laps.
5/7/03
Bernie says Alonso will be
world champion
Bernie Ecclestone believes Renault has a future World Champion
in Fernando Alonso, however the team will have to improve
before the Spaniard can challenge for the title. "I am not
surprised that Ferrari won at Barcelona. The new car has a
high level of reliability and if it would not have been like
that I have no doubts that the winner at Barcelona would have
been a Spaniard," Ecclestone told Spain's AS newspaper.
"However, to be among the best is a great effort by him.
Alonso has all the qualities, a good team and I have no doubt
that in a not so distant future he will win races and will be
World Champion." But Renault will have to up their game if
they hope to give the Spaniard that chance: "If Renault want
to have any option they have to improve to be on the level of
Ferrari."
5/7/03
Dissention among the GPWC ranks
Team bosses have questioned the GPWC’s plans to pay Ferrari
over $50m to join the championship. It was reported 10 days
ago that the world champions would receive a $50m ‘golden
hello’ to quit Formula 1 and join the breakaway series. The
five carmakers behind the GPWC – including Ferrari’s parent
company Fiat – all agree that the success of the championship
depends on the Scuderia’s involvement. But the other teams
argue that one of the main reasons for setting up the GPWC is
to institute a new system of financing in grand prix racing
and therefore everyone should be treated the same way. BAR
boss David Richards said: "Nobody would argue against the fact
that Ferrari have a unique place in the history of F1 and the
awareness of Ferrari is greater than that of any other team.
"But if we are starting a new regime we need a fresh debate.
We need fully to understand how this will all work."
ITV-F1.com
5/7/03
Miller Brewing and IMS to make
major announcement
Miller Brewing Company officials will join Indianapolis Motor
Speedway President and CEO Tony George and IMS Senior Vice
President of Business Affairs Joie Chitwood for a major
announcement at 9:15 a.m. (EST) Friday, May 9th. Also
participating will be former Indianapolis 500-Mile Race
winners Bobby Rahal and Kenny Brack. Rahal won the 1986 “500”
and is co-owner of Team Rahal, a full-time participant in the
IRL IndyCar Series. Brack, the 1999 Indianapolis 500 champion,
drives the No. 15 entry for Team Rahal with Miller Lite
sponsorship.
5/7/03 Industry News
Low TV ratings not unique to
open wheel racing Bob Hunter of the Columbus
Dispatch wrote a great article this morning regarding the
challenge that sports leagues have in attracting television
viewers. His article is targeted toward the dismal ratings of
the Hockey Playoffs on ESPN, but the article could have easily
replaced hockey with open-wheel auto racing. Take a read. It
seems to echo many of the points we have made. The
Columbus Dispatch
article says, I was on the edge of my seat when the
Anaheim Mighty Ducks closed out the Dallas Stars yesterday at
1:15 a.m. I wasn't the only one. The ratings say there were
probably at last 13 or 14 other people watching the game, and
I wish I could have shared my experience with them. It was
great TV. Unfortunately, that is the bane of the NHL. It has a
great game, phenomenal athletes, lots of action and plenty of
drama, but nobody -- and I mean nobody -- besides hard-core
hockey fans watches it on television. There are all kinds of
theories about why. The puck's too hard to follow. The game,
with all its line changes and emphasis on team play, makes it
difficult for the casual fan to notice the biggest stars. Some
of the teams are in Canadian cities that the average American
yahoo couldn't find on a map without fluorescent lettering.
People in places such as Nevada, Montana and New Mexico don't
know what hockey is. What's confusing is that even a lot of
people who love it apparently don't watch it on television. An
ESPN.com poll last weekend asked which is better, the NBA or
the NHL playoffs, and found that 70 percent of more than
50,000 respondents chose the NHL. Seventy-five percent of poll
voters said the NHL offers more drama in choosing the eventual
champion, and 81 percent said hockey's sudden-death overtime
is better than a couple of NBA overtime periods. Yet ABC
reported that after the first three weeks, the NHL playoff
ratings were down 21 percent from last year, to a minuscule
1.1. ESPN reported a drop of 9 percent and ESPN2 a drop of 23
percent -- from numbers that were terrible to begin with. In
other words, the NHL playoffs are about as good as it gets
sportswise -- and nobody watches them. "I don't know how you
explain it,'' Blue Jackets president Doug MacLean said. "I
suspect the situation is that if you look at Michigan,
Massachusetts, Minnesota and certain parts of California, the
hockey ratings are really strong. But then you couple those
with Nevada and Wyoming and places where there's no hockey and
there are no ratings at all. In some parts of the country,
nobody is watching and that hurts.'' Well, maybe. Truthfully,
the science of TV always has baffled me. What I do know is
that there's a lot at stake. The NHL will begin negotiations
in July for a renewal of ESPN/ABC's five-year, $600 million
deal, which expires after the 2003-04 season, and the numbers
are expected to decrease by 50 percent. With some NHL teams
already experiencing financial trouble and a new basic
agreement up for negotiation, one question begs to be asked:
Can any professional sport be financially viable today that
isn't good on TV? MacLean couldn't answer that, or at least
didn't want to, and his reluctance is understandable. The NHL
is facing a potential work stoppage in 2004, and the teams'
poor national TV revenue is bound to be an issue. Each NHL
team has been getting $4 million per year from ABC/ESPN and
about $8.9 million total, when you add in the revenue from
Hockey Night in Canada and Fox. Each NFL team, by contrast,
nets approximately $70 million annually from the league's
network TV deals. The NFL also is probably the one sport that
is even better on TV than it is in person. The TV connection
is disturbing but undeniable. The sports with teams in
financial straits in recent years -- hockey, baseball and
soccer -- all are much better in person than they are on TV.
