DATE

News (chronologically)

6/5/03

Chevys perfect at TMS  There are six Chevrolets entered at Texas this weekend and they qualified right together as a group - dead last in succession 16-17-18-19-20-21.  This proves beyond a doubt that HP is everything in the IRL and on the ovals.  Chevy has little HP and driver talent means almost nothing on ovals, so they can't overcome the deficit to the superior Japanese engine powered cars.. It's 100% throttle racing, may the best engine win.

16. Sam Hornish Jr., Chevrolet, 212.498
17. Vitor Meira, Chevrolet, 212.142
18. Robbie Buhl, Chevrolet, 211.726
19. Buddy Lazier, Chevrolet, 211.565
20. Buddy Rice, Chevrolet, 211.476
21. Sarah Fisher, Chevrolet, 210.915

6/5/03

Dare crashes hard at TMS, rushed to hospital  2nd UPDATE Airton Dare suffered a broken right femur (upper leg) and broken right humerus (upper arm).  We have updated our IRL vs. CART injury chart. So far in 2003, the IRL is leading CART in every injury category by a wide margin and the season is young.  Just when the IRL said they were making their cars safer, the injury toll in the IRL continues to mount.  6/5/03 - To the right is a photo (courtesy of US News) of Dare's crash (click on photo to be taken to US News website for larger image).  It was a nasty hit - all part of oval track racing.  Dare had to be cut out of the car with the jaws of life and was in grimacing pain as soon as they took his helmet off.  It appears the right front wheel crushed the right side of the tub and we would be surprised if he does not require orthopedic surgery. Welcome to oval track racing.   Stay tuned for updates.  6/5/03 - It isn't funny anymore.  This is serious.  As the first practice session got underway, we are sad to report possible more broken bones for an IRL driver.  At 7:35 p.m. (EDT), Airton Dare made contact with the outside retaining wall in Turn 4 with the right side of the No. 5 Conseco/A.J. Foyt Racing Panoz G Force/Toyota/Firestone at Texas Motor Speedway. The car slid from Turn 4 into the grass portion of the infield between pit lane and the racetrack and was facing backward. There was heavy damage to the right side of the car. Dare was helped from the car by Indy Racing League safety team members and transported via air to Parkland Hospital in Dallas. 2000 IRL IndyCar Series Rookie of the Year Dare is awake and alert and in stable condition, said Dr. Henry Bock, Indy Racing League medical services director. Dare will be evaluated for a possible fracture of his upper right arm and upper right leg. A further update will be provided when available.  How can AJ Foyt afford to replace all these damaged cars this year?

6/5/03

Takagi fastest in opening practice at TMS   Tora Takagi led the opening practice for the Bombardier 500 this evening at Texas Motor Speedway, as Panoz G Force/Toyota/Firestone combinations swept the top three spots at the high-banked, 1.5-mile oval. Takagi was fastest at 23.8465 seconds, 219.655 mph in the No. 12 Pioneer Mo Nunn Racing Panoz G Force/Toyota/Firestone. Tomas Scheckter was second at 23.8687, 219.451 in the No. 10 Target Chip Ganassi Racing Panoz G Force/Toyota/Firestone, while teammate Scott Dixon was third at 23.9086, 219.084 in the team's No. 9 entry.  MBNA Pole Qualifying is next tonight under the lights at Texas, scheduled to start at 10 p.m. (EDT).  [Editor's Note - CART's Champ Cars were up at 237 MPH when the G-Forces were just too much for the drivers.  At below 220 MPH, driver should be OK]

6/5/03

Night race brings CART improved TV rating   Although still dismal, The Centennial 250 CART Champ Car race from the Milwaukee Mile turned in a 0.4 rating (230,000 households) on SPEED Channel last Saturday night.  This compares with previous SPEED ratings in the 0.15 and 0.21 range.  CART is probably going to put a series of 7 or 8 races on prime time next year (Saturday or Sunday evening), some tape delayed, but this proves that prime time brings more eyeballs and more value to the sponsors.

6/5/03

Scheckter accuses Cheever of telling him to pull over  This Seattle Times article says, Tomas Scheckter earned the first pole of his IRL career one year ago at Texas Motor Speedway. He also had his teammate and his boss — Eddie Cheever — starting next to him on the front row. Therein lies the problem. Scheckter claims he was under orders from Cheever to pull over and let Cheever by him. "I was told to lose the race," Scheckter said. "It's great to know I can start the race this weekend without being asked to finish second to somebody on purpose." Scheckter, an IRL rookie last season with Cheever's Red Bull team, now drives for Target/Chip Ganassi Racing. Cheever is not driving this year, concentrating on running his team and helping his new protégé, Buddy Rice. When told of Scheckter's comments, Cheever had a quick response: "Absolute rubbish," he said. "The only request I ever asked of him was to stop crashing." Crashing was a problem for Scheckter last season, failing to finish six races because of accidents. But he said that subject wasn't addressed last June at TMS. "We had team orders," Scheckter said. "After I qualified on the pole, I was told whenever Eddie and me were racing together, I should let him by. It was very disappointing to hear, but after 10 laps, he was sixth and I was leading, so it wasn't much of a problem."

6/5/03

Herdez not standing still   Grupo Herdez has long been a standard bearer in the CART Champ Car World Series among Hispanic companies, with their brands having been prominently displayed on the high-speed cars of the open-wheel racing series for many years. The team has expanded to a two-car outfit for the 2003 Bridgestone Presents The Champ Car World Series Powered by Ford season and is enjoying one of its best seasons in 2003, with driver Mario Dominguez earning a pair of podium finishes in the year’s first five races. The Herdez squad is moving just as quickly off the track as well, as the team’s #55 Ford-Cosworth/Lola/Bridgestone Champ Car and Dominguez showed last week when they participated in the National Hispanic Corporate Council (NHCC) reception Tuesday evening at Ford Field in Detroit. The NHCC, of which the Ford Motor Company is a member, is a nonprofit organization that is centered around increasing business opportunities for Hispanic companies around the world. After racing at Milwaukee on Saturday night, Dominguez journeyed to Detroit and spoke at the reception about getting his start in major-league auto racing and extolled the virtues of sponsorship and the role that Herdez played in his career. He then signed autographs for many of the attendees and posed for pictures with his Champ Car. “Grupo Herdez and the team have done quite a lot with Ford this year in helping them publicize their Hispanic initiative and this was a very important function for us,” said Herdez Competition Business Director Kevin Lee. “Ford has done a lot for the series this year and anything that we can do to help them, obviously helps us and the rest of the series.”

6/5/03

More feedback on Milwaukee yellows   UPDATE A reader responds, The REAL question is why did it take ten laps to "cleanup" after Tracy's wheel came off? No liquids, no debris, except for the wayward wheel. Gary Shell  Dear Gary, It's hard to argue that point, but in general, the Simple Green team does an admiral job, the best in the business.  CART needs to be going back to green as soon as the trucks pull back into position.  If someone is caught in the pits, tough luck, they blew their strategy.  Mark C.   6/5/03 - A reader writes, Dear AR1, I have read with interest your reader feedback on Milwaukee regarding race yellows.  The comparison to CART with F1 and NASCAR is laughable. They race under totally different conditions and track surface mentality. I work in motorsports safety and I can tell you CART is the best at making sure the race track surface is good to go before launching drivers out there at 200mph. The reader feedback reminds me of the guy at the scene of a house fire watching it burn and then criticizing the fire department for taking too long to get there. How long should it take to clean up an incident that requires a driver extrication, fluid /oil clean up, and gathering up the numerous pieces of carbon fiber and metal frags.   The Simple Green Safety Team is the best in the world and hustle their ass off to save precious TV time and green flag racing. Ask the drivers what kind of track condition they want at 200 mph plus?  NASCAR says let em run through it, and F1 leaves cars on track and makes them part of the course hazards. How many 240 mph ovals does F1 run on?  And have your readers looked closely at the track surface and the crap left out there on the racing surface?  B. Kinsey Kingman, AZ.

