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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.
Dare
crashes hard at TMS, rushed to hospital2nd
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 yellowsUPDATE 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 busy2nd 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 race2nd 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.
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
Swintal6/4/03 - 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.
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 feedbackUPDATE Another reader writes, As
one of those people who froze his butt off Saturday night, I agree
with Shaun Moore. Why does it take so long to clean up after a wreck.
I took 6 people to the race and they all complained, but, as Shaun
notes, this yellow flag thing is not unique to Milwaukee. CART
takes forever to get through a caution period, and they are getting
worse! Donn Kelly, Chicago Another writes, One note, which may
or may not be of consequence--there wasn't one ATM money machine
available on the grounds. For me that was a problem, perhaps I am
alone, but I just figured I'd get some cash at the track (Miller Park,
for example, has several). A minor issue, I know, but a mistake
nonetheless. Otherwise a great night. Michael Panosh, Milwaukee, WI
6/1/03 - Readers write, Dear autoracing1.com, You want to see the
difference in the level of professionalism and organization in
F1 and CART? Look no further than to watch the CART and F1
races this weekend. While it takes 15 laps for CART to clean
up a single car accident, while F1 can clean up a multiple car
crash on the very tight streets of Monaco without a full
course yellow. Crashes on an oval obviously dictates a full
course yellow, but CART takes entirely TOO LONG to deal with
those yellows. Unfortunately though it doesn't just take place
on ovals, but also on street courses as well. From St.
Petersburg to Milwaukee CART acts as though they are taking a
stroll in the park with these clean-ups. This is motor racing,
not parading. CART needs to get a handle on this situation as
it damages the racing by shortening the race distance
significantly, looks unprofessional, and moreover is awfully
boring to look at for 20 laps. Even NAPCAR isn't this bad when
it takes its "scheduled breaks" for their caution period.
Shaun
Moore, Norfolk, VA Dear Mr. Pook, Okay, so the CART
race made it ALL of the way to lap three -- Okay so it
actually made it to turn negative 1 before the effects of tire
warmers (the lack thereof) showed their ugly face. Why don't
you go and ask Mr. Haas if he would now be willing to pick up
the tab for ALL of the warmers up and down pit lane. Word to
the wise ... you are not suppose to hold the nail as someone
is swinging the hammer.
Greg, Long Island, N.Y. Dear AR1, There has been
a lot of discussion about 'CART' not allowing tire warmers -
the bottom line is, the owners did not want to pay for them
and refused to vote them in. CART officials would have loved
to have tire warmers this weekend, but the owners knew that
the well funded teams would have them immediately whilst
others might not - the mentality still of one's own agenda
versus the greater good. However, one would agree that tire
warmers are cheaper than the cost of repairing a car... Ed
Reed
6/3/03 Porsche Supercup
Patrick Long finishes 3rd in Monaco
American Patrick Long made his debut in the Michelin Porsche Supercup
in grand style last weekend, storming from 12th on the grid to finish a
sensational third on the fabled streets of Monte Carlo. Long, who has
been racing for the Porsche factory as a member of the UPS Porsche
Junior team in the German Carrera Cup, drove as a guest in the Monaco Supercup event. During the race in Monte Carlo, Long took advantage of
several accidents and was able to work his way through from 12th on
the grid to finish third. "With the accident right after Ste. Devote
the track became very, very narrow,” Long said. “I made up my mind to
try and pass the chaos on the left side, and I was really close to the
barrier, when a car came rolling back from the right. The question
was: throttle or brake? I decided for the throttle, and that was the
right thing to do." The assembled Formula 1 journalists struggled to
remember the last time an American flag was seen on the podium at
Monaco but the consensus was that the last time was in 1964 when
Richie Ginther finished second in a BRM.
6/3/03
Duran wins twice at Road America
Mexico's Salvador Duran had a breakthrough weekend at Road America,
taking wins in both Skip Barber Formula Dodge National Championship
presented by RACER Magazine races at Road America to vault himself to
the top of the championship standings. Duran ran from a position of
strength all weekend, taking the pole position in qualifying for both
races as well as setting a new track record in the second race. The
two wins were the first in National Championship competition for
Duran, improving on his previous-best finish of third, earned in the
first race at Virginia International Raceway in April. The National
Championship utilized the 2.2-mile "short course" at Road America,
which combined the fast flowing speed sections of the long course,
with the all-important Carrousel corner, with several slower-speed
technical corners. The first race of the weekend got underway under
drying conditions, and the National Championship crew elected to have
the field race on treaded Michelin Pilots in case the weather were to
return during the race. "It was a really good race between me and
Rafael," said Duran. "He was really pushing me hard along the way, but
I was able to keep the lead and take the win. I hope I can do that
again tomorrow."
Letterman plugs CART
As a lead-in to his show on Monday night, David Letterman showed
footage of his winning car at Milwaukee over the weekend in the hands
of Michel Jourdain Jr., and put a big plug in for CART. He had
Indy 500 winner Gil de Ferran on later in the show, so the IRL got
their plug too.
6/3/03
Lola designing bits and pieces for
Reynard
At the Cleveland CART Town Meeting on Monday night CART president
Chris Pook stated "Lola is designing some bits and pieces to help the
Reynard chassis." Patrick Carpentier stated that the Reynard has
a lot smaller window to get it working well. You have to run
Reynard very stiff to make it go fast. The Lola is a much more
forgiving car.
6/2/03
Pook - IRL is not competition
At the Cleveland CART Town Meeting on Monday night CART president
Chris Pook stated "I don't consider the IRL any competition at all. I
just wish they would go and do their own thing and we will do ours."
"The people of Indianapolis are very friendly to us." "This is not
about playing with one man's toys." "It's terribly sad for such a huge
event." "It's too bad what has happened to the 500. "The
ratings are down again, the attendance is down, but it will eventually
come back. The race is bigger than all of us."
6/2/03
Pook - engine design must start soon
At the Cleveland CART Town Meeting on Monday night CART president
Chris Pook stated that "CART's 2005 engines must be under design by
August or September of this year. The chassis manufacturers can move
quicker, but the engine design must start soon. By October 2004 the
new cars/engines package must be on the track for testing."
6/2/03
Pook - CART would consider running
under lights at Fontana
At the Cleveland CART Town Meeting on Monday night CART president
Chris Pook was asked if CART would consider running under the lights
at Fontana when they are erected. Pook stated, "it would be very
interesting to see CART under lights at Fontana. That would be
up to the promoters there and our drivers if they thought it was
safe." Patrick Carpentier said CART should not race at night on
a Superspeedway if it is cold. It's one thing to race on a
slower track when it is cold, but a Superspeedway would be too
dangerous." Therefore, it would have to be during a warmer time
of year, because the first week in November at Fontana is far too cold
at night.
6/2/03
Pook - CART at Sebring would be
interesting
At the Cleveland CART Town Meeting on Monday night CART president
Chris Pook was asked if CART would consider running with ALMS at
Sebring or Road Atlanta. Pook stated, "we are concerned about
the speed of our cars coming down the hill toward the final turn at
Road Atlanta (not enough run-off)." As for racing at Sebring -
"I don't know if we could run on the Sebring 12-hours weekend but that
would be an interesting thought process."
6/2/03
Pook - CART won't retain turbo
At the Cleveland CART Town Meeting on Monday night CART president
Chris Pook was asked if CART considered going to a turbocharged
gasoline engine rather than normally aspirated in 2005. He said
no, "I don't think they will be turbocharged."
6/2/03
Pook - we won't be a feeder series to
F1
At the Cleveland CART Town Meeting on Monday night CART president
Chris Pook stated that CART will not be a feeder series to F1, but it
does want to be a series that develops great race drivers. He
said CART will never be the same as F1, but there is nothing wrong
with having a relationship with them."
6/2/03
Plane lands inside TMS A
small aircraft landed right in the infield of Texas Motor Speedway
today. As usual, our spy cameras were on the scene to capture it
live. The pilot made a flyby then made a daring landing on the
concrete pavement that runs along the backside of the infield garages,
a short and narrow runway by any standards. Our spies tell us it
was a Cirrus SR22 plane. If you have Real Player you can see the
video by clicking here.
The IRL race is coming up this weekend at TMS. Flying Magazine
is presenting the Flying Market Expo that will be located in the
parking lot behind the main grandstand of Texas Motor Speedway. The
displays will be open Thursday through Saturday at no additional
charge to race fans. Fans will be able to walk through a variety of
exhibits and see airplanes including those from Cirrus and Socata
Aircraft along with other manufacturers.