"We've been trying to increase TV coverage as long as I've
been in the NHL,'' MacLean said. "I think it has increased
some, but not to where it has to be.'' Where does it have to
be? It probably depends on whether you envision the NHL as a
30- or 24-team league. For a secure future, the NHL probably
needs to find a way to increase TV revenue and reduce
salaries, and currently, the prospect for either isn't good.
As encouraging as it for a small market such as Columbus to
see those big payrolls in Detroit, Dallas and St. Louis go
down, an Ottawa-Vancouver Stanley Cup final could be a ratings
disaster outside Canada. And ratings disasters aren't good for
the league. Ottawa-Vancouver? That matchup would produce some
exciting hockey games. I'll let you know how it comes out.
5/7/03
NASCAR adds chase vehicle
NASCAR's Jim Hunter said NASCAR recently has added a "chase"
vehicle to its emergency crew lineup. The vehicle is the first
on the scene of an wreck with a NASCAR official at the wheel
and an EMT in the passenger seat. "Our position on the medical
end is well known," Hunter said. "We prefer to use local EMTs
who do that every day as a line of work. We always felt having
a local group who does it every day is better than having
somebody travel who does it so many weekends a year."
Daytona Beach News Journal
5/7/03
Chevrolet drivers out to lunch
This Indy Star
article says, Buddy Rice, piloting the Team Cheever
entry, was fastest of the Chevys on the third day of practice
Tuesday. But he was a distant 15th on the speed chart, one
spot ahead of fellow Chevy driver Sam Hornish Jr., and their
228 mph-range speeds left them nearly 3 mph behind Tuesday
leader Dan Wheldon in a Honda-powered Andretti Green Racing
car. Cheever said progress is being made and he expects Chevy
to be on par with newcomers Toyota and Honda within two
months. "I think GM underestimated Toyota and Honda having a
lot of experience in Formula One that they were able to apply
to the IRL," said Cheever, the 1998 Indy 500 winner. The Chevy
drivers clearly are a frustrated lot but hesitant to be
critical of the manufacturer. Sarah Fisher topped out at
224.002 mph and said that was all the car had to offer.
5/7/03
St. Pete media out to kill CART
race This St. Petersburg Times
article says (why are they running the same news all
over again? It's as if to cast doubt CART will survive.
Perhaps the City really does not want the race, at least the
local media doesn't) The Grand Prix of St. Petersburg's
financial power dwindled Tuesday as reports revealed that the
race's organizer suffered steep losses in the first quarter of
this year. Championship Auto Racing Teams, attempting to build
a worldwide racing circuit with a slate of relatively unknown
drivers and Indy-style cars, reported a net loss of nearly
$9-million for the quarter ended March 31. It is a significant
increase over the $1.5-million loss in the same period last
year. More troubling, said analyst Dennis McAlpine, is the
rate at which the struggling race sanctioning body, headed by
chief executive Chris Pook, appears to be spending down its
cash. Cash and short-term investments decreased nearly
$16-million to $70.6-million between Dec. 31, 2002, and March
31 of this year. "The problem is, if he goes through cash as
fast as he has this quarter, he's going to go through all that
money before people get a chance to know his drivers," said
McAlpine, whose firm, McAlpine & Associates, is based in
Scarsdale, N.Y. "At that pace, they could run out of money by
the end of the year." CART's filing with the Securities and
Exchange Commission comes within days of reports that showed
race promoter Dover Motorsports, based in Dover, Del., had
suffered losses approaching $1.3-million on the Grand Prix of
St. Petersburg, held in February on the city's waterfront.