6/5/03

Papis in, Vergers out in ASCAR    Max Papis, a three-times Champ Car race winner in America and ex-Formula One racer, gets his first taste of ASCAR Days of Thunder in the HTML team’s McDonald’s-sponsored Ford Taurus as the Italian sets his sights on becoming king of the Rockingham oval this weekend. ‘Mad Max’ begins testing tomorrow in the car he hopes will give him the perfect start to his ASCAR Days of Thunder career when the green flag drops for the next round of the Days of Thunder racing series at the 1.5-mile banked oval on Sunday. While Papis was joining the series for the first time, in a dramatic turn of events the championship race has been turned on its head with points leader Michael Verger forced to sit out this weekend’s races through injury. The Flying Dutchman was involved in a road accident on his motor bike last Sunday, badly injuring his shoulder. “Michael dislocated his shoulder, pushing it backwards and it did some damage to the muscles” said West-Tec Commercial Director Dennis Klein. “He went to see a specialist who deals with professional sports injuries and was told that there was no way he could race. He’ll still be at the track over the weekend, though.” Vergers is now sidelined for at least the next two rounds of the championship, wrecking his chances of winning the Days of Thunder series. Vergers’ demise has handed his closest rivals, Roland Rehfeld – Papis’ new teammate – and Deuce Racing RML’s Ben Collins an opportunity to take over at the head of the pack. Rehfeld won the second race at Rockingham last month for HTML and will be hoping to notch up another victory on Sunday. A replacement driver for Vergers in the West-Tec car will be announced tomorrow.

6/5/03

Boris Said to drive Pontiac at Sonoma    Road course specialist Boris Said has been named by MB2 Motorsports to drive the No. 01 U.S. Army Pontiac in the June 22 NASCAR Winston Cup race at Infineon Raceway in Sonoma, Calif. Said, 40, will be substituting for Jerry Nadeau, who is recovering from injuries sustained in a May 2 accident at Richmond (Va.) International Raceway. Mike Wallace, who has been the team's substitute driver, will continue in the same role at the oval races. One of the leading national and international sports car drivers, Said has competed in seven career Winston Cup races. Six of his seven starts have come at NASCAR's two road courses -- Infineon Raceway (2000, 2001, 2002) and Watkins Glen (1999, 2001, 2002). His other start was at Homestead Miami Speedway in 1999. "Just like Jerry, Boris has established a reputation as a NASCAR road racing expert," said Jay Frye, general manager of MB2 Motorsports. "We are excited that he has agreed to fill in for Jerry at Infineon Raceway. Boris' experience as a sports car racer will give us an excellent opportunity to have a competitive weekend at the first road course of the season." Said, of Carlsbad, Calif., has enjoyed success at Infineon Raceway. As a NASCAR driver, he finished 11th in the 2001 Winston Cup race and won the 1998 Craftsman Truck event. As a sports car racer in the American Le Mans Series, he won at Infineon in 2000 and was runner-up in 2001.

6/5/03

Alex Yoong staying busy 2nd UPDATE  Malaysia's ex-F1 racer is back in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia enjoying family life with his wife Arianna and 5-month-old son, Alister, after racing successfully in four Champ Car races which spanned four countries in Mexico, USA, England and Germany over a period of eight weeks. Yoong indicated that his time off from racing is a blessing in disguise as the time spent with the family is priceless. "When you are always on the road you miss out on spending time with family and I have been enjoying this period getting to know my son. Although not racing is frustrating, I thoroughly value the time I have with the people who matter to me most," said Yoong. As to when Yoong will be getting into a race car again, he said he's not in too much of a hurry to chase down a ride, although definite offers have been made. "It was really disappointing when the champ car drive ended; especially as we were doing so well. There was a real possibility to race at the front over there which made it very enjoyable. My first race at an oval in Germany was also an incredible experience. To race side by side at 200 mph for an entire race is something I would like to do again. In the meantime, there are a few other possibilities on the table to go racing again soon. I have always wanted to do some of the other great races like the Lemans 24 hrs. and Bathurst in Australia. So we are still working towards going racing, but for now, I will be spending a little time at home after so many years on the road," intimated Yoong. Meanwhile, Yoong is still training daily and busy meeting his numerous PR commitments in the month ahead with the Malaysian Sports Ministry and the Malaysian media. Amongst these commitments are TV and radio program appearances and a possible visit to Kota Kinabalu in East Malaysia. This will be Yoong's first visit to East Malaysia since he first started racing 12 years ago.

6/5/03

Turkey eyes 2005 F1 race 2nd UPDATE  Mumtaz "Mike" Tahincioglu, the chairman of the Turkish Automobile and Motorsports Federation (TOMSFED) has announced that there will be a groundbreaking ceremony for a Formula 1 specification track at Kurtnoy, near Istanbul on July 9th. It is expected that the Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan will attend the ceremony as will Bernie Ecclestone and almost certainly Max Mosley. The new track, which has been designed by Hermann Tilke, will be finished by the end of 2004 and it is anticipated that Turkey will be bidding for a Grand Prix in 2005. The 3.3-mile track is expected to cost something in the region of $60m.  3/30/03 -  Turkey is believed to be closer to announcing a deal to host a Grand Prix at a completely new circuit near Istanbul. The new facility will be close to the new Pendik-Kurtkoy Airport, on the eastern side of Istanbul. The Sabiha Goksen Airport is built on 1600 acre site close to the main highway from Istanbul and within easy reach of the city and Istanbul's population of 15m should mean that big crowds will be attracted to the event. The logic behind the location is similar to that in Malaysia as there will no issues with noise. The only major flaw in the project is that the track will be in one of the most earthquake-prone regions.  11/21/03 - Turkey has moved one step closer to landing a round of the Formula One World Championship.  The nation's motorsports federation issued a statement this week in which it claims that F1 impresario Bernie Ecclestone has selected Istanbul for a Grand Prix in 2005 and beyond.  72-year-old Ecclestone toured Turkey and three potential Formula One sites earlier this year; Istanbul, Izmir and Antalya.  Turkey's motorsports federation, TOMSFED, say that Bernie has chosen Istanbul for its logistics and global stature and will now push ahead with penning a commercial agreement.  'Now we need to finalize the commercial issues and the TV rights,' TOMSFED quoted Ecclestone as saying in a letter. TOMSFED has acquired some land on Istanbul's eastern front, close to the city's newly-completed second airport, and said it expected a track designer to visit within a week to start plans for a Grand Prix style circuit.  Ecclestone was quoted as saying: 'Not only is it a major city known throughout the world, but what swayed me was the logistics for the teams.' Turkish anti-smoking lobbies, however, stand opposed to the plan to bring Formula One to the country. Rumblings inside the country suggest that F1 might compel Turkey to exempt its sport from a total ban on cigarette advertising.  German circuit designer Hermann Tilke, most recently responsible for Malaysia's Sepang facility and the new Bahrain and China projects, will reportedly add Turkey to his imminent plans.  2005 is being tipped as an inaugural date for the Grand Prix of Turkey. 'We sincerely believe that this organization, which will provide a great opportunity for our country, will also benefit tourism and sports in Turkey,' the TOMSFED statement continued.  China (Shanghai) and Bahrain (Sakhir) will be added to the 2004 Formula One schedule to make up an 18-strong Grand Prix calendar.  But, even despite Spa-Francorchamps' removal from next year's championship, one or two more existing European races could face the chop to make way for F1's new wave of international tracks.