6/2/03
Correction
In Saturday's post-race press release from CART for the Milwaukee Mile
Centennial 250 Presented by Miller Lite CART Toyota Atlantic
Championship event, it was noted that Kyle Krisiloff broke the track
record during the race with a best lap of 24.645 sec. (150.749 mph).
In 2002, Ryan Hunter-Reay set a track record during qualifying with a
best lap of 24.762 sec. (150.036 mph), which was the time used to
determine whether or not Krisiloff broke the track record. However,
Hunter-Reay actually broke his own track record during the 2002 race
with a best lap of 24.609 sec. (150.969 mph), which continues to stand
as the one lap record at Milwaukee.
6/2/03
Puerto Rican GP announces
sponsors
The Puerto Rico Grand Prix, the 2003 season finale for the
Trans-Am Series for the BFGoodrich® Tires Cup, announced its
title and presenting sponsors Monday, June 2 during a formal
presentation at the race’s official hotel, the Caribe Hilton.
The race’s title sponsor is the Puerto Rico Tourism Company,
while the Municipality of San Juan has been inked as
presenting sponsor. Trans-Am Series Executive Director John
Clagett was joined at the event by Puerto Rico Grand Prix
Promoter Jorge Diaz, Trans-Am Series drivers Jorge Diaz, Jr.
and Johnny Miller; and circuit designer Martyn C. Thake.
Veteran Trans-Am Series competitor Stu Hayner was also
scheduled to appear. “When we began planning this year’s
schedule, we wanted to make the season finale a truly special
event, and there is no doubt that the Puerto Rico Grand Prix
will fit the bill,” said Clagett. “The venue will offer fans
an up-close experience with our race cars on an extremely
competitive circuit that is sure to pose unique challenges for
our competitors. “We have a virtually untapped market in the
Caribbean, a part of the world well known for its enthusiastic
auto racing fans,” he added. “I guarantee those fans will not
go home disappointed.” Diaz, Jr., who currently leads
the Trans-Am Series rookie standings and sits third in the
overall Drivers’ Championship, is looking forward to racing in
his hometown. "I think that this is the largest auto event in
the history of Puerto Rico,” said Diaz. “I think there is
going to be a great build up of enthusiasm. Everyone here
follows the sport. They have favorite drivers and know a lot
of auto racing history. There is a lot of enthusiasm about all
of the series and the combination of the Trans-Am Series with
SPEED World Challenge is a good fit. “Between Puerto Rico and
Santo Domingo, we’ll have ten more Trans-Am Series entries,”
he added. “We could feasibly have 30 cars, which for the
spectator and the sport will be awesome. We have very good
drivers, who for the first time will get the chance to race
with the best the Trans-Am Series has to offer. It will be a
good test for them. No one has an advantage and the race will
really determine who’s a driver and who’s not. “Being in a
place where Trans-Am Series hasn’t been before will be a big
advantage for the sport,” Diaz concluded. “This event will
make history on our island and will bring people to the track.
You couldn’t be in a better location. The race is in the
middle of the largest population center on the island. It will
be like having a race in the middle of New York City.”
6/2/03
Waltrip's Dover blunder
Michael Waltrip had this to say after the race at Dover on
Sunday - "We started out moving up through the field and felt
pretty good about our car early in the game," Waltrip said.
"In the middle of the race we were pretty neutral (then why
change the car if it is neutral - isn't that where you want
it?) and we weren't moving forward anymore. We had to do
something, so I asked for an adjustment. Slugger was reluctant
to make the change, but because we needed a modification of
some sort, he went with me on the change and it made the car
push. That mistake shot me back to about 20th. When we finally
altered the car and moved up, we didn't have enough time
left in the race to make up all the ground we lost." Waltrip
continues to stay in the elite mix of drivers eyeing the
Winston Cup trophy. Waltrip moved up one position to sixth in
the championship standings, closing to 143 points out of
second.
6/2/03
Pfizer renews with Martin/Roush
Mark Martin's sponsorship with Pfizer [Viagra] has been
extended another two years, according to team officials who
had been awaiting word last week from the pharmaceutical
company on whether or not it would exercise a bailout option
in its contract. When that deadline came and went, with no
word from Pfizer executives, the contract was automatically
extended.
Winston Salem Journal
6/2/03
There was a buzz in the air
A reader writes, Dear AutoRacing1.com, I just wanted to
mention something I thought was really cool. I could not
believe the number of people buying the new Champ Car
merchandise, most of which is actually pretty cool looking
stuff. Despite the cold weather, there was a buzz in the air.
I'd never been to the race in Milwaukee before, but now it's a
can't miss event for me! Good to hear that Helio and
Tony weren't hurt at Richmond. It's only a matter of time,
though..... Tony Olufson, St. Paul, MN
6/2/03
Did Lazier ruin his career? A
reader writes, Dear AR1, Jaques Lazier had a great career
going with Sam Schmidt. He was a great outside passer. He was
getting top 10's and had a handshake agreement to drive for
him after doing so well. Menard stole him from Schmidt. Lazier
also reneged on the handshake deal. He went to a team that he
has no chemistry and now another American is without a ride. A
shame really. Menard should be ashamed of himself, but Lazier
also took the big bucks and killed his career. Sure
Schmidt didn't have a team this year, but Lazier was so good
that they may have gotten a factory deal had he stayed....
Marco Clark
6/2/03
CART's starting to climb the hill
This Milwaukee Sports Business News
article gives a good overview of where CART is, and the
positive strides it has made. One comment that we 101% agree
with - "Toward the end of last year, when some people knew they were
leaving, all they did was bad-mouth everything we were doing," CART
veteran Jim McGee, the general manager of Patrick Racing, said earlier
this year. "But walk through the garages [now] and you'll find a
completely different atmosphere, totally upbeat. There is a spirit of
cooperation that is refreshing. Two things have happened since Chris
took over. He got rid of the malcontents and he brought in positive
people who believe in helping one another." We here at AR1 don't
have to mention the names of the malcontents. They know who they
are. They are in the IRL paddock now, spreading their cancer
there.
6/2/03
Milwaukee winners and losers
This Milwaukee Sentinel article
lists the winners and losers from Saturday night. Some notable
ones - Winners Michel Jourdain, obviously. After 125 starts
with a top finish of second, he turned in a convincing performance for
his first champ-car victory by leading 233 of the 250 laps, driving
smart and avoiding trouble. Give a big assist, too, to Team Rahal,
which gave Jourdain a car that was as good as any over the long haul.
Jourdain's big night could be the feel-good story of the season.
Paul Tracy, runner-up Oriol Servia and third-place Patrick Carpentier.
On a cold night, these three did their best to put on a show for the
fans, making gutsy passes and clawing for every position. The
Mile. Some 34,700 race-day tickets were sold, management said, and
although the actual crowd was more like 25,000, that was a nice base
to build upon. Open-wheel racing is struggling at many domestic
venues, but everyone seemed satisfied with the turnout, especially
considering the temperature was 46 degrees. The fans. A few
finishing touches are needed on the new $20 million grandstand complex
- here's a hint: without better labeling, the 300-level restrooms will
remain essentially unisex - but the project was long overdue and
greatly appreciated. Darren Manning. The British rookie ran
competitively all night, and that's about all you could ask of someone
in his first oval race under tricky conditions. Finishing fourth,
ahead of veterans Alex Tagliani and Adrian Fernandez, makes the
accomplishment more impressive. Tire supplier Bridgestone. Their
product had never raced in such unfavorable conditions, yet performed
admirably. Granted, CART's return to high-down force wings helped the
cars stick to the track, but nobody could blame the tires - at least
not in good conscience - for the accidents that occurred.
Losers - Anyone who thinks the hard work is over or that the new
grandstand guarantees success for the Mile. One decent night doesn't
pay the debt service on the project, nor does it guarantee that future
CART races will make money, that the champ-car circuit will remain
viable or that other races will thrive. Promoting races is a tough
business these days, especially for those running small racetracks and
counting on open-wheel races to help pay the bills. The work of
the CART safety team is normally beyond reproach, and everyone
involved appreciates its effort in keeping the drivers safe and the
track raceable. But still, the yellow-flag periods lasted longer
Saturday night than anyone would have expected. Maybe the cold made
the down-time drag. But 10 laps to chase down Tracy's loose wheel?