5/7/03
JML team has strong test at
LeMans JML Team Panoz had an impressive test at
LeMans this past weekend in preparation for the 2003 running
of the historic 24 Heures du Mans race to take place on June
14-15. "Mad Max" Papis was the first to take the wheel
aboard the No. 11 Panoz he shares with Olivier Beretta and
Gunnar Jeannette and set the fastest time in the car in the
early session with a time of 3 minutes, 46.826 seconds. Papis
then returned to the track and clocked a 3:44.694 in the late
session, again the fastest time in the No. 11 Panoz entry. It
was a productive day," said Papis. "We made a lot of progress.
The 44.6 came when I was not pushing too much and there was
quite a lot of traffic. There's potential in the car. I was
pleasantly surprised with our results on Sunday. "We will
continue what we did at Sebring. We actually have a better car
here. It's really encouraging," added Papis. "I believe we
surprised many people. We will continue to do that. "Olivier
(Beretta) was able to give me a bit of advice, which was a big
help, because it has been a few years since I've been here."
The No. 11 car of Papis, Beretta and Jeannette finished the
day in 11th place. The No. 7 Bentley of Tom Kristensen,
Rinaldo Capelli and Guy Smith topped the charts with a time of
3:34.820. "Things have started very well for the team and I
was very surprised with how comfortable the car was straight
away," Papis continued. "We have been working through our
program, testing a few different changes but our initial
impression is the car is very good. Michelin has also done an
exceptional job as well. They have had a number of different
combinations for us to try and the performance has been very
strong. Our plan for the weekend was not to put the car at
risk, just to work away at making improvements and ensuring we
have a good base of data to work from when we get back for the
race," said Papis. The two Panoz LMP-01 racecars will remain
in Europe until the 24 Hours of Le Mans on the weekend of June
14 and 15.
5/7/03
CART is invisible A
reader writes, Dear AR1, I found it interesting last night as
I was watching CBS' Tuesday night programs that there was a
commercial featuring Michael Andretti- something about ice
cream and traveler's checks (not the IRL), and an HP
commercial featuring Juan and the BMW F1 team. Just thought it
was ironic that here's the broadcast partner of CART who has
successfully sold ad slots to CART's rivals, but there's no
mention at all of the four plus hours of CART action coming up
this weekend on CBS. The NASCAR logo is everywhere you go. IRL
ads are increasingly in evidence in print and on TV and even
the local podunck gas station down the street has F1 Lego cars
sitting inside. CART is invisible. It always has been. When is
that going change? I'm surprised there's 69,000 people
across the country who can even find the broadcasts when
they're on. Earth to Pook.........Timothy Howell
Dear Tim, When CART went to a single engine manufacturer the
paddock became cash poor. No one, not even Ford is doing
much to promote the series, and CART's marketing team has not
convinced what few sponsor are in the series, to do much
marketing around the series. Only the foreign sponsors
like Tecate, Corona and Quaker State Mexico are using CART as
an advertising vehicle. Yes, except at the events
themselves, CART has become invisible to the general public,
and its TV ratings support that conclusion. Mark C.
5/7/03
Wurz to stay with McLaren
Alex Wurz has said that he will concentrate all his energies
on the development of McLaren's radical new MP4-18A. The
Austrian has revealed that the new McLaren contender is
nearing completion, and should receive its track debut in two
weeks time. Speaking to
autosport.com during testing at the Paul Ricard circuit
today (Wednesday), Wurz confessed that he felt a strong desire
to return to racing with Jaguar. "If you ask me if I want to
race, yes I want to race," he said. "But there was increasing
media pressure – no, there was pressure from everybody that
was involved, but then everyone felt that we had to calm
down."
5/7/03
Paul Ricard Day 2- Gene tops
charts again
Pos Driver Chassis-engine Tires
Time Laps
1 Marc Gene Williams-BMW M 1m11.919s 101
2 Alex Wurz McLaren-Mercedes 1m12.317s 105
3 Cristiano da Matta Toyota M 1m12.939s 87
4 David Coulthard McLaren-Mercedes M 1m12.997s 99
5 Jenson button BAR-Honda B 1m13.769s 89
6 Anthony Davidson BAR-Honda B 1m14.041s 72
7 Mark Webber Jaguar 1m14.122s 110
8 Jarno Trulli Renault M 1m14.297s 113
9 Heinz-Harald Frentzen Sauber-Petronas B 1m14.376s 98
10 Ricardo Zonta Toyota M 1m17.767s 89
5/7/03
Miami GP of Americas unveils
new website The Grand Prix Americas website,
www.miamirace.com, has
a whole new look, including more information, pictures,
contests, interactive features and promotions, announced Chuck
M. Martinez, president and general manager, Grand Prix
Americas. “We wanted to create an exciting and fun site
reflective of our event and one that would entice our fans to
keep coming back,” said Martinez. “The added splash and new
content, including the new track map, make it a much better
and user-friendly web destination.” Tickets will now be
available for purchase through our secure online server and a
new sponsor page has been added. This section will feature the
Grand Prix Americas’ partners and sponsor-related information.