6/5/03

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6/5/03

More feedback on NASCAR/Toyota article   Readers write (a sample few),   Dear AR1, The Insider Racing News “article “ calling on NASCAR to ban foreign, especially, Japanese manufacturers from the sport(sic) is one of the most racist and disturbing peaces of garbage I have ever read on a motorsports site. This person says she speaks for the majority of NASCAR fans. No wonder our war mongering leaders are so popular right now! Hey lets go back and bomb ‘em all again...after all they owe us an apology!!! Not only do NASCAR race with equipment from a past life their fans carry decade old grudges and an archaic belief that the USA is the only truly civilized nation in the world. Xenophobes all! She says that these “foreigners” will destroy the “sport” but I think the France family and their unabated greed will do that without any outside help! I hope that the author and her ilk continue feeling this way, you can rest assured that they will not be accepted outside of their Homeland and NASCAR will wither and die like the outmoded ideals which flame it’s existence. Ray Masters, Hawaii Another reader writes, I certainly hope AR1, by posting this vitriol without comment, doesn't condone the opinions of the author. I also hope that the author doesn't truly represent the majority of NASCAR fans. This is pure bigotry and narrow-mindedness. Does the existence of "foreigners" in baseball or basketball make those sports any less American? And what about Daimler-Chrysler being owned by Germans, the United States' other WWII enemy? She discounts this by saying Dodge is an American make. This seems to be veiled anti-Asian thinking. It's acceptable to be in NASCAR if they are Europeans, but not if they are Asians? As a fan of CART and F1, I find that the international, cosmopolitan element of these brands of motorsports are a key part of their appeal. It's a shame that the author doesn't recognize this. How else will her beloved Southern drivers claim to be "the greatest in the world" if they don't compete against the best international manufacturers and drivers? Sincerely, Jason Bredimus, Scottsdale, Arizona   Another writes, Please ask your NASCAR writer to prepare a proper response to this vile piece of trash. I realize that these kind of people do exist, but hatred, bigotry and ignorance are certainly not traits shared by most of us, NASCAR fans or not. I think we've all had enough of this kind of "thinking" from the Eric Rudolphs of the world. I know it'd be easy to make light of this as stereotypical NASCAR thinking, but we know that's not true, and there's nothing funny about it. Thanks. Robert Kachel Are most NASCAR fans ass backwards? I consider myself to be a fan of motorsports in general, NASCAR being one, but for Ms. Thompson to deny Toyota entry into NASCAR because of Pearl Harbor and the history of the South seems a little hypocritical to me. I assume the US still hasn’t apologized for Hiroshima and Nagasaki and did he mention the history and tradition of NASCAR as it correlates to the South, if we kept in line those traditions, I don’t think we would see Shawna Robinson or Bill Lester in a car let alone at the track. Maybe Ms. Thompson doesn’t realize that the components that make up the Fords, Chevys, and Dodges we drive around either come from oversees, down south (Mexico), or up North (Canada). These cars are not Made in America, they are Assembled in America. The world has become a small place and business is business, so either evolve or get the hell out of the way. And please Ms. Thompson, if you are representing the majority of NASCAR fans, it is better to remain silent and be thought of as a fool, than it is to speak and remove all doubt. Anonymous

6/5/03

Toyota gaining notoriety as NASCAR's "Great Satan"   This Racing Press article says, the Dodge lawsuit stipulates that Bill Davis "broke a clause in [his] contract that says neither Davis nor his employees can 'represent, endorse, or otherwise promote the vehicles, parts or service of a DaimlerChrysler competitor.'" But what really is the issue is not competing decals or branding issues -- it is Dodge's worry that Toyota is getting access to valuable and confidential data that Davis compiled from Dodge as a factory team in the Winston Cup Series. This kind of backroom gamesmanship amounts to corporate espionage, and if true the allegations could open Davis up to some heavy legal penalties. And, in truth, Dodge has every right to be nervous about Toyota getting its hands on their data, especially considering how successful Dodge has been in the short time it has been back in Winston Cup racing. What a very few are wondering right now is whether Ford and GM are sitting back in their corporate boardrooms snickering about how the worm has turned against Dodge, since the latter was the beneficiary of the same "unofficial technical exchange" when the automaker was being seduced back into NASCAR after leaving the sport in the early 1970s. Some feel that if Toyota wooed Davis to turn over his data store, they were simply taking a page out of a playbook that has been in circulation for decades among the other automakers. Interestingly, though, that viewpoint is not widely shared because of the ridiculous paranoia and bad sentiment surrounding Toyota's pending entry into NASCAR racing. It seems as though most in stock car racing are participating in a different form of gamesmanship to turn NASCAR against the Japanese -- that of manipulating the court of media opinion. Toyota is notorious in motorsports for -- gasp! horrors! -- spending its budgets freely in order to win races and championships. Their reputation is one of throwing a seemingly endless supply of cash into whatever series they run and bringing unprecedented technology to bear in order to pummel their competition into submission. And I suppose I would like to know... what in the world is wrong with that? Isn't auto racing supposed to be about winning? Hasn't everybody and their dog been whining about there not being enough money these days to be competitive?......NASCAR fans may not like the idea of Toyota invading their sport (it's only been recently that they've been able to swallow guys like Bill Lester, Carlos Contreras, and Christian Fittipaldi dipping their toes in the stock car water), but the drivers and teams that have a shot at running Toyota equipment love the idea. And that's not because they think NASCAR is going to be gifting the Japanese automaker a bunch of wins and a championship right out of the box. The guys who will run Toyota equipment have seen in other forms of racing how dedicated TRD is to helping their teams win. "Factory support" for Toyota means more than slapping decals on a car, awarding a budget, and supplying cylinder heads. It means expending whatever it takes in terms of time, money, and manpower to make their teams competitive and victorious......If anyone wants to know the real reason why Toyota's NASCAR competitors are afraid, they only need to look at the Indy Racing League this year. For seven years, Chevrolet had the run of the IndyCar series, coasting along without any real opposition (sorry, Nissan/Infiniti, but it's the truth). But when Toyota came in, the GM powerplant immediately looked and performed like a weak sister in comparison to the new Japanese-built powerplants. Lest anyone believe that Toyota "out-technologied" General Motors, let it be clearly understood that Toyota had to work within the same very strict engine guidelines that other manufacturers must adhere to. Toyota's IRL engine met the same standards as Chevrolet's -- but obviously Toyota did a better job in development, because they are making Chevy look really, really bad. The result is that Chevrolet has to step up its game in order to compete in the IRL. And if Toyota comes in and lays waste to the competition in NASCAR, then Ford, Dodge, and GM will have to step up their games as well to stay on equal footing.