Come on.
6/2/03
What happened to Webber in Monaco?
Another strong qualifying effort went to waste when Mark was an early
retiree with that engine air leak. The team made much of the
R4's improvement as Webber and Pizzonia pounded through their pre-race
program. "The team have been working hard to iron out the last
of the gremlins," claimed Head of Vehicle Performance Mark Gillan,
"and I am more than pleased with the reliability of the R4." "So
far it has been a very solid weekend for the team," confirmed Webber
after qualifying ninth where he would have expected, behind the Big
Four. "We certainly weren't looking for any heroics out there,"
said Webber, "and I just wanted to get the car into the top 10."
In fact he clocked 1:16.237 to be just a quarter of a second away from
what he thought was the car's maximum performance, and less than a
second off the pole-sitting pace of the Williams. It all turned
pear-shaped within 17 laps. After Pizzonia stopped with an
electrical problem, Webber pitted on lap 14 to top up his engine air
supply, rejoined but pulled out three laps later. "A
disappointing way to finish the weekend," he commented, "as there was
a lot of promise and I love racing here." Odd spot: Jaguar spent
much of the Monaco weekend milking media attention for the 'Pink
Leaping Jaguar'. Instead of the usual white cat on its car
livery, the team used a pink version to celebrate a special jewelry
collection and a fancy pink diamond unveiled in Casino Square on
Thursday. "Bringing horsepower and diamond glamor together in a
seamless association," said the publicity puff. Too bad they
couldn't come up with a gem of a race!
De Ferran on Letterman 2003
Indy 500 winner Gil de Ferran will be a guest on the David Letterman
show Monday night June 2nd.
6/1/03
CART needs to pressure Eurosport
It was great to see the CART night race on British Eurosport, a great
finish in the 1 hour highlights but once again CART got shafted. There
was a 35 minute delay between the broadcast advertised and it actually
coming on air. How can I recommend CART to friends if it never shows
at the time slated? Would Eurosport try this trick on Bernie
Ecclestone? If they did, surely he'd barbeque their arses on a
contractual penalty clause and make sure it never happened again. Come
on CART, all races in full even if tape delayed, at the time
advertised is the only way forward. Ed McFarlane, Goadby, England
6/1/03
DC paid the price says team boss
Ron Dennis refused to add salt to David Coulthard's wounds after the
Scot struggled home in today's Monaco Grand Prix. The
32-year-old veteran could manage only 7th in his McLaren Mercedes and
finished some 40 seconds adrift of 2nd-placed teammate Kimi Raikkonen.
Dennis, McLaren CEO, branded Coulthard's driving 'unacceptable' after
failing to find a balance and making multiple mistakes in Austria a
fortnight ago. Now, he adds: 'I think he's disappointed with his
own performance, so doesn't need me to put any more pressure on.'
Speculation in the Monte-Carlo paddock this weekend is that
Coulthard's eight-year tenure at Woking might end ahead of 2004.
Dennis concluded of Coulthard's Monaco form: 'He didn't qualify well
and paid the price through the weekend.'
6/1/03
Shoot-out to stay for now
Formula One won't scrap the new one-lap qualifying format before it's
seen at least a full racing season. FIA chief Max Mosley
rejected a claim made by F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone this weekend
that the 'horrible' system is set for the immediate chop.
But Mosley refused to rule out a new system for 2004.
'Next season ... you can never say never,' the Englishman said. 'But
at the moment there is not a clear proposal which is obviously better
than what we've got now.' Ecclestone said in Monaco that a
good compromise would be to run the old 60-minute 'free for all'
qualifying before a further top 10 shoot-out.
6/1/03
Button okay for Canada
Jenson Button says he has emerged from the biggest crash of his career
with no fear. 'It doesn't scare me at all, which is
great,' the BAR driver said in Monaco this afternoon.
Instead of being kitted up and ready to race at 2pm, the 23-year-old
Briton was little more than a spectator after being ordered to stand
down on medical advice. The impact, which ended in a
barrier in the run from Monte-Carlo's tunnel on Saturday, knocked
Button unconscious and left him with a mild concussion. He
said: 'I'm looking forward to getting back in the car but I also don't
want to be silly about it.' Button is scheduled to test at
the high-speed Monza circuit next week, but he isn't sure if he'll be
able to fulfill that commitment. 'I'll definitely be in Canada,
though, 100 percent,' he added of the next F1 event at Circuit Gilles
Villeneuve.
6/1/03
Michael blames Bridgestone
Michael Schumacher blamed Bridgestone, not Ferrari, after failing to
win his sixth Monaco Grand Prix on Sunday. The German ace, five
times world champion, explained that following the Michelin-shod
Williams and McLaren cars home had 'nothing to do' with the F2003-GA.
'Probably it is fair to say that, on the tire side, we didn't look too
good this weekend,' he said. 'If you look at our pace we
were not far off but we were not in front and I would put that down to
the tires.' Ferrari chief Jean Todt agreed that
Schumacher's second stint was completed at a less than satisfactory
pace 'because the car-tire package was not working at its best.'
The Frenchman added: 'We will have to work very hard with Bridgestone
in the next few weeks on the tires.'
6/1/03
McLaren slams Villeneuve
McLaren accused Jacques Villeneuve of ruining Kimi Raikkonen's chance
of victory in today's Monaco Grand Prix. Team CEO Ron Dennis said the
BAR driver held up eventual second-place finisher Raikkonen as he was
lining up to be lapped. 'I feel a bit disappointed,' said Dennis
in Monte-Carlo. 'I think Jacques Villeneuve was very slow in
letting Kimi pass at a time when it was critical to the race.'
Dennis adds that the marshals didn't wave blue flags for over a lap
but it then took Villeneuve 'several corners' before he was ready to
cede track position. 'That really cost us the race win,'
Dennis noted, pointing out that his Finnish driving ace only lost the
race by six tenths of a second. 'If he hadn't had the
traffic he would have emerged ahead of [Juan Pablo] Montoya after his
next stop,' he said. 'It's Monaco, but it's frustrating.'
6/1/03
Montoya and his BMW
Juan Pablo Montoya worked hard for his second win at the pinnacle of
motorsports earlier today. BMW-Williams technical director
Patrick Head said the team identified a problem on the Colombian's BMW
engine whilst he led in Monte-Carlo on Sunday. 'We had warnings
on the telemetric data about a problem,' Head said, 'so we asked him
to turn the wick down a bit. 'That made him have to work a bit
harder.' Montoya's P83 BMW powerplant expired whilst he led at
Austria a fortnight ago. The street victory was Williams'
first since 1983 in the Principality, which - according to Head -
feels like a 'hell of a long time! 'But I'm most pleased for us
because we've under-performed so far this season and I hope we can go
on from here and participate a bit more.' Williams' other racer,
Ralf Schumacher, earned pole position on Saturday but faded with a
chassis imbalance in the 61st Monaco GP.
6/1/03
Questioning Milwaukee crowd
A reader writes, Dear AR1, how can CART announce an attendance
of 34,700 at Milwaukee when it was clear the 44,000 seat
grandstands were not 75% full. Mark Green, Houston,
TX Dear Mark, There were a fair amount of people in
the infield and a lot of people who stayed down behind the
grandstands most of the race to keep warm from the cold winds
up in the grandstands. We were also told that many
people were no-shows because of the frigid weather. Our
best estimate is about 25,000 to 28,000, though they may have
indeed sold 34,700 tickets that was announced. We
suspect some were giveaways to non-race fans who did not
bother to come out since it was so cold. Given open
wheel racing on ovals is all but dead in the USA (NASCAR rules
the ovals) it was a significant improvement over last year's
CART attendance at Milwaukee and the crowd on hand was really
into the race and the fireworks that proceeded it. Many
fans were wearing CART jackets, indicating many hard-core CART
fans were there and braved the cold weather. One has to question
whether CART is pushing their luck running a night race in Milwaukee
this time of year. It has been cold there the past three years,
even in the daylight. August would be a much better time of year
for a night race in Milwaukee, on the front end or tail end of the
State Fair held there. We spoke to
CART President Chris Pook after the race who predicted CART
would sell the race out next year. We shall see.
Mark C.
6/1/03
More on Mosley warns
manufacturers
FIA President Max Mosley has once again warned that F1 risks
losing teams as manufacturers continue to claim that his new
regulations regarding engine packages are not feasible.