The site will also include information on all the events
leading up to the race, contests, merchandise, memorabilia
auction items and “cool stuff” such as downloadable images,
wallpaper and multimedia. A special link to SPEED on demand
will allow visitors to view last year’s race on their
computers. Plus, all the press releases will be available in
both English and Spanish.
5/7/03
What progress is NASCAR making
on safety? Jerry Nadeau's crash and his resulting
severe injuries last weekend at Richmond (Va.) International
Raceway have brought NASCAR's safety issues back to the
spotlight. Nadeau, 32, suffered critical injuries to his head,
ribs and a lung Friday when his No. 01 Pontiac hit the wall
during Winston Cup practice. Nadeau was upgraded to serious
but stable condition Monday by doctors treating him at
Virginia Commonwealth University Medical Center. The exact
nature of his injuries have not been detailed. The one-car
accident sparked a new round of discussions in the Winston Cup
community about soft wall technology, drivers' safety inside
their stock cars and the need for a highly trained, traveling
emergency team. "NASCAR has shown us films of how they're
trying to develop soft walls," driver Sterling Marlin said.
"They're probably continuously working and developing it. I
don't think it's something NASCAR has talked about then put on
the back burner." NASCAR vice president Jim Hunter said Dr.
Dean Sicking from the University of Nebraska is scheduled to
conduct the last crash test today on a Steel and Foam Energy
Reduction barrier designed for Richmond and other short
courses. Sicking's test schedule was delayed by bad weather
during the winter. "That test has been on the books for a
month," Hunter said. "This is hopefully the final crash test
before they are in position to recommend SAFER walls at the
shorter tracks." Hunter said if all goes according to plan,
SAFER barriers will be up for the fall races at Richmond and
New Hampshire International Speedway. Installation of SAFER
barriers has been delayed because Sicking "has not been
comfortable with the results," according to Hunter.
Daytona Beach News Journal
5/7/03
A leaner and meaner Nazareth
Nazareth Speedway will be a leaner, more corporate-savvy
operation later this month when NASCAR's Busch Series comes in
for the Goulds Pumps ITT Industries 200. Craig Rust, president
of both Nazareth Speedway and Watkins Glen International in
New York, said race weekend May 17-18 will be the acid test of
a new business plan and marketing philosophy for the track,
finished for racing in 1987 by Roger Penske. "This will be the
first race we are running completely under our new
organizational structure and with our new marketing plan,"
Rust said. "I feel good about it. We don't announce attendance
figures, but I can tell you our advance ticket sale for the
Busch race is ahead of last year."
Penn Live
5/7/03
We visit Monza AR1
staff visited the famous Monza race track today and snapped
these photos of test driver Felipe Massa testing the 2002
Ferrari F1 car. If you have not experienced the scream
of a 19,000 RPM Ferrari F1 engine echo under the main
grandstand canopy you haven't lived yet. The history of the
place just hangs in the air. The Brazilian test driver
continued to use an F2002, on a track modified with the
introduction of two chicanes; one before the Parabolica and
the other before Ascari. In the second part of the day, Massa
also did some laps of the track in its original configuration.
He covered a total of 473 kilometers. Felipe Massa continues
testing at this track tomorrow.
Photos by Mark Cipolloni
5/7/03
No Homestead reconstruction?2nd UPDATE We got to
see some new stationary and signage the Speedway had printed.
It now says "The New" Homestead-Miami Speedway. "The New" is
printed in Bold, Red letters. What else can they be referring
to besides the new corners? International Speedway Corp. says
it may spend $2.5 million to $3.5 million to reconfigure
Homestead-Miami Speedway before this year's NASCAR season
finales for the Winston Cup, Busch and Craftsman Truck series.
The company offered the projection yesterday as it reported
that it had record revenues and attendance for its most recent
NASCAR events at California Speedway and Richmond
International Raceway. "If the project moves forward, the
company expects the reconfiguration would be completed in
early October," an ISC statement said. NASCAR's three major
series are scheduled to wind up their seasons the weekend of
Nov. 15-16 at the track, which has been widely criticized by
NASCAR drivers and fans as too flat for close racing.
Winston Cup Scene Daily
Newsletter5/6/03 - AR1 sources did
some checking on this Winston Salem Journal article.