6/5/03

Doran-Lista team updates Dallara for Road Atlanta  The Doran-Lista Racing Dallara-MG Prototype is receiving updating and refreshing before the Chevy Grand Prix of Atlanta at Road Atlanta. Didier Theys and Fredy Lienhard Sr. will co-drive the car in the next round of the American Le Mans Series. "We did a fair amount of work on the sub-assemblies since Sebring, and they’re all finished,” said team owner Kevin Doran. “The gearbox is ready. Most of the bodywork is ready too. We’re repainting a tail and some small crash damage that required some bodywork from Sebring, but all of that is partially done to completely done. And we’re building a brand-new spare tail too.” A successful professional sports car racing team for many years, the Doran Lista team returned to American Le Mans Series competition for 2003 after several years away from the series. The team plans to contest as many of the nine rounds of the series as possible this season.

6/5/03

Biela blown away by Nordschleife  American Le Mans Series driver Frank Biela was thrilled this past weekend when he had the opportunity to drive an Audi R8 Prototype on a ceremonial lap around the famous Nordschleife circuit in Germany prior to the start of a 24-hour touring car race at the Nurburgring. Biela, a German who now lives in Monaco, described the lap around the 26-kilometer circuit as “mind-blowing.” The last sports car race on the Nordschleife was held in 1983, and Biela’s lap in the most successful sports car of current times led a mini-revival. Some 194,000 spectators on hand for the race witnessed the demonstration. “Up to now I’ve driven the R8 many thousands of kilometers on the most different race circuits,” said Biela, co-winner of the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring in March. “But the lap around the Nordschleife was something very magical.” Biela will co-dive with Marco Werner for Infineon Team Joest in the remaining events on the American Le Mans Series schedule this season. He will drive for Audi Sport UK in an Audi R8 in the 24 Hours of Le Mans June 14-15 as he seeks his fourth consecutive win in the famed French endurance racing event.

6/5/03

SPEED live at LeMans  American race fans will be able to watch live coverage of more than half of next weekend’s running of the 24 Hours of Le Mans on the SPEED Channel cable television channel. There will be 19 American drivers in the field at Le Mans, and 21 racing teams from the American Le Mans Series. The American Le Mans Series, founded in 1999 and based on the 24 Hours of Le Mans, has helped Americans regain interest in the classic French endurance sports car racing event, with growth each year since the formation of the series. ALMS Founder Don Panoz has been named Grand Marshal for this year’s Le Mans event as a gesture of appreciation by the event organizers. SPEED Channel’s coverage will begin at 9:30 a.m. (EDT) on Saturday, June 14, with a 30-minute pre-race show and then three hours of live racing. SPEED will then return to Le Mans several times throughout the race for updates and live coverage, ending with three hours and the finish of the race starting at 7 a.m. on Sunday, June 15. A complete SPEED Channel broadcast schedule for the 24 Hours of Le Mans is available online at www.speedtv.com

* 9 - 9:30 a.m. - Qualifying special (taped)
* 9:30 a.m. - 1 p.m. - Pre-race and live first-day race coverage
* 2:30 p.m. - 5:30 p.m. - Live evening race coverage
* 7 p.m. - Live segment part of SpeedNews
* 7:30 p.m. - 8 p.m. - Live 30-minute update
* 12:30 a.m. - 4 a.m. - Live race coverage (dawn at Le Mans)
* 4 a.m. - 7 a.m. - Bonus 'insomniac" coverage (morning thru midday at Le Mans)
* 7 a.m. - 10:30 a.m. - Live race coverage (the finish)

6/5/03

IRL and IMS websites hit big numbers  Indy Racing Online (www.indyracing.com) and indy500.com attracted nearly 230 million hits from May 1-26 as Web users flocked to the official sites of the Indy Racing League and Indianapolis 500, respectively, for information on the 87th Indianapolis 500. There were 200.5 million hits and 50.3 million page views at indyracing.com from May 1-26, with 53.4 million hits and 16 million page views alone on Race Day, May 25. Indy500.com attracted 29.2 million hits and 4.2 million page views from May 1-26, with 3.1 million hits and 360,710 page views on Race Day. Web research data also showed the continued global appeal of the Indy Racing League and the Indianapolis 500, as indyracing.com attracted viewers from around the world. The list of the top 10 locals attracting the most visits to indyracing.com during May:
1. Indiana
2. California
3. Japan
4. Illinois
5. Texas
6. New Jersey
7. Ohio
8. Florida
9. Sweden
10. Michigan

6/4/03

Toyota tests new engine   Panasonic Toyota Racing continued its dual three-day test at Silverstone and Monza today with race drivers Cristiano da Matta and Olivier Panis both completing substantial mileage during the day. Panis conducted the Italian leg of the session and totaled 91 laps, whilst testing a new engine specification that the team plans to use at next week's Canadian Grand Prix. Da Matta carried out general set-up work and tire testing in Silverstone and clocked the fastest time of the day over his 75 laps. "We had another decent day of running and got through most of the long job list we had today, despite rain in the morning and early afternoon," said da Matta. "We made some good improvements to the TF103's set-up overnight and did a bit of tire testing. Overall it has been a highly productive two days for me in Silverstone with over 150 laps completed. I am handing the car over to Ricardo for the final day tomorrow, as I am going to Belo Horizonte before the Canadian Grand Prix to acclimatize myself to the time difference in Montreal, which is the same as in Brazil."

6/4/03
Industry News

Big losses at Chrysler   Socked by having to give big incentives to sell its cars, DaimlerChrysler has warned they will lose $1.1 Billion in the second quarter. The German firm has already made it clear that Chrysler will not meet its full year operating profit target of $2 Billion."

6/4/03

Bernie - 16 races and no plans to retire   Just recently Bernie Ecclestone was talking about expanding the F1 calendar to 20 races but now he told the German news agency DPA that "we found out some time ago that 16 is a good number, maybe one more. That is the kind of limit we want. I suspect Europe will have a third world economy within the next decade anyhow. I think the European politicians have taken the wrong direction in their thought processes. Maybe we won't have to cut the races, maybe some European Grands Prix will disappear all on their own." Ecclestone told DPA that he has no plans to retire. "I have a rich wife," he said, " so I don't have to do the job. I do it simply because I like what I do.

6/4/03

Sore back sidelines Villeneuve   Jacques Villeneuve was testing today at Monza but he will miss tomorrow's testing day because of his back problem. "Today I really needed to make an extra effort to go until the end of the day to prepare for my home Grand Prix," said the Canadian driver. "But tomorrow, I will not be able to continue the testing program." BAR decided to ask Anthony Davidson to do an additional day of work to replace Villeneuve tomorrow at Monza.

6/4/03

Dare to drive for Foyt at TMS  [Editor's Note: Once again AJ Foyt hires another foreigner to replace Shigeaki Hattori.  Why no American USAC Sprinter AJ?  Isn't that what you bad-mouthed CART for not doing?  Isn't that what the the IRL was supposed to be all about?  His actions speaks far louder than his words]  Airton Dare will drive an A.J. Foyt Racing entry at the Bombardier 500 on June 7 at Texas Motor Speedway, according to a team news release. Dare will drive the No. 5 Conseco/A.J. Foyt Racing Dallara/Toyota/Firestone as a teammate to regular Foyt driver A.J. Foyt IV. Dare replaces Shigeaki Hattori. “I think it’ll be good to work with A.J. IV, because we have a good relationship from when he used to change my right front tire last year,” Dare said. “We’ll be able to exchange information, and I think that will help both of us out a lot.” Dare, 25, drove the entire 2002 season for Foyt. He earned his first career victory in July 2002 at Kansas Speedway and finished third last year at the Bombardier 500 in Foyt’s car. This will be Dare’s second start of the season. He finished 24th in a third Foyt car in the Indianapolis 500 on May 25 after being eliminated in an accident on Lap 127.