Talking in Monaco Toyota boss Ove Andersson revealed that his
company would be willing to supply engine packages for
independent teams but not in 2004 - which is when the FIA
wants to implement the scheme - and not for the proposed $10m
price tag. Talking in Monaco the FIA President made it clear
that if F1 is to continue with all the current ten teams, not
to mention the hope of attracting new teams, the sport's
governing body will have to stand firm. "Our position is that
we would like to have the engines inexpensive but if they are
not going to be forthcoming there is no reason not to insist
on the banning of traction control," he told reporters in
Monaco ahead of today's Grand Prix. "If something is not done
quickly then it would be very surprising if we have got all 10
teams at the beginning of next season," he added. "If they
don't help the small teams," he continued, referring to the
manufacturers, "the small teams will disappear. "If the small
teams disappear, the big teams will have to run three cars,
for four teams to run three cars will cost a fortune, far more
than a few million dollars. "There is only one car
manufacturer in Europe making money at the moment," he
continued, "and here nobody seems to take any notice. Every
year there's a bigger motor home, a bigger jet, more money is
spent and it's not realistic. "Sooner or later the realities
of business, of economic life have got to get into the Formula
One paddock," he warned, "It would be good if we could do it
in a painless way and not a very painful one."
6/1/03
Bourdais to replace Junqueira
Bruno Junqueira was supposed to test for the Newman Haas team
this week at Mid-Ohio. However, due to the soreness in
his neck from his crash at Milwaukee Saturday night, AR1 is
hearing that his teammate, Sebastien Bourdais will likely take
his place. Bourdais was supposed to be there to observe
anyway.
6/1/03
In-fighting over race dates
continues
This ESPN.com
article says, Reports that California Speedway will
receive a second Winston Cup date in 2004 have created a
ripple effect being felt from Darlington to Dallas. While the
official 2004 schedule is yet to be released, ESPN.com
reported two weeks ago that it is believed three International
Speedway Corporation (ISC) tracks will shuffle dates among
themselves. It is expected that Rockingham will lose its Fall
date, Darlington's Southern 500 will be shifted into it's slot
and the Winston Cup Series will spend Labor Day weekend just
outside L.A. Darlington has hosted the Southern 500 on Labor
Day weekend since 1950. Consequently, many fans are miffed at
the report and prospect of sacrificing tradition for the sake
of growth. But their reaction pales in comparison to that of
Texas Motor Speedway (TMS), which has been lobbying for a
second date for years and has repeatedly been denied.
"Certainly ISC has the right, we believe, to move races within
its own company," said TMS President, Eddie Gossage. "But it
begs the question more than ever, why is it that they can find
and create dates out of thin air for California, Kansas,
Chicagoland, Homestead, etc.?" Gossage believes he
knows the answer to his own question. "Why? Well I think
there's only one reason why, that's because NASCAR owns those
race tracks," said Gossage. Technically, ISC owns the
racetracks, not NASCAR. They are separate entities but the
degree of separation has been the center of debate for some
time. At issue is the perception that there exists a conflict
of interest between ISC and the sanctioning body, which are
both controlled by the France family. It appears to be
Gossage's belief and is the partial basis of a lawsuit filed
by Frances Ferko, a shareholder of Speedway Motorsports
Incorporated -- the corporation which owns TMS.
Texas Motor Speedway has wanted a second Cup race for some
time. "I can understand (Gossage's) perception and am well
aware of (Texas') position, but right now all of that is in
litigation so we'll let the court's decide that," said Jim
Hunter, NASCAR Vice President of Communications. "All we've
ever asked for is to be treated like equals," Gossage added.
"You know, it's one of those things where you have to say, 'is
(adding a second California race) in the best interest of the
sponsors and teams being granted?' And I've got to say no. And
I think any objective person looking solely at numbers would
say, 'no that's not serving the best of interests.'" The
numbers Gossage bases his argument around are primarily
seating capacity and purse money. According to track
estimations, more than 200,000 spectators attended the
Samsung/Radio Shack 500 in March versus 120,000 who attended
the Auto Club 500 in California last month. By further
comparison, Texas' total payout was $6,047,759 while
California's was $4,940,261. "I would hope if California gets
a race that it pays a purse," asserts Gossage. "I mean, the
purse they're paying right now, I mean they opened the same
year Texas did (1997) and they're only paying a percentage of
the purse they pay in Texas, why is that?" Gossage describes
the current relationship between NASCAR and TMS as
"contentious" and believes that purse money isn't the only
area where Texas pays more. "I'd sure like to see what the
sanctioning fee is (for California Speedway). That dirty
little secret that nobody can talk about," added Gossage. "We
know our sanctioning fee, we believe from talking to others in
the industry that our sanctioning fee is many times higher
than anybody else's in the sport." Citing a confidentiality
agreement, Gossage refused to reveal details of the current
TMS/NASCAR sanctioning contract.
6/1/03
JV & JB
Jacques Villeneuve isn't as hard on BAR teammate Jenson
Button as his media image portrays. The 31-year-old Canadian,
who once said he had no respect for Jenson, sat by his
hospital bedside as he recovered from a 290k/h Monaco crash on
Saturday evening. Team chief David Richards said: 'He's come
around very well with Jacques at his bedside, keeping him
company.'
6/1/03
Williams aim for win
BMW-Williams would love to end a 20-year drought of Monaco
wins this afternoon. Sir Frank's ranks haven't tasted glory in
the Principality since 1983, but team racer Ralf Schumacher
has pole position some twenty years later. 'I have been
disappointed many times here over the last few years,' said
tech director Patrick Head, 'I hope I will not be looking too
grumpy tomorrow afternoon.'
6/1/03
Button to miss Monaco
Following a heavy crash in yesterday’s free practice session
for the Monaco Grand Prix, B.A.R confirmed that Jenson Button
was discharged from the hospital this morning. Despite feeling
slightly stiff and sore, he has not suffered any long-term
physical effects. B.A.R has taken the advice from the doctors
at the Princess Grace hospital in Monaco and the FIA’s Medical
Delegate, Professor Sid Watkins, and despite Jenson’s
insistence that he is fit enough to race, the team have
decided to withdraw him. Team Principal David Richards
commented: "Whilst Jenson and the team are extremely
disappointed that he will not compete today, we feel we have
made the correct decision for his long-term well-being. He is
already looking forward to testing at Monza next week and the
Canadian Grand Prix in two week’s time."
6/1/03
Concerns over cold tires prove
unfounded Concerns over tire performance in the
chilly Milwaukee evening proved unfounded. Tonight's
race marked the coldest temperatures the Bridgestone/Firestone
motorsports program has faced since it entered Championship
Auto Racing Teams competition in 1995, yet the tires were more
than up to the challenge. Time after time on restarts and
following pit stops, the drivers were able to get their
Bridgestone Potenza race tires up to proper temperature and
pressure quickly - despite track temperatures that dipped to
45 degrees Fahrenheit (7 degrees Celsius) by the end of the
race. The Potenzas drew rave reviews for their performance. "The
tires were just perfect," Jourdain said. "On cold tires, that was the
concern, but they were just perfect. And they lasted perfect the whole
stint. The engineers from Bridgestone told us to be careful on cold
tires, but they build a much better tire than even they think they
do." "Michel went hard right from the first lap," said Team
Rahal co-owner Bobby Rahal. "I was worried the way I saw him go into
turn one. I thought if he gets through there, they (the Bridgestone
tires) are pretty good, and they did a great job. The tires were
super." "Everybody was so worried about cold temperatures and
the tires were fine," said second-place Oriol Servia of
Visteon/Patrick Racing. "Even going out of the pits on cold tires, the
first turn was a little slippery, but by the next turn they were already almost there. It was very
progressive. I'm very impressed with the Bridgestones."
Quote from Al Speyer, Executive Director, Bridgestone
Motorsport: "Tonight posed another special challenge for the
Bridgestone Potenzas. The temperatures were colder than we
expected; the coldest that we've ever raced on in Champ Car
competition. While it was a challenge for everyone, the cars
at the front put on some incredible racing. Congratulations to
Michel Jourdain and Team Rahal; they've been loyal members of
our racing team for some time now and we're happy to see them
in victory circle. Michel was hooked up all night and never
seemed hampered by the cool temperatures or anything else."
5/31/03
Leo Maia wins
Barber Dodge Pro race Leo Maia of Oakland,
California, took his second Barber Dodge Pro Series win of the
season after passing pole sitter Victor Gonzalez in the
closing stages of the 60-lap race on the famed Milwaukee Mile.