Here is what we found out - according to Homestead City
Councilman Jeffery Porter, any improvements at the Speedway do
not need the approval of the City of Homestead's council under
the existing contract. The only permission they need are the
usual permits and zoning approval. Any improvements made to
the Speedway will be paid for by the lessee (ISC). So money
never was a issue with the City of Homestead. The Speedway has
taken out building permits for the new turns and have been
soliciting construction companies. 5/5/03 - It now appears that the planned reconstruction of
Homestead-Miami Speedway will not happen this year, because
rebuilding the flat banks from current six degrees to 20
degrees or more, to improve racing in the season finale, would
"cost local taxpayers millions," according to track officials.
And the relationship between the track and the townspeople has
been uneasy at best, because city officials say the track
hasn't been the financial boon they'd anticipated.
Winston Salem Journal
Changes
needed at Brands Hatch - I CART needs to be on the
long course at Brands Hatch. Anyone who understands
racing, knows that. However, the track needs upgrades in
three key areas. This image shows what is needed at the
end of the long back straight - a chicane to slow the cars and
create more runoff area. CART itself spent $2 million
this year to upgrade the short circuit. Someone will
need to spend a lot more than that to do these upgrades and
those shown below. However, can CART afford not to do
them? Parades don't play well with the British media.
5/7/03
Changes
needed at Brands Hatch - II CART needs to be on the
long course at Brands Hatch. Anyone who understands
racing, knows that. However, the track needs upgrades in
three key areas. This image shows what is needed where
the long tracks meets back with the short Indy Circuit - a
chicane to slow the cars and create more runoff area.
The pit lane also needs to be lengthened, probably should be
totally reconstructed. There is not enough room for more
cars, and it was too short already. The garages are also
too small. Illustrations by Mark Cipolloni
5/7/03 F3000
Bell gets bumped again in
Barcelona
Townsend Bell was bumped out of contention at the first turn
of the F3000 race at the Catalunya circuit near Barcelona,
Spain on Saturday. His assailant(s) were unknown but Rob
Nguyen, fellow American competitor Derek Hill and Patrick
Freisacher were all involved in the incident. Freisacher
suffered a damaged left arm, with both the Americans’ cars
slowed dramatically with suspension damage. New Zealander
Nguyen was the only one of the four to be able to continue at
racing speed, finishing 5th overall. Californian Bell
described the incident this way, “I had a decent start but it
was busy in the first turn. Out of the corner of my eye I
could see someone close to me who suddenly lurched into me….He
was obviously knocked my way by someone else. I thought, oh sh__
not again! So my race ended in the first turn! They keep
running into us!! “I kept going, despite a tweaked rear
suspension, and actually passed a couple of cars and got to
7th place while the tires were still fresh. I then noticed in
my rear view mirrors a large part of the right sidepod flew
off! We never actually got to see the damage to the car as it
was impounded after the race and was still being held by race
officials 2 hours after the race. “The car was barely
drivable as anyone watching live or on TV must have seen. The
car was wallowing around but I thought I could at least learn
something about my competition that will come in handy later
so I kept going to a frustrating 12th.” Derek Hill was
equally frustrated after qualifying 8th. He blames Freisacher
for the incident commenting, “He did it to me last year at
Hockenheim. I have to talk to him!” Hill finished with
suspension damage in 11th overall. Phil Geibler, another
California native was knocked off the track on turn two by
Rafaele Giammaria of Italy. Phil felt it was a
misunderstanding as he thought Giammaria had given him the
corner but the Italian closed the door and took both drivers
out of the race. “We will be better in Austria” said the eager
Geibler, in his 5th year in Europe looking for a breakthrough.
Giorgio Pantano led from pole to the checkered. Bjorn
Wirdheim, winner of the series opener at Imola two weeks ago
settled into 2nd and could not get by the Italian for the win.
“ I was frustrated at the start because the yellow flag stayed
out for about 10 laps. I had to get past Giorgio while I had a
tire advantage in the first few laps. As soon as my tires were
used up a little there was no way to pass him” said the young
Swede. The F3000 teams now head to Austria for the
next round in the 10 race series. Townsend Bell has tested at
the A1 Ring only in a local school car for 25 laps so will
have to adjust quickly to the new environment.
5/7/03
Herta to replace Franchitti for
2 races
Veteran Bryan Herta will substitute for the injured Dario
Franchitti in an Andretti Green Racing entry in June at the
IRL IndyCar Series races at Texas Motor Speedway and Pikes
Peak International Raceway, team officials announced May 6.