6/4/03

Dodge sues Bill Davis Racing, Davis responds   2nd UPDATE Bill Davis responds - Bill Davis Racing is surprised by the decision of Daimler Chrysler's notification to terminate their agreement with Bill Davis Racing and to file suit alleging that Bill Davis Racing has breached its agreement with Daimler Chrysler. Bill Davis Racing firmly believes that it has not breached the Daimler Chrysler agreement and that there is no justifiable reason for Daimler Chrysler asserting a claim that it has breached such an agreement. Bill Davis Racing is confident that it will prevail in the litigation and that the court will agree that is has not breached its agreement with Daimler Chrysler. Bill Davis Racing will continue racing the Dodge Intrepid in NASCAR's Winston Cup Series. Bill Davis Racing PR  6/3/03 - This USA Today article sheds more light on this nasty situation.  We suspect you will see all the American manufacturers protecting their turf just as strongly as the Japanese try to invade NASCAR.  It might turn out to be NASCAR's little version of Pearl Harbor followed by Hiroshima and Nagasaki.   6/3/03 - According to Autosport, DaimlerChrysler, which has terminated the contract between its US-based Dodge automobile brand and Bill Davis Racing, has now filed a lawsuit against the NASCAR Winston Cup team. DaimlerChrysler alleges that BDR has broken its contract by building and testing a prototype Toyota in preparation for that company's entry into the Craftsman Truck series in 2004.

6/4/03

IRL trying to fill empty grandstands with free tickets  A reader writes, Dear Autoracing1.com,  First I love the work you do. I joined last year, but due to a lack of funds saving for a wedding I can not renew right now, but I wanted to share with you something I got in the mail today from Marlboro. Dear Fred, You and a friend are invited to be our guests at the SunTrust Indy Challenge at Richmond International Raceway on Saturday June 28th, 2003 There's nothing to buy. Just bring the enclosed ticket voucher to the track and enjoy the day. Participation is limited to smokers 21 years of age or older and a guest 21 years of age or older. It's our way of introducing you to the exciting world of Marlboro Team Penske racing. The enclosed ticket voucher includes directions to the track location where you'll pick up your free tickets. In addition if you are one of the first 1,500 eligible attendees, you and your guest will receive garage passes, which permit access to the infield. So, show up early and watch the Marlboro Team Penske crew prepare the racecars. Race day is... Come join us as we take on the competition at one of racing's most exciting tracks. For more information, please call 1-877-20-RACING We'll see you at the track. --Your friends at Marlboro Team Penske.  This direct marketing promotion that I received makes me wonder just how many of these went out. Now, I am not a smoker, but I have always signed up for the freebies at the track just to see if I can get anything "Kool" in the mail--and this is not "Kool!". I know what I'll do with this, toss it in the trash and save my money up so that hopefully next summer I can get to a CART race! Sincerely,  Fred Bloch  Dear Fred, We have heard of similar free ticket giveaways by Marlboro, Honda and Toyota at other events as well.  One has to wonder if anyone would show up if not for the freebies.  Certainly when word gets out to the few hundred that bought tickets so far, they won't buy any tickets in the future, and go with the free tickets next year.  Free ticket giveaways kill the market.  This is a false economy with no hope of ever making money in that market in the future.  It's toast.  Mark C.

6/4/03

Andretti & Patrick step down from CART Board  Racing legends Mario Andretti and CART Champ Car co-founder U.E. “Pat” Patrick will relinquish their positions as members of the Championship Auto Racing Teams, Inc. Board of Directors next month, although both plan to stay involved in the sport they have helped define for five decades. Andretti is stepping down to enter into a more defined business relationship with CART Champ Car and the Bridgestone Presents The Champ Car World Series Powered by Ford. He is currently a spokesperson for the open wheel racing sanctioning body in which he won his fourth and final Champ Car title in 1984. Most recently Andretti served as liaison for CART Champ Car and Road America, helping reinstate the longtime Champ Car race in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin, which resulted in the renaming of the August 3rd event as the “Mario Andretti Grand Prix at Road America Presented by Briggs & Stratton.” “I’ve very much enjoyed serving on CART’s Board of Directors and I’ll continue to be a very active and vocal supporter of CART and Champ Car racing,” said Andretti. “CART’s unique mix of road, street courses and ovals continues to be the best challenge in racing and a true test of a race car driver, and I will always support that challenge.” Patrick, one of the most respected names in Champ Car racing and CART’s first president, will also not stand for re-election. Patrick will continue to pursue his many business interests in addition to his role as owner of Patrick Racing, one of the most successful teams in Champ Car racing history with past drivers, including Andretti, Gordon Johncock, Emerson Fittipaldi, Scott Pruett, Adrian Fernandez, Roberto Moreno, Jimmy Vasser, and in 2003, Oriol Servia. Patrick and Andretti will formally step down from the board at next month’s annual meeting of stockholders at the company’s Indianapolis headquarters, where respected businessman Robert D. Biggs will be up for election to the board.   Biggs retired from the accounting firm of PricewaterhouseCoopers in October 1999, where he served as the managing partner of the PricewaterhouseCoopers office in Peoria, Illinois from 1984 through 1990 and the managing partner of the Indianapolis office from 1992 to 1999. Biggs has been the responsible partner for accounting services for a variety of New York Stock Exchange listed companies throughout his career.

6/4/03

More on NASCAR and Toyota - Gunfight at the OK Corral   This SPEED TV article says, Don Miller, general manager of Penske Racing South, touched a little on that during Dodge's customary weekly press conference Tuesday. I quote: "I'd say when Toyota comes in, they're not going to come in to run 10th or 20th," said Miller, a 30-year veteran of Penske's stock-car operations. "That's not how they operate. These guys are going to be playing for keeps. "I'm telling you right now when it happens it's going to be the gunfight at the OK Corral. You wait and see. The guys that aren't paying attention [will die in the gunfight]. This is something I think you can see on the horizon. "You don't want to carry a squirt gun to a gunfight. You want to go in there with a shotgun. "They're going to be real serious about what they do, and we're going to have to be just as serious about beating them. I think it'll be tougher and tougher on smaller teams, because the technology advances that are being made as I watch them and develop them and work with our people to keep us on that same plain, it's become more and more difficult." Miller went on to commend NASCAR for keeping "the playing field" level, but you can sense the wariness, the sense of Pearl Harbor on the horizon. So there is the idea that the DC suit against Davis is the first pre-emptive shot in an international war far beyond NASCAR's traditional theater—a war you wonder if NASCAR is prepared for. Penske, of course, just signed on with Dodge last fall, jumping over from Ford in a move Roger typically termed "a business decision." Penske also last year transferred his engine allegiance in IRL IndyCar from GM to Toyota; in addition, he is one of the leading Toyota dealership operators in the U.S. Moreover, there's Chip Ganassi, who also runs Toyota engines in the IRL. Chip entered NASCAR in 2001 with Dodge. Just about everyone believes one or both of those will get first crack at Toyota's major-league stock-car program, at whatever time the fruit begins to fall. Toyota has announced it will enter the Truck series next year, with a generally accepted date of 2006 or 2007 for a Winston Cup debut.