The race had only one yellow flag, demonstrating how well the
young field acclimated itself to oval racing despite it being
the first oval experience for most of the racers. Memo Rojas
of Mexico City, Mexico, made a last lap pass to take third
place from Houston, Texas, native Chris Baker, who crossed the
finish line in fourth ahead of Kihei, Hawaii's Burt Frisselle,
who came home in fifth. Antoine Bessette of St. Brun, Quebec,
finished sixth ahead of fellow Canadian Dan Di Leo. German
Quiroga of Mexico City, Mexico took eighth place, with round
two winner David Martinez finishing in ninth. Colin Fleming
fought his way into the top ten after starting the race from
the fifteenth position. Leo Maia came into the Milwaukee round
with a ten-point margin over Memo Rojas in the championship
points standings, and the victory grows Maia's lead to sixteen
points over Rojas. Like many of the drivers in the field, the
oval race was Maia's first ever, and the young racer clearly
relished his experience in Milwaukee. "I had to be patient
behind Victor nearly the whole race," said Maia. "He did a
good job on the start, and then again I couldn't get by him on
the restart, so I had to wait for traffic to come into play
near the end, and it did. I was able to get a good run on him,
and then we ran side by side for almost the whole lap, and I
finally finished the pass. Once I got by, I also got some
lapped cars between us, so I knew I had a buffer to the
finish. I'm really excited to take this win, and looking
forward to getting to Laguna." Victor Gonzalez had raced on
ovals previously with the Barber Dodge Pro Series, at Chicago
and Nazareth, and his experience paid off as he led the
majority of the race, but just came up short in the end. The
second place finish is Gonzalez's first visit to the podium
and his best career finish in the Pro Series. "I have to
congratulate Leo on a great race," said Gonzalez. "It was a
lot of fun racing side-by side the whole way around the track
like we did. I knew I could trust racing with him. I just wish
I had come out on top. I am still very satisfied with this
weekend, and with this result, now I am looking forward to
getting him in Laguna.
PS/PS/#/DRIVER/HOMETOWN/PTS/PURSE/LP/STATUS
1/2/6/Leonardo Maia/Oakland, Calif./Gatorz Eyewear; Pit Bull;
Soy Tech.; RDD Int'l/20/$13,000/60/Running
2/1/95/Victor Gonzalez/Hato Rey, Puerto Rico/Gencoat; Gonzalez
Assoc; Kartway; VG Speed/17/$8,750/60/Running
3/8/15/Memo Rojas/Mexico City, Mexico/TELMEX; Quaker State.;
Canel's; Ericcson; LNB/14/$6,500/60/Running
4/4/11/Chris Baker/Houston, Texas/RABCO/12/$4,500/60/Running
5/6/24/Burt Frisselle/Kihei, Hawaii/Rapid 2 Way; Ventura
Travel; Axcel Graphics/11/$2,500/60/Running
6/5/16/Antoine Bessette/St. Bruno, Quebec/Elan International;
Groupe Bessette 10/$1,500 /60/Running
7/9/19/Dan Di Leo/Markham, Ontario, Canada/Select Auto
Collision; FY2F2 Communications/9/$1,250/60/Running
8/11/33/German Quiroga/Mexico City, Mexico/GIGANTE; Mikels;
Sante; Offic/8/$1,250/60/Running
9/14/47/David Martinez L./Monterrey, Mexico/Herdez; Aviacsa/7/$1,250
/60/Running/
10/15/28/Colin Fleming/North Hills, Calif./Dodge; TenFold;
King Taco; Sparco/6/$1,250/60/Running
11/7/96/Chris Green/Beaconsfield, Quebec/DAC Aviation; Stelvio,
Inc.; NoFear/6/$1,000/60/Running
12/16/67/Scott Poirier/Deerfield Beach, Florida/Michelin;
Rally Stores/4/$1,000/60/Running
13/3/14/David Wieringa/Chicago, Illinios/Car Quest; Keller's
Custom Concepts 3/$1,000/60/Running
14/17/31/Al Unser/Corrales, New Mexico/200+; Med Test; Oakley;
Simpson/2/$1,000/60/Running
15/10/26/Nelson Philippe/Valence, France/Lease Plan; FFSA/1/$1,000/59/Running
16/20/49/Luis Pelayo/Mexico City, Mexico/TELMEX; Intel; Quaker
State.; Canel's; Ericcson; LNB/$750/59/Running
17/18/71/Tom Hessert/Cherry Hill, New Jersey/Cherry Hill
Classic Cars/$750/59/Running
18/19/12/"Racer" Kashima/Tokyo, Japan/Arai; A'PEX; STRONG-S;
Transmission Co. Ltd./$750/59/Running
19/12/34/Mike Richardson/Kelowna, B.C., Canada/Richardson
Mechanical; WTF Solutions; Top Five/$750/1/Contact
20/13/57/Steve Welk/Franklin, Wisconsin/Welk Auto; Badger
Land; Urban Arborist; Starr; Lakefront/$750/1/Contact
5/31/03 F3000
Arden team has mixed day in
Monaco Townsend Bell had a great run to sixth
place in the most prestigious F3000 race of the year at Monte
Carlo, but it was a personal nightmare for Arden teammate
Bjorn Wirdheim, who gave away a certain victory in the last
200 yards of the race. The Swede made one of the oldest
mistakes in motor racing when he misjudged the location of the
start/finish line. While slowing to acknowledge his
celebrating team on the pit wall he was passed by Dane Nick Kiesa, who suddenly realized that the checkered flag was
waving some way down the road! Wirdheim had made a great start
from pole, and had opened up a huge advantage in the first
two-thirds of the race. A safety car interlude closed the
field up, but on the restart he maintained his lead and never
put a foot wrong before his bizarre error of judgment. By the
time both he and the team realized his mistake it was too
late, and Kiesa had swept past. As ever Monaco was a dramatic
afternoon. Initially Riccardo Sperafico and Giorgio Pantano
led the chase, until Pantano forced his way by. Sperafico then
stopped for new tires. Later Italians Enrico Toccacelo and
Vitantonio Liuzzi had a huge accident at the entry to Casino
Square while battling for third, the incident bringing out the
safety car. Later Sperafico eased Pantano off the road while
trying to unlap himself – he subsequently received a black
flag! While all this carnage was unfolding Townsend drove a
steady race, gradually edging his way up the order. He was
helped when five of his rivals were given drive thru penalties
for cutting Ste Devote corner at the start, the right hand
barrier having been replaced by a painted white line. Bell
didn’t put a foot wrong, and sixth was a worthy reward for his
tenacious performance. Townsend was pleased with his
afternoon’s work: “After the Friday we had, the worst thing I
could do was do something stupid and put it in the fence early
on. I just kind of chilled on the first couple of laps,
because I had only done a few prior to today, because I
shunted in qualifying. The first few laps I was figuring out
which way to turn around here. Once I was able to follow some
cars and learn the track we clicked off some reasonable laps.
I passed a couple of guys with a banzai move, and it came off.
It was a weird race, and lots of people fell off in front of
me, which always helps. It’s nice to have the car go home in
one piece and get a few points. I can think about it and keep
learning. It’ll come together. It’s hard not knowing the
tracks and the tires and everything, but it’s starting to come
around.” Arden team boss admitted it was a case of mixed
emotions: “Bjorn used his head all afternoon and unfortunately
in the last 100 meters obviously got confused about where the
checkered flag was. It’s a great shame. It was difficult to
see what was happening, and there was nothing we could do by
the time we realized. He was the class of the field and was a
second a lap quicker than the rest, but at least he does have
an 18 points lead. Townsend did exactly what he was told to
do. I told him that it would be a game of patience and he’d be
looking at gearboxes all day. When he got fresh air he was
actually very quick. He made a mistake yesterday in qualifying
and it was a mistake for Bjorn today!”