Herta, from Valencia, Calif., will drive the No. 27
Archipelago/Motorola Dallara/Honda/Firestone during the
Bombardier 500 on June 7 at Texas and the Pikes Peak Indy 225
on June 15 at Pikes Peak. To prepare for his first run in an
IndyCar Series car, Herta will test May 12-13 at Pikes Peak
and May 19-20 at Texas. “This is a fantastic opportunity,”
Herta said. “I was pleased when Michael (Andretti) called and
asked if I could drive for Andretti Green Racing until Dario
gets better. I’m excited to drive for a high-caliber team like
Andretti Green.”
5/7/03
It matters who wins or loses in
CART This Motorsports Forum
article says, The number of CART fans who will watch a
CART race on television is small enough. Take away any drama
and even they might disappear. The showcase race in the series
had only 69,000 homes watching on Speed Channel. That’s 69,000
out of more than 55 million! There were more people at Long
Beach than were watching on television. That’s not the way to
endear yourself to potential sponsors! The fact that Monday’s
race at Brands Hatch is delayed on CBS until NEXT Saturday is
an indication of how far CART has fallen on the marketing
meter. And CART was buying the time!! I smiled Monday morning
after Brands Hatch. Maybe CART can survive after all. The
Miami Dolphins made a marketing play out of its No Name
Defense that took the team to the NFL’s only undefeated season
and a Super Bowl title in 1972. Maybe CART can take it’s No
Name Grid to a championship of sorts if it can create enough
drama to convince people it matters who wins and loses its
events. If we return to the Paul Tracy Show next weekend in
Germany, there won’t be enough towels to wipe up the tears of
all those who will lose money and interest in this CART
season.
5/7/03
CART has enough for 2004
When CART released its 1Q financials one tidbit of info that
many overlooked was the $70+ million CART still has in cash.
That will be enough to sustain them in 2003 & 2004, but what
about 2005? Roger Penske predicts they will run out of
cash and eventually fold (see Hot News Item below). He
predicted they would fold last year too. However, Chris
Pook appears very confident, as if he has something up his
sleeve. There have been rumors of Bernie, or someone
with deep pockets, buying CART. That has not
materialized yet. However, if you look at the history of
Bernie's dealings, you will see that he does not buy anything
until the principals of the company he is buying have lost all
hope, all their fight. He then comes in and says I'll
rescue you, but you will do things my way. Perhaps
Bernie has not moved on CART because Chris Pook and company
still have some fight left in them. The danger Bernie
runs of waiting until the last minute is whether CART will be
so weak by then that it's not salvageable. In addition,
with the GPWC threat hanging over Bernie's head, one would
think he would buy CART (if he's really interested) sooner
rather than later and basically say to the manufacturers, I
own the F1 name, and I will rename CART F1 and grow it into
something big (using other engine manufacturers) if you move
forward with your breakaway series. Mark C.
5/7/03
Wheldon tops Indy charts on
Tuesday
Dan Wheldon became the second consecutive rookie to lead a
practice day for the 87th Indianapolis 500, turning the
fastest lap of the month, 38.9429 seconds, 231.108 mph, on May
6 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Wheldon’s top lap in the
No. 26 Klein Tools/Jim Beam Dallara/Honda/Firestone came just
minutes after practice opened at noon (EDT), and no other
driver could top it in the nearly seven hours of practice
afterward despite ideal track conditions. Practice resumes at
noon (EDT) Wednesday as the countdown to Pole Day on Saturday
gets more intense. Despite the fast lap today, Wheldon isn’t
making any bold predictions for MBNA Pole glory and the
accompanying $100,000 bonus. “I think being quick today is no
reflection of how qualifying is going to be, but it is good
for the Klein Tools/Jim Beam team to be up there,” Wheldon
said. “We are still working on our set program, as are our
other three cars, and we gather the data at the end of the day
and fine-tune our program for the following day. “The Andretti
Green Racing team is keeping me on an even keel, and even
though we are setting some fast speeds, we are still focused
on the job at hand, and we are looking forward to a good day
tomorrow.” Gil de Ferran was second fastest at 38.9824,
230.873 in the No. 6T Marlboro Team Penske Panoz G
Force/Toyota/Firestone, while 2002 Indianapolis 500 Bank One
co-Rookie of the Year Tomas Scheckter third at 38.9909,
230.823 in the No. 10T Target Chip Ganassi Racing Panoz G
Force/Toyota/Firestone. Scheckter’s teammate, Indianapolis 500
rookie Scott Dixon, was fourth at 39.0496, 230.476 in the No.