6/4/03

It's time to tell NASCAR how we feel about Toyota   UPDATE A reader responds, Dear AR1, Toyota in NASCAR. American cars, though still inferior in most respects to Japanese cars, would not be nearly as good as they are today if not for competition from a superior Japanese product. Please don't try to argue that point before picking up the 100% American publication called Consumer Reports. We Americans perpetrated the most horrendous and destructive single attack in the history of warfare upon the Japanese. They don't appear to hold grudges in that regard, so I think you might want to extend them the same courtesy. Keep in mind also that NASCAR fans are not the only ones who have relatives or family from the big wars. You do not have an exclusive on that one. I am a die-hard CART and F1 fan, and my grandfather was a decorated WWII bomber pilot and POW. He owned Chryslers, Buicks, Oldsmobiles, Fords, Volkswagons, Volvos and Toyotas. He was an engineer, and a very intelligent man that understood that these things that are history...are mostly just history. The future is our future. There are Toyotas made in this country that have more American made parts than American made vehicles. Yes, I would agree that Toyota coming into NASCAR is a threat. It is a threat to the status quo. It is a threat to the American manufacturers that don't really even make the so called "stock car" in any fashion. The cars on the track have almost nothing in common with the cars you buy from the showroom except for four wheels and a steering wheel. When was the last time you could buy a V-8 stick shift carbureted Monte Carlo? Or a two door Taurus or Intrepid? All NASCAR is about, is taking the hard earned money of those fine people you describe, by fashioning a form of entertainment that appeals to them, that really bears little resemblance to the sport you describe, or the purist sense of what racing is about. This is, in my opinion, made evident by their failure to adopt a medical and safety team. It's expensive and they simply don't want to spend the money. Its about fashioning an efficient means of profit. Also, I hate to break the news to you, that NASCAR is only a distant relative of that type of racing which you describe, which is admittedly a cherished part of American heritage and history. However, I would oppose your position on how things should stay the same. Progress and evolution is unstoppable and undeniable. We went to the moon, we have cured many forms of cancer and other diseases, and technology has had far reaching benefits to the human race. The automotive industry has been an example of this, with amazing developments in power, efficiency and safety in the 100+ years of automotive history. So for NASCAR to stay the same would be both un-American and incongruent with the path of the auto industry itself...right? It is human nature to press forward and onward. In fact, this is the very core of racing itself. Better, faster...etc. Toyota will come into NASCAR, they will do very well, and it will put the manufacturers on notice that they are going to have to sing for their supper. Somebody please remind me what difference it makes to run a Dodge, Chevy, Ford or Toyota. The only difference is who is going to pay more money to put the brand name on the car. I do agree with you that NASCAR is ignoring its audience, and that its audience is not going to readily accept Toyota. Maybe this is a strategy for NASCAR...to bring in an new rival to keep the on track battle interesting and exciting. Keep in mind also that NASCAR, with its known existence as one of the most dictatorial bodies in sports and business, could very easily fall under fire if it doesn't give Toyota a chance to compete. I could see a very expensive court case with a serious and substantial constitutional argument on discrimination and equal opportunity. If NASCAR typifies America, then they must allow Toyota to compete. America is an open capitalistic society. If NASCAR were to shut out Toyota, it would be like the United States eliminating all imported goods, and closing the ports and borders completely. That begins to sound much more like the elements of other forms of government, not a democracy, and certainly not America. I think it is interesting that NASCAR is America's Sport, but really displays nothing that is American except the token American vehicle manufacturer involvement, and good old boys from the south. Oh wait...Ryan Newman is a Yankee with an engineering degree from Purdue. Hmmm...should we keep him from racing? He might just be too smart, and present a threat to the other drivers. Of course not, that's silly. NASCAR makes the rules, they dictate everything, and you follow or pay the consequences. It is much more like a Totalitarian Dictatorship or Monarchist government...not like America. Even Don Hawk, formerly one of Dale Earnhardts key people said "NASCAR is not a democracy, it is a benevolent dictatorship". And he said that as if it were a good thing, because his team was the recipient of such benevolence. These are all things you might want to think about. Consider all the facts, and then argue your case. Lets not keep things the same. Let's push forward, and onward. Toyota in NASCAR is a good thing. Scott Morris, Orlando FL Another reader writes, I have to make a comment on Denise Thompson’s xenophobic comments that were reprinted on AR1 – that such an attitude exists in 2003 is extremely disturbing. If this spells out the way the average NASCAR fan feels, then this country is in serious trouble. Take a look on the back of a US Quarter, on which is written: "E Pluribus Unum" - the Motto of the United States of America, which in Latin means "One, composed from Many" My father fought in the Pacific theater in WW2, and is happy that I’ve made a good living - working for, among others, two Japanese auto manufacturers. He has forgiven and forgotten. To make a reference to WW2 in relation to NASCAR is demeaning to those men who gave their lives. Look no further than CART’s recent trip to Dresden for an example of forgiveness at its finest – the people of that area welcomed us, despite the fact that America joined the British in firebombing the city as a way to break the German peoples’ spirit at the end of the war. The city has still not recovered. America was founded on the principles of fair play and equal opportunity for all – and I do believe that includes immigrants of all types, including Japanese automobile manufactures. If you can’t stand the heat (or the competition!), Denise, get out of the kitchen. Diane Swintal 6/4/03 - This Insider Racing News article says, There are two reasons why most of the fans don't want to see Toyota in NASCAR. The first reason: During World War II, not only did some of these fans lose a grandfather, husband, dad, uncle, brother, cousin and or a dear friend, while other fans may have a loved one that is or was permanently injured, as losing their eyesight or even a limb if not two, during the sneak attack on our American troops, that fateful day on December 7, 1941 known as "The Attack at Pearl Harbor." The Japanese brutally killed our boys on the March to Bataan, on Mount Suribachi in Iwo Jima, as well as the P.O.W. camps, our American soldiers were brutally murdered and dismembered. It's not that we Americans hold a grudge, it's just the Japanese have never apologized to the United States for any of these cowardly acts. Don't get me wrong, we realize that the Dodges are now a German vehicle (Daimler owns 51% while Chrysler owns 49%), and we don't mind having foreign cars in NASCAR such as the Dodge, but it was first an American manufactured vehicle. The fans just don't want to see any foreign made cars in NASCAR. Secondly: Traditionally this sport was based in the south and has traveled throughout the United States. Drivers like Ned Jarrett, Lee Petty, Ralph Earnhardt and Curtis Turner, just to mention a few, began this sport on the beaches of Florida and North Carolina, as well as dirt tracks in North Carolina. This sport has been passed from generation to generations of American families. What happened to the tradition of this sport? This is what the fans are asking. Why does Mike Helton or even Bill France have the right to change that? Looking at the whole picture, if Toyota is allowed to race in NASCAR, what's next? Are we going to open the door to Italy, France, Russia, China, or the rest of the world. Where does it end? Does this sport go International? Will we be actively looking for foreign drivers? Will NASCAR be building tracks in other countries? No longer will NASCAR be an American sport. Like so many other things we have lost, it's time for the fans to stand up and fight for this by letting NASCAR know how we feel about it. I am speaking on behalf of the majority of the NASCAR fans, We do not want Toyota or any other foreign made car in the sport of NASCAR. We want to keep the tradition and we want to keep NASCAR the way it is right now, today. Many fans have fallen in love with the sport. Don't let NASCAR or anyone else take it away from us.