1. Nick Kiesa 1h09m21.483s
2. Bjorn Wirdheim (- 0.985s)
3. Raffaele Giammaria (– 3.353s)
4. Jaroslav Janis (- 3.845s)
5. Zsolt Baumgartner (- 4.550s)
6. Townsend Bell (– 5.354s)
7. Yannick Schroeder (– 15.858s)
8. Jeff van Hooydonk (– 16.835s)
9. Bernhard Auinger (– 1 lap)
10. William Langhorne (– 2 laps)
Ret: Derek Hill (disqualified)
Ret: Phil Giebler (spin)
5/30/03
Dalziel nips Krisiloff at
Milwaukee In his 15th career start in the CART
Toyota Atlantic Championship, Scotland's Ryan Dalziel (#28
Discovery Lake/Daily Record Newspaper) claimed his first
career Toyota Atlantic victory by 0.339 seconds over
second-year competitor Kyle Krisiloff (#31 U.S. Grand Prix
Formula One) in the Milwaukee Mile Centennial 250 Presented by
Miller Lite (SPEED Channel, June 1, 9 p.m. ET). After starting
from the pole position based on practice speed due to Friday's
qualifying rainout, Dalziel got the jump on the field heading
into the first turn, and held off a hard-charging Krisiloff
throughout the race to get the win. The victory for Dalziel
eclipsed his previous career best finish of second, which he
achieved at Monterrey and Denver in 2002, and was also the
first win for Sierra Sierra Enterprises. The win came in the
team's sixth start in Toyota Atlantic. At the start of the
race, Canadian Michael Valiante (#19 Lynx Racing) attempted to
pass rookie Aaron Justus (#3 RuSPORT) on the inside of Turn 1
and the car lost traction and did a full 360-degree spin.
Valiante did not make contact with any barriers and the other
cars managed to avoid Valiante's spinning car, but the first
two laps were run under caution.
5/31/03
Menard announces Meira After
a strong finish of 12th place in his first Indianapolis 500
last week, Vitor Meira will drive the No. 2 Johns
Manville/Team Menard Dallara/Chevrolet/Firestone entry in the
remaining races of the 2003 Indy Racing League IndyCar Series.
"Vitor has continued to impress us with his patience and
determination," team owner John Menard said. "We put him to
the test at Indy and he passed with flying colors. We want to
give him a chance to gain experience on all the ovals we visit
in the IndyCar series to prepare for what I hope will be a
championship effort next season." Meira, 26, has traveled with
Team Menard this year as a test driver. With only three days
of practice during the month of May, he started 26th for the
Indianapolis 500 on bump day as the fastest Chevrolet-powered
qualifier. Meira heads to the Texas Motor Speedway next week,
where he won the pole and finished third at the IndyCar Series
season finale last September. "Texas Motor Speedway will be
the first time in the IndyCar Series where I am going to a
track where I have already raced," Meira said. "It is
very exciting, with a lot of side-by-side racing and drafting.
We have a good baseline for that track. I am really looking
forward to driving the Johns Manville/Team Menard car again. I
want to thank John and the team for the opportunity."
Richards admits to legal woes
According to this Sporting Life
article, BAR boss David Richards admitted on Saturday
there was a chance his team will be unable to race in Sunday's
Monaco Grand Prix after confirming a court order had been
obtained to seize their cars. Richards said that France
Corbeil, part of a company called SAM Partnership Production
Group International, had obtained a court order in Monaco over
money allegedly owed from a commission involving a former team
sponsor, Teleglobe. The dispute stretches back five years -
before Richards replaced Craig Pollock as team principal -
although the current management team were only made aware of
it earlier this year when they received the demand for
commission. "There is a chance we will not race," said
Richards. "BAR believes Corbeil's claim to be baseless and
when it was first presented to the Monaco court several weeks
ago it was rejected." Corbeil has not been allowed into the
Formula One paddock to serve the writ but could have the
opportunity when the teams take to the grid for tomorrow's
race on the streets of Monte Carlo. He is understood to have
hired a security company. The team added in a statement: "The
claim was re-presented with additional information on
Wednesday afternoon, just prior to a national holiday weekend
when all the courts are closed. "As a result, the team were
not made aware of the action and did not have any opportunity
to respond, therefore Judge Philippe Narmino granted Corbeil a
seizure order in a private capacity, i.e without the
assistance of the court or the police. "BAR is confident that,
when it has the opportunity to present the situation to the
courts on Monday morning, the seizure order will be lifted
immediately. "BAR is also seeking legal advice from its
lawyers regarding possible actions against France Corbeil for
defamation/commercial slander."
5/31/03
Button to hospital after 180
MPH crashUPDATE
Jenson Button has been kept in the hospital overnight following his
crash in Saturday morning practice for the Monaco Grand Prix, his
BAR-Honda team said. BAR said in a statement: "The team is relieved to confirm that he has not sustained any
physical injuries, however, he is suffering from slight
nausea, which is understandable given the severity of the
accident. "The team will seek medical advice tomorrow (Sunday)
morning as to whether Jenson is fit to take part in the race."
"But quite clearly after an accident of that magnitude he
needs to rest and have a quiet couple of hours and an early
night tonight and we'll put him through some sort of physio
program tomorrow morning. "Hopefully he will be fit for the
race. I don't think we will make the decision before midday
tomorrow and obviously there will be certain milestones on the
route to that. "But by midday tomorrow we should have a pretty
good idea of how he is going to be." Richards admitted it was
probably the biggest accident Button has been involved in, but
insisted the talented young Briton will not be heavily
affected by the crash. "He is still only 23 years old and he
will come back fighting," Richards said. "He is fine. He is
sitting up, joking, making phone calls and behaving as normal.
"He is his normal self again. So, of course, he is feeling
good, but he knows he needs to take a quiet time now. "He
banged his right knee and his left ankle and his right arm is
stiff. I am sure he will feel stiff tomorrow morning. It's a
shame -- he was in such good form. But don't worry its only
short term." 5/31/03 - Jenson Button was put on a stretcher and
taken away after suffering a massive 180mph shunt at the
Monaco Grand Prix in Monte Carlo today. The 23-year-old
bounced off two guardrails before smashing sideways into a
third metal barrier on the fastest part of the street circuit
during final practice. Button was stuck in the cockpit of his
badly-damaged BAR-Honda car for several minutes as Formula
One's chief medic Professor Sid Watkins rushed to the scene.
The Monaco-based driver was eventually put onto a stretcher
and taken away in an ambulance and his participation in
today's qualifying session or tomorrow's race is now in doubt.
Initial reports from medical personnel indicate that Jenson
Button has suffered no serious injury as a result of his
high-speed crash, but he will not qualify. Although the
Englishman was uninjured in the crash, he was still not
feeling very well and it was decided that he should stay in
the Princess Grace Hospital Centre for the rest of the day.
The team will decide on Sunday morning whether it will go to
ask the FIA stewards if Jenson can start the race from the
back of the grid.
5/31/03 F3000
What really happened to Giebler
in Monaco Just so everyone knows what happened to Phil today at
Monaco...He spun on lap one of the race, due to his arm locking up on
him. He banged it up in his visit to the wall yesterday and where it
was giving him problems through the night...he said he felt good
enough to drive this morning. After the first few turns it began to
throb a bit and became stiff....this was the reason for his dropping
back after the start. Since he had done no laps at speed since
yesterday's impact, he had no idea of what was happening to him (F3000
has no morning warm up session, prior to the race). Phil said that as
he was entering the turn his left arm simply froze up, stopped working
and he spun. He went on to say that it was "scary as hell" as it was a
forth gear turn and he was in so much pain he couldn't think straight.
He went to the track hospital and was told after X-rays that he had
done tendon damage to his upper left arm and that a massive spasm had
occurred while the arm was under excessive load. Due to constant
shifting at Monaco, you do most of your driving with your left arm. He
went on to say that his arm feels like it has been beaten by a
baseball bat, has little strength and is numb, but otherwise he feels
OK and very disappointed. He was told by the doctor that he needs to
not use his arm for a few days, rest and stay put. He'll remain in the
city until Tuesday.
5/31/03
More on Davis and Dodge
Dodge has no immediate plans to expand the number of
factory-backed Winston Cup programs, despite cutting ties last
week to Bill Davis Racing. "Something like that would not come
as a direct, hasty response to what has occurred," said Todd
Goyer, manager of Dodge Motorsports. "I can't say what will
happen down the road, however." Last week, Dodge severed its
contract to provide factory support to BDR's Winston Cup teams
with drivers Ward Burton and Kenny Wallace. The manufacturer
would not comment on the specific reason for its move, with
Goyer saying only that BDR's actions were "intolerable."