9 Target Chip Ganassi Racing Panoz G Force/Toyota/Firestone.
Michael Andretti, Wheldon’s team owner and teammate, rounded
out the top five at 39.0598, 230.416 in the No. 7 Team
7-Eleven Dallara/Honda/Firestone. “Dan has done a super job
for us, not just today but ever since he started with us,”
Andretti said. “He provides tremendous feedback regarding his
car, and he drives as if he has way more experience than he
actually has. He knows how to go fast, and he knows when to go
fast. It’s been great having Dan as a teammate at Andretti
Green Racing. “I would say this was a real encouraging day
today.”
5/7/03
Trans-Am announces race in
Puerto Rico
The Puerto Rico Grand Prix, the 2003 season finale for the
Trans-Am Series for the BFGoodrich® Tires Cup, will be held on
a temporary circuit at Isla Grande Airport, part of the
Fernando Luis Ribas Dominicci Airport complex in the island’s
capital, San Juan. The announcement was made by event promoter
Jorge Diaz, Puerto Rico Governor Sila Maria Calderon, the
Tourism Company of Puerto Rico, and San Juan Mayor Jorge
Santini. The Puerto Rico Grand Prix is scheduled for Oct. 26.
Diaz is pleased to be hosting the initial Puerto Rico Grand
Prix. The affable Puerto Rico native hopes this race will mark
the beginning of a long string of racing events in his island
home. “I think this is the first step into a great and bright
future for racing in the Caribbean,” said Diaz, whose son,
Jorge Diaz, Jr. is competing for the Rookie of the Year
Championship in the Series this year. “Puerto Rico is the
gateway to the Caribbean and South America. This race will
show the world that Puerto Rico has the talent and dedication
required to put together a first-class international racing
event.” The 1.6-mile, 10-turn circuit, which was laid out by
renowned race track designer Martyn C. Thake, will be very
similar to the Burke Lakefront Airport—site of the U.S Bank
Presents Cleveland Grand Prix. The picturesque circuit, which
uses San Juan Harbor as its backdrop, boasts a wide racing
surface and 100-percent visibility for fans. Thake’s most
recent projects include the Monterrey, Mexico and Mexico City
Champ Car World Series circuits, and the Grand Prix of St.
Petersburg Champ Car and Trans-Am Series street course. The
event will mark the first time the Trans-Am Series will race
in Puerto Rico. The Series will also present its year-end
awards in Puerto Rico. “We couldn’t find a finer location to
put an exclamation point on the 2003 season,” said Series
Executive Director John Clagett. “The Isla Grande Airport is
the perfect venue for this race, and is convenient to the
bustling city of San Juan. It will pose its own unique
challenges, and we’re looking forward to a thrilling race for
both the drivers and fans.” The Puerto Rico Grand Prix, the
season finale of the 2003 Trans-Am Series for the BFGoodrich®
Tires Cup, is scheduled for Oct. 26, and will be aired on a
tape-delayed basis on SPEED Nov. 1 at 1 p.m.
5/7/03
Engineers to test modified wall
at Richmond
This USA Today
article says, Tuesday morning, engineers at the
University of Nebraska-Lincoln are expected to crash-test a
modified version of the impact-absorbing SAFER barrier wall on
a full-scale replica of the tight turns found at Richmond
International Raceway — site of an accident that caused
serious injuries to driver Jerry Nadeau on Friday.
Although the test comes only four days after the crash —
Nadeau is listed in "serious but stable" condition at a
Richmond, Va., hospital with head, lung and rib injuries — it
is no rush job. The test was scheduled before the wreck, and
Dean Sicking, director of the university's Midwest Roadside
Safety Facility, says his team isn't feeling any additional
pressure to move the project along. They already were moving
as quickly as possible to adapt the Indianapolis Motor
Speedway's barrier to fit other tracks. Sicking has heard
accusations that NASCAR is dragging its feet on the project,
but says that isn't true. "NASCAR has been encouraging us,
pushing us as hard as they could," he says. "We don't see that
at all."
5/7/03
Drivers love Toyota
This USA Today
article says, Gil de Ferran had a feeling about
Toyota the minute he jumped into a test car last summer, and
it had little to do with a good, powerful engine. If anything,
de Ferran was impressed by the engine-maker's quick response
to his input and feedback, support he quantifies in hours
rather than days. Only after he began driving Toyotas
regularly did he realize they also make a pretty good motor.
Not to mention why. "If you think you need something, they
assign a priority to it and boom! It's done," said de Ferran,
who has driven Chevys and Hondas. "I just like how responsive
they are, more about the people than the engine."