6/4/03

F1 looking into lowering HP   Whereas CART's current 2.65 L turbo engine has been in use for over 25 years, any racing series that uses normally aspirated engines that are not severely restricted, must do a wholesale engine redesign every 3 to 5 years to keep speeds in check.  The IRL went from 4.0L to 3.5 L quickly.  The F1 Technical Group are reportedly in the process of working on a project designed to limit the performances of future engines. Ron Dennis has said to Motorsport News: “The Technical Group is looking into the possibility of reviewing the lowered cylinder capacity, or even of reducing the number of cylinders.”   The best engines now have 900 horsepower, and over 19,000 rpm.  AR1 has long maintained that the most economical, long-term engine platform is a 1.8 L turbo, be it a V-10 or a V-8.  However, that likely won't happen.  The V-10 is sexy, and the scream runs chills down your spine.  It's here to stay for a while.  If they had any brains, they would restrict the engines such that the cost was low enough that CART and F1 could share the same engines.  This would bring value to the manufacturers by opening up the entire NAFTA market to them.  Mark C.

6/4/03

BAR court case this month   British American Racing did not have their cars impounded after the Monaco Grand Prix despite previous reports that a court injunction, issued by France Corbeil on behalf of ex-sponsor Teleglobe, gave them permission to. A team spokeswoman exclusively told F1-Live that although a representative did arrive at Monaco after the race, the cars were not seized and a court hearing will take place on June 26th. “A representative of France Corbeil did arrive at the track after the race. The paperwork he presented had no substance and the cars were not seized,” she said. “A hearing with the court will take place on 26 June and we anticipate that this will clarify the whole situation.” The claim stems back five-years and the current management was not aware of this fact until earlier this year. However, the team expects the matter to be solved within the next four weeks.

6/4/03

Renault and Clearswift join forces   The Mild Seven Renault F1 Team is pleased to announce a new partnership with Clearswift, the world's leading provider of software for managing and securing email. The team will install ES ClearEdge & ES ClearPoint PMI in Summer 2003 to enforce e-policy management for inbound and outbound email communications. "The Renault F1 Team operates in an environment where confidentiality and protection of copyrights are absolutely paramount. The team's success is heavily dependent on technological advancement and using the best available technology to help us in that quest. Clearswift ES is best of breed software and will provide the team with the protection they need", said Graeme Hackland, IT Manager, Renault F1 Team. "We operate in a sector which gets tremendous media attention", Hackland added. "It is also a sector where sensitive information is handled throughout our departments. As a result, we need to protect ourselves and our employees, in those areas of communication that could be potentially vulnerable to malicious attacks." "ES will help to protect our operations in France and in the UK against this by filtering and monitoring the content of all email communications going into and out of the Renault F1 Team," Renault

6/4/03

Meyer joins IRL  Veteran IRL IndyCar Series engine builder and team manager Butch Meyer has joined the Indy Racing League as technical director for the IRL Infiniti Pro Series, league officials announced June 4. Meyer will work closely with Brian Barnhart, senior vice president of racing operations for the Indy Racing League, and Roger Bailey, executive director for the IRL Infiniti Pro Series. “We’re delighted to have Butch join us,” Bailey said. “He brings a wealth of experience not only in the engine world, but in team management. He will be a great asset to the Infiniti Pro Series as we continue to expand.” Meyer, who is the grandson of three-time Indianapolis 500 winner Louis Meyer and the son of legendary engine builder Louis “Sonny” Meyer Jr., began his career in Indy-style racing in 1965 working for his father at Louis Meyer, Inc. He worked on the double-overhead cam Ford engine that was one of the most successful engines in the late 60s and early 70s and powered Mario Andretti to victory in the 1969 Indianapolis 500.

6/4/03

Updated times for Montoya/Gordon   SPEED Channel will strap in with Jeff Gordon and Juan Pablo Montoya as the pair swap hot rods for the afternoon on June 11 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Gordon/Montoya Tradin' Paint will air live from 1:00 to 2:30 p.m. ET. A special one-hour edition will replay Friday night, June 20th at 8:30 p.m., immediately following Winston Cup Qualifying.

6/4/03

NASCAR on cable even beats Indy 500   How popular is NASCAR?  Consider this, The MBNA Armed Forces Family 400 on FX garnered a 4.7 rating on Sunday (vs. a 4.6 for the Indy 500 on network TV ABC). 4.7 is equal to last year's rating for the Dover race on FX. Of course a rating point on cable means a different number of households than on network TV. The race reached 3,807,000 households (5,377,000 viewers).  Although the rating was lower, the Indy 500 actually garnered more households than Dover, but to think that NASCAR can pull that high a rating on FX no less, and that number of households, speaks volumes for the popularity of NASCAR.  Mark C.

6/4/03

Latest F1 Hot News items

Montoya's Monaco Win In Doubt?
Cris Can't Wait For Canada
Six Teams At High-Speed Monza
More F1 Testing Kicks Off
Ferrari Push Schu Decision
Takuma Was Left At Home
Jenson Thanks F1 Safety
MP4-18 Shows Teeth In Spain
Sauber Unveil New Ferrari V10
Ferrari Rattled By Challenge
McLaren Still Furious At JV

6/3/03

Ralf tops Silverstone test times  There were only two drivers in action today at Silverstone, Ralf Schumacher for WilliamsF1 and Cristiano da Matta for Toyota. The German topped the timesheets completing 52 laps on his way to posting a 1:22.613. "Despite intermittent rain throughout the day, we have had quite a productive session in terms of mileage," Sam Michael told the team's website. "We managed to make some progress with the aero testing as well doing some work on the electronics of the car before ending the day with engine endurance running." Cristiano, who had a great race in Monaco at the week-end spent the day re-acquainting himself with the circuit working on general set-up and aero tests. "I haven't driven at Silverstone since F3000 in 1996," he said, "it's good to be back. I like the track a lot and I have missed driving here. The weather wasn't great today with some rain, but that's what Silverstone is all about isn't it?"

6/3/03

American Team Spirit shuffle  American Spirit Team Johansson has shuffled a few positions within the team, in efforts to maximize the potential of the #12 entry driven by Jimmy Vasser, the #31 entry driven by Ryan Hunter-Reay and its team members. Graham Taylor will now hold the title of team manager, while Robin Hill will serve as the team’s crew chief. Taylor, a veteran of Formula One will oversee the day-to-day running of American Spirit, while he will no longer race engineer Ryan Hunter-Reay, he will continue managing the technical aspects of American Spirit. Hill, the 1997 championship winning crew chief with Alex Zanardi will return to the role of crew chief, a new position within American Spirit. Paul Burgess recently joined American Spirit Team Johansson, he will race engineer the #31 entry driven by Ryan Hunter-Reay. A native of Kenley, England, Burgess’s background includes Formula One and the Indy Racing League.