Speculation in the Winston Cup garage Friday was BDR was
involved with Toyota and its plans to enter the NASCAR Truck
series next season. Goyer would not directly respond to that
issue, saying instead: "As a hypothetical question, it's safe
to say if a Dodge team was working with another manufacturer,
we would have concerns." BAM Racing, which fields the #49
Dodges for Ken Schrader, hopes to pick up some of the backing
previously directed to BDR. BAM currently receives little
factory support from Dodge. "The Dodge people know what their
plans are for the rest of the year. Anything they can do for
us, the gratitude would certainly be unlimited," said Eddie
Jones, BAM's general manager. "They are already doing the
things for us they can. They had a limited number of contracts
and we weren't one of them. But they have been doing
everything they could because they have seen our loyalty to
the brand." Although it has no full-time primary sponsor, BAM
has entered every race this season and has used Dodges since
it began a part-time schedule last season. BDR officials again
Friday declined to comment on the situation.
ThatsRacin.com
5/31/03
Seen in Milwaukee - III
Chris Pook, Mario Andretti, Gerald Forsythe and other key
figures that others were speculating were not here.
5/31/03
Monaco not a sellout
Monaco Grand Prix organizers are hoping for a late rush of
Formula One fans after slow ticket sales for this year's
showcase race. Seats for Sunday remained available on Friday
at most prices, for what has long been billed as the social
highlight of the motor racing season. Jean Claude Riccoboni of
the Automobile Club de Monaco (ACM) said 10 percent of the
25,000 seats and 12,000 standing positions remained unsold in
the face of what he estimated to be the weakest demand for a
decade. "Last year we sold out faster than any other year,"
said Riccoboni. "We sold all the Sunday tickets one or two
months before the race. People now are waiting to the last
minute."
5/31/03 F3000
Kiesa wins messy Monaco F3000
race Nicolas Kiesa has won an action-packed
race around the streets of Monte Carlo, but it was a mixture
of luck and attrition which gave him the ten points. Sweden's
Bjorn Wirdheim, starting from pole position, beat Ricardo
Sperafico to the first corner, while behind them Enrico
Toccacelo passed Vitantonio Liuzzi for fourth place. Wirdheim
quickly pulled away from the battle for second unfolding in
his mirrors between Giorgio Pantano and Ricardo Sperafico. By
the half-way point of the race when Sperafico eventually lost
the place between La Rascasse and Anthony Noghes, the Arden
was 18 seconds ahead. With Pantano passed, Sperafico lost
another place to Toccacelo before pulling into the pit lane.
The first retirement had come after just one lap. American
Phil Giebler spinning, but without coming into contact with
any other cars. Countryman Derek Hill was another spinner, his
race ended after being black-flagged for getting the marshals
to help restart his car. He'd already been given a penalty for
cutting the corner at Ste Devote on the first lap. With 18
laps to go, the Astromega of Tony Schmidt retired, having
already made a pit-stop. While at the front a new battle for
third was developing between Toccacelo and Liuzzi. Toccacelo
was given a drive-through penalty for cutting the chicane
while overtaking a backmarker, but crashed with Liuzzi before
he reached the pit lane. That brought out the safety car,
closing Wirdheim's lead over Pantano, and Kiesa, now in third.
Neither driver was seriously injured in the crash, although
Liuzzi limped away, and the race was restarted with eight laps
remaining. Wirdheim started to pull away with Pantano battling
Sperafico, who had rejoined several laps down. But the Durango
driver's race ended when Sperafico crashed into him, then
unlapped himself from Wirdheim. The Brazilian was black
flagged. A race of controversy ended in farce when Wirdheim
pulled over to the pit wall to celebrate victory with his
mechanics, but slowed down too early and was passed on the
line by Kiesa. Raffaele Giammaria finished third. Source
F-3000.net
5/31/03
USA open wheel "oval" racing in
ruin Some of the USAC short track drivers still wear
their Road to Indy hats, which we find comical given the road
to Indy is through the road courses of South America, the USA
and Europe. Attendance at IRL races, the USA's top form
of oval track racing, continues to drop. Now comes word
(from the Las Vegas Sun) the World of Outlaws is in a world of
hurt but it does not appear that Speedway Motorsports Inc.
chairman Bruton Smith is going to be riding to the rescue. The
popular winged sprint-car series is in a financial crisis,
according to sources, and the only way out for WoO founder and
president Ted Johnson may be to sell. World of Outlaws Inc. is
being sued for more than $500,000 by a Charlotte, N.C.-based
television production company and published reports have
indicated that the organization is more than $1.5 million in
debt. WoO had some of its assets seized, including a souvenir
rig and pace truck, last Saturday night in conjunction with
the lawsuit. Smith, whose holdings include Las Vegas Motor
Speedway, has been mentioned as a potential buyer for the
struggling series, which races at three dirt tracks he owns.
But Smith was very low-key about his interest in the series
when reached Thursday at his Charlotte office. "No, I think we
have plenty of other things going on," Smith said when asked
if he was interested in buying the World of Outlaws Series. "I
don't know what Ted is doing or not doing, I really don't --
I'm not keeping up with it." Smith acknowledged that he had
conversations with Johnson "a couple of years ago" about
purchasing the series but would not say whether he would
contact Johnson in the near future. "I always wish Ted the
very best," Smith said. "I think he's got a good thing going
there. I think he runs too many races but other than that,
everything's fine. The creation of the IRL and the
fracturing of the open wheel fan base in the USA appears to
have created a trickle down negative effect right through the
grassroots of open wheel oval track racing. NASCAR is
now king of the ovals, from the grassroots level all the way
to the top. Again, the split has severely damaged the
sport of open wheel racing in the USA, apparently
irreversible, and we want to know if the people responsible
are going to be held accountable. Mark C.
5/31/03
Final Indy 500 TV ratings down
4.2%, gets beat by NASCAR again The final TV rating for
this year's Indy 500 on ABC came in at a 4.6/14 share, down
from a 4.8 rating last year, and down significantly since CART
last raced at Indy in 1995 (10.9 rating back then). The
Coca-Cola 600 on FOX scored a 4.7 rating and 11 share. These
results beat ABC’s Indianapolis 500 for the second straight
year.
MotorsportsTV.com reports that the Coca-Cola 600 beat Indy
handily in the key demos: by 50 percent in M18-34 (3.3 vs.
2.2), by 42 percent in M18-49 (4.4 vs. 3.1), and with a 38
percent margin in M25-54 (5.1 vs. 3.7). The Coca-Cola 600
reached 5,055,000 households and 8,042,000 people, according
to Nielsen Media Research. Indy had 4,892,000 households and
6,723,000 people. The IRL has the majority of CART's
best teams and drivers, as well as Honda and Toyota now
spending huge sums of money to try and resurrect Indy Car
racing. It's too late, the split has severely damaged the
sport, apparently irreversible, and we want to know if the
people responsible are going to be held accountable. If
IMS and the IRL were properly run corporations, heads would
roll. Mark C.
5/31/03
Cold Milwaukee weather will
separate men from boys UPDATE
"A lot of it depends on the time," Bridgestone's Joe Barbieri
said. "If it's 45 degrees at 8 o'clock (the scheduled start
time), there's going to be a lot of discussions going on. If
it's not going to hit 45 until 10, we'll just go racing. "We
just have to wait (until) we get there. Ultimately, it's
CART's call and it's up to the drivers to adjust. Some guys
have been known to go a little brain dead even when it's
warm." One thing's for sure, if CART has to postpone
this race because of cold temperatures, knowing full well that
for night races tire warmers could be legalized, it will be
another Texas fiasco, something we thought was behind CART
since Chris Pook took over. CART has mandated a 59-lap
pit window, hoping to keep the race from turning into a battle
of fuel mileage. 5/30/03 - With forecast lows of 40 degrees,
the pit out laps will be critical tomorrow night says Paul
Tracy. "It will separate the men from the boys.
That is where valuable seconds will be gained or lost.
The Bridgestone tire is pretty sticky so I think we will be
OK, even with the cold temperatures, but you must be careful
until the tire reaches full temperature." Mark C.
5/31/03
Ferrari thinks fuel load an
issue Michael Schumacher and Rubens Barrichello were
less than happy with their performance in this afternoon’s
qualifying session. The reigning world champion will start
from the third row in fifth place, with his Brazilian
team-mate lining up behind him in seventh spot. Both men felt
they had driven good clean laps, but today the cars did not
deliver the speed required. While Schumacher felt that this
was possibly due to the tires not performing so well over a
single lap because of the extra rubber on the track surface,
compared with Thursday, the main unknown factor about the
meaning of the grid positions is down to fuel. If the cars
higher up the grid than the Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro duo
achieved their times in part thanks to a lighter fuel load,
then theoretically, Michael and Rubens will be able to run a
longer first stint in the race, which would be an advantage.