5/7/03
Foolproof test shows who is
winning the open-wheel warUPDATE A reader responds
to this article, I beg to differ, IRL is inheriting the "old"
guys from The Champ Car Series. Look who left, Michael
Andretti....what did he do last year in CART Hummmm LOSE, yep
that's right, he lost. I forgot to mention the "great
Andretti" qualified last for the first time in his career, and
second time and...well you get the picture. Darren Manning you
mentioned, he was an F1 test driver, I know that's not much
but Dario had to wait till he had won all 7 races of his
career by the year 2001 to get that big job offering, F1 test
driver, he stayed in CART and won, WOW 3 more races. Then you
put down Jimmy Vasser, let me check...just as I thought he won
as many races as the great Dario, but Jimmy doesn't have the
hot famous wife, just that lousy old future in NASCAR. Nobody
will see Jimmy there he should have stuck to the IRL, both
fans might have liked him. Then you mention Sarah no sponsor,
or ride Fisher, (unless it's Indy) I agree, absolutely. Now to
your big "FUNNY" "Sebastien Bourdais? No. Although a 1986
Bourdais is a wonderful vintage." That is funny, that
Sebastien guy what a loser, I looked it up, (you may want to
try this before speaking next time) he only won the F3000
championship. As I remember the last chump to think he could
race cars that came over from that league, that Juan Pablo
Montoya guy. Oh wait he came over to your famous track one
time and kicked everyone's a*s. As for the Unser family, I
have too much respect for little Al to bring up the fact that
only the pace didn't lap him his last few years turning left
and right. I hope you and the other fan enjoy the IRL season.
If anyone wants to join me at the race track I'll be in the S
turn. Champ Car Fan 4 Life, Jim Mid-Ohio (It's a road course)
5/6/03 - This Indy Star
article says, A strong case can be made that CART is a
far better test of driving ability given the diverse nature of
the circuit -- road courses, ovals, the whole bit. A strong
case can be made that CART produces the strongest and most
accomplished drivers in the world. The CART boys have had
great success here at the Brickyard, and there's no reason to
think that's going to change this time around. But you know
what? That only matters to the XXX hardcore fans of the sport.
The open-wheel war isn't about the serious devotees who would
happily watch a bunch of rusted-out Chevettes race in reverse.
The open-wheel war is about grabbing the hearts and minds, and
wallets, of marginal fans. It's about passing, well, the Bob
Test. The IRL passed. CART is being left back. And the gap, it
seems, gets wider each passing year. Read the full
article.
5/7/03
Indy 500 running on fumes
This Atlanta Constitution Journal
article says, Although the 500 isn't dead as one of
world's premier sporting events, it is gasping near the finish
line.
5/7//03
Penske predicts CART will fold
This Autosport.com
article says that one of the most influential team
owners in American racing, Roger Penske, has predicted an end
to the split in open-wheel racing in the near future, but
stopped short of indicating precisely what might happen.
During a break in practice today (Tuesday) at Indianapolis
Motor Speedway, Penske said the dispute between the Indy
Racing League and CART could end within the next year or two.
"Within the next 12 to 24 months, we'll see this thing shake
out," said Penske. "Economics will play a part in that. CART
has made a decision to support a lot of their teams and track
promoters. People eventually will say, 'Hey, do we have enough
money to continue doing that?' If that isn't there, what
happens?" Penske moved Marlboro Team Penske from CART to the
IRL following the 2001 season, marking a major shift in power
in the ongoing dispute. Tony George, owner of Indianapolis
Motor Speedway, formed the IRL in 1996, largely to wrest
control of the sport from powerful team owners. CART teams,
including Penske's, stayed away from the Indy 500 for several
years. In recent years, though, they've begun to return to the
race. Some of the larger teams, like Penske, Target Chip
Ganassi, Team Rahal and Mo Nunn Racing, have made the
transition from CART to the IRL in the recent years. "CART has
done some positive things, but at the end of the day, we've
got this place here," Penske said of the speedway. "You've got
400,000 seats [Editor's note: Indy has no where near 400,000
seats. The actual number is right around 300,000]. If you've got 390,000 show up, you can't really
call the event a disaster." While rumors abound that the IRL
will soon abandon its ovals-only format and add road and
street courses, Penske said the series needs to drop some
ovals from its schedule before it pursues road racing. "We
don't need to run 21 or 22 races," Penske said. "The IRL is
going to have to make the decision as to whether they'll
reduce the number of races (to accommodate road racing). I
think they're saying, 'We've had tracks support us from the
initial stages. Why would we walk away from them?'" [Editor's
Note: While the Captain is suggesting that the IRL will
prevail, he mentions nothing about the continuing carnage that
IRL drivers have to endure running all races on ovals and what
can be done to make them safer. Also, he says nothing about
what can be done to improve the dreadful IRL attendance at
most of the tracks outside of Indy. We find it ironic that
without CART teams defecting over the past two years, it would
have been the IRL that would probably be out of business
today.]
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