6/3/03

CART Town Meeting transcript  w/Chris Pook, Jim Liberatore, Patrick Carpentier, Bid Stanner, Joey Hand.  Chris Pook had a lot to say.  Enjoy... Transcript

6/3/03

Jennifer Lopez doesn't come cheap  KROQ 106.7 FM Los Angeles reported this morning that Formula 1 asked JLo (Jennifer Lopez) if she would make an appearance at the Monaco Grand Prix to the apparent 'benefit' of both parties involved.  JLo's apparent demands were that she be paid $400,000 (!), she bring her 'entourage' and that they all be put up in the best hotel and have all their 'expenses' paid for! Whew! Formula 1 refused her demands. By the way, Bono (from U2) was a guest of the Jordan team and was paid nothing to attend. Kenneth Holland, Los Angeles, CA

6/3/03

Junqueira fit, but sorry after crash  This crash.net article says that Newman-Haas Racing's Bruno Junqueira was lucky to escape serious injury after crashing out of the Milwaukee Mile Centennial 250 and making a quick visit to a nearby hospital as doctors checked over his neck. "I'm very sorry that I couldn't run a good race for the PacifiCare team," said Junqueira who made hard contact with the outside wall in turns one and two of the historic one-mile oval on just the fourth lap of Saturday night's chilly 250-lap affair. The race marked the coldest temperatures the Bridgestone/Firestone motorsports program has faced since it entered CART competition in 1995, and the field was warned to proceed with caution. Despite running three green/yellow flag laps at the start in order to help the drivers get their tires up to temperatures, they were still too cold for Junqueira, whose spinning car also collected those of Roberto Moreno and Patrick Lemarie. "We were three wide on the start and I was in the middle going into the corner and I had to back off the throttle," explained Junqueira, who entered the sixth round of the 2003 Bridgestone Presents the Champ Car World Series Powered by Ford tied with Paul Tracy at the head of the standings. "I got on the throttle after that and lost control of the car." CART's Simple Green Safety Team was on the site immediately and he was carefully removed from his car and initially taken to CART's infield Medical Centre for evaluation. Due to tenderness in his neck he was then taken via ambulance to Froedert Memorial Lutheran Hospital for precautionary x-rays and a CT Scan, both of which proved negative for damage. He was released from the hospital shortly before 1am local time and traveled back to his Miami base later on Sunday. With no lasting affects from the crash Junqueira will be fit to compete in the next two rounds of the Championship, which take place on consecutive weekends starting on June 14/15 at Laguna Seca. "I was really excited to race here because I like the one-mile ovals. I'm looking forward to Laguna Seca and Portland." On the strength of earning his first CART victory on Saturday night, Team Rahal's Michel Jourdain Jr jumped from third in the pre-race point standings to the lead with 77. Tracy only earned one-point for his 12th place finish after he ran in the top three prior to losing a wheel late in the race meaning Junqueira fell to third place, only 11 points out of the lead and one behind Tracy.

6/3/03

Herta to make first IRL start at TMS  Open-wheel racing veteran Bryan Herta will make his Indy Racing League (IRL) IndyCar™ Series debut Saturday night in the #27 Archipelago/Motorola Dallara/Honda/Firestone at Texas Motor Speedway. Herta was tabbed in May as the replacement driver for Dario Franchitti, who is recovering from injuries suffered in an off-track accident. The 33-year-old Herta is no stranger to Texas as he tested there with the Archipelago/Motorola crew in late May. It was Herta’s second test with the team, having already completed two days of running at Pikes Peak International Raceway. Herta also was at Texas in 2001 with CART, posting the fourth fastest time in qualifying before the race was cancelled. “I’m very excited to be getting back into an open-wheel car,” said Herta. “This is going to be my first open-wheel race in about a year-and-a-half, but I feel very prepared. I’ve been working with the Archipelago/Motorola team since the beginning of May and we’ve been able to log a lot of miles. This is a race of firsts for me -- my first IndyCar Series race and my first night race. I’ve seen some of the Texas races on TV and there is a lot of close competition and exciting racing.” The Michigan native posted two wins and seven poles in an eight-year CART career. He also claimed the 1993 Indy Lights championship and 1991 Barber Saab Pro Series titles. In 2002, he was behind the wheel of the Panoz LMP 01 in the American Lemans Series where he finished 10th in the drivers’ standings. “This is going to be a whole new experience for our team,” said Kyle Moyer, Archipelago/Motorola team manager. “This is our first ever night race and we are looking forward to it. Texas has always been an exciting race. We have been quick everywhere we’ve gone, but at the same time Bryan is going to be the fourth different driver we’ve had in four races. We’ve tested a couple of times with him and he is getting more and more comfortable in the car.”

6/3/03

No testing at Homestead   In an unprecedented move, NASCAR announced yesterday that testing at Homestead has been cancelled for the rest of the year. The ban on testing applies not only to the Winston Cup teams, but also the Busch and the Craftsman Truck series . With Homestead undergoing major reconstruction, namely increasing its banking from six to 18 to 20 degrees, the ban on testing should make for a wild and unpredictable NASCAR Championship weekend in November.

6/3/03

Jones to sub for Foyt   Road course racer, P.J. Jones will driver the #14 Harrah's Dodge at Infineon Raceway in Sonoma, CA on the road course there on June 22nd, in place of regular driver, rookie Larry Foyt.  Fox Sports Net's Totally NASCAR

6/3/03

Has NASCAR peaked?   This article asks the question many are asking, has NASCAR peaked?  The answer is quite simple, it has peaked in the USA, or is close to it, hence why NASCAR is beginning to look outside the USA borders.

6/3/03

Tag & McLaren strengthen ties  AG Heuer and McLaren International are delighted to announce a further strengthening of their Partnership. The TAG Heuer brand will now appear on all the West McLaren Mercedes drivers’ helmet visors. This is in addition to TAG Heuer’s role within West McLaren Mercedes as both Official Watch Supplier and Time Keeper, the latter of which sees the test team utilize TAG Heuer’s latest precision timing equipment. “TAG Heuer is extremely proud today to announce the strengthening of its partnership with McLaren International. A deep friendship and mutual respect have developed over the years thanks to this shared passion for motor sports. That is what now leads TAG Heuer to deepen the nature of our relationship with McLaren, with the famous TAG Heuer brand now appearing on the helmets of David Coulthard, Kimi Raikkonen, Alexander Wurz and Pedro de la Rosa”, commented Jean-Christophe Babin, President and CEO of TAG Heuer SA. “The partnership with the McLaren team has enabled us to gain access to and to develop new technologies and materials. Through the close co-operation with the team's drivers and engineers, it has given rise to extremely innovative watch models such as the Kirium Ti5 or the 1/1000th second Microtimer. Extending and broadening this partnership will enable our watchmakers and designers to find new sources of inspiration in terms of prestige and performance, the two most characteristic dimensions of TAG Heuer, which are also integral values held by McLaren. The announcement underscores TAG Heuer's commitment and involvement to McLaren and Formula 1, a sport where the brand has been Official Timekeeper for the World Championship since 1992.” “We are very proud to be announcing a further development to our relationship with TAG Heuer, who next year will enter their 20th year of association with McLaren International, making TAG Heuer one of our longest serving Partners. It is also particularly pleasing as TAG Heuer is now no longer part of the TAG Group, but LVMH Luxury Group”, said Ron Dennis, Chairman and CEO of the TAG McLaren Group.  Tag Heuer

6/3/03

Milwaukee feedback  UPDATE Another reader writes, As one of those peop