The truth will only emerge when the cars make their first pit
stops tomorrow. While this was the Scuderia’s worst qualifying
performance of the season so far, there was still a Schumacher
on pole, as the fastest lap was set by the BMW-Williams of
Ralf Schumacher. It was his first pole of the season, the
second of his career. It was a closely fought contest, with
Kimi Raikkonen second for McLaren-Mercedes, just 36
thousandths of a second slower. The Finnish driver is the meat
in a BMW-Williams sandwich as Juan Pablo Montoya starts from
third. Alongside him is the Renault of Jarno Trulli. Next to
Michael on row three is the second McLaren-Mercedes of David
Coulthard, while Rubens has the Renault of Fernando Alonso
with him on row four in eighth place. The top ten was
completed by Mark Webber, ninth for Jaguar and Cristiano da
Matta tenth for Toyota. Michael and Rubens are the only
Bridgestone runners in the top ten, but both men expressed
confidence in their tire choice for tomorrow’s 78 lap contest
in the 61st Monaco Grand Prix, the fiftieth in the World
Championship.
5/31/03
Mosley predicts end to F1
dispute in weeks
FIA President Max Mosley predicted in Monaco today that a long
running dispute over the future ownership of Formula One is
close to being settled, but warned that the sport still needed
to look closely at its financial condition to avoid other
problems. "Everybody concerned with the negotiations
between Bernie, the banks, the manufacturers and the teams all
say they are close to an agreement and I think that is
probably true," said Mosley. "I don't know the details, and
really I am a bit out of it, as it is up to them and is a
commercial matter, but I believe they are close to an
agreement. It is hard to say how long until then, as a lot of
people are involved, and a lot of lawyers, and a lot of
accountants. I think that once they have agreed in principle
it should be quick. Just a matter of weeks." Mosley added that
he felt it was not sensible to have two championships with
five leading manufacturers involved in the sport threatening
to create a breakaway series. "Neither would have enough
money," he said. "But it doesn't matter to us. We can regulate
two championships." "Yes, it is good news for the future
of the sport," said Mosley. "It would be crazy to have
two championships -- one run by the manufacturers and the
bigger teams and the official championship, that Bernie has
the right to which would be run with the smaller teams, or new
teams. Television and the organizers would be playing one
against the other and they would end up with no money. If
there were two championships, in the end they would come
together within a few months or whatever. They know this."
5/31/03
Red Lights
We hear that CART will mandate that all drivers keep
their rear red rain light on for tonight's race under the
lights in Milwaukee. Reason - better visibility under
the shadow created by the rear wings. Mark C.
5/31/03
Montoya and Gordon swap date
draws near Jeff Gordon and Juan Pablo Montoya will
trade places Wednesday, June 11 at the Indianapolis Motor
Speedway when they take turns driving speed demonstration laps
around the 2.606-mile road course in Gordon’s DuPont Chevrolet
Monte Carlo and Montoya’s BMW WilliamsF1 BMW FW25 car. This
will be the first time that Gordon and Montoya will be behind
the wheel of a Formula One car and NASCAR Winston Cup car,
respectively. Gordon will attempt to win his fourth Brickyard
400 on Sunday, Aug. 3 at the Speedway. The demonstration laps
will be his first laps on the IMS road course. Montoya, who
won the 2000 Indianapolis 500, will attempt to become the
first driver in Speedway history to win on both the famed
2.5-mile oval and road course when he competes in the fourth
United States Grand Prix on Sept. 28. Montoya and Gordon will
participate in a media luncheon and press conference as well.
Fans will have free access to IMS’ South Terrace grandstands
for viewing. Schedule:
9 a.m.
Gate 2 open (Main Entrance, Hall of Fame Museum)
11 a.m.
Photo Op, Yard of Bricks (media only)
·Juan Pablo Montoya, BMW WilliamsF1 BMW FW25
·Jeff Gordon, DuPont Chevrolet Monte Carlo
11:45 a.m.
Warm-up Laps
·Juan Pablo Montoya, BMW WilliamsF1 BMW FW25
·Jeff Gordon, DuPont Chevrolet Monte Carlo
Noon
Jeff Gordon Speed Demonstration, BMW WilliamsF1 BMW FW25
12:20 p.m.
Juan Pablo Montoya Speed Demonstration, DuPont Chevrolet Monte
Carlo
12:45 p.m.
Parade Lap
·Jeff Gordon, BMW WilliamsF1 BMW FW25
·Juan Pablo Montoya, DuPont Chevrolet Monte Carlo
5/31/03
Gonzalez takes Barber Dodge Pro
pole
Victor Gonzalez of Hato Rey, Puerto Rico, took the pole for
Saturday's Barber Dodge Pro Series Race at the Milwaukee Mile
with a lap of 29.706 seconds for an average speed of 125.066
mph on the 1.032-mile oval. Series championship points leader
Leonardo Maia of Oakland, California, came up just .005
seconds short in his bid for the pole position, and will start
alongside Gonzalez for tomorrows 60-lap race in the second
position. Series returnee David Wieringa of Chicago, Illinois,
secured the third position with a time of 29.748 seconds. The
only oval race of the 2003 Barber Dodge Pro Series season
utilized the Champ Car qualifying format, which gave each
driver the opportunity to qualify alone on the track, with the
qualifying order determined by inverting the order of the
fastest speeds of the weekend, with the fastest drivers going
last. The format created some drama as Wieringa qualified
early in the session, and held on to the pole until late
in the session. The entire field qualified within a second of
the pole, underscoring just how competitive this series
is.
Pos/#/Driver/Hometown/Sponsor/Lap/MPH
1/95/Victor Gonzalez/Hato Rey, Puerto Rico/Gencoat; Gonzalez
Assoc; Kartway; VG Speed/29.706/125.066/
2/6/Leonardo Maia/Oakland, Calif./Gatorz Eyewear; Pit Bull;
Soy Tech.; RDD Int'l/29.713/125.036
3/14/David Wieringa/Chicago, Illinios/Car Quest; Keller's
Custom Concepts/29.748/124.889
4/11/Chris Baker/Houston, Texas/RABCO/29.941/124.084
5/16/Antoine Bessette/St. Bruno, Quebec/Elan International;
Groupe Bessette/29.954/124.030
6/24/Burt Frisselle/Kihei, Hawaii/Rapid 2 Way; Ventura Travel;
Axcel Graphics/29.969/123.968
7/96/Chris Green/Beaconsfield, Quebec/DAC Aviation; Stelvio,
Inc.; NoFear/29.997/123.852
8/15/Memo Rojas/Mexico City, Mexico/TELMEX; Quaker State.;
Canel's; Ericcson; LNB/30.003/123.828
9/19/Dan Di Leo/Markham, Ontario, Canada/Select Auto
Collision; FY2F2 Communications/30.031/123.712/
10/26/Nelson Philippe/Valence, France/Lease Plan; FFSA/30.071/123.548
11/33/German Quiroga/Mexico City, Mexico/GIGANTE; Mikels;
Sante; Offic/30.167/123.154
12/34/Mike Richardson/Kelowna, B.C., Canada/Richardson
Mechanical; WTF Solutions; Top Five/30.177/123.114
13/57/Steve Welk/Franklin, Wisconsin/Welk Auto; Badger Land;
Urban Arborist; Starr; Lakefront/30.188/123.069
14/47/David Martinez L/Monterrey, Mexico/Herdez; Aviacsa/30.220/122.938
15/28/Colin Fleming/North Hills, Calif./Dodge; TenFold; King
Taco; Sparco/30.347/122.424
16/67/Scott Poirier/Deerfield Beach, Florida/Michelin; Team
Autohaus Pompano; Rally Stores/30.357/122.384
17/31/Al Unser/Corrales, New Mexico/200+; Med Test; Oakley;
Simpson/30.468/121.938
18/71/Tom Hessert/Cherry Hill, New Jersey Cherry Hill Classic
Cars/30.497/121.822
19/12/"Racer" Kashima/Tokyo, Japan/Arai; A'PEX; STRONG-S;
Transmission Co. Ltd./30.720/120.938
20/49/Luis Pelayo/Mexico City, Mexico/TELMEX; Intel; Quaker
State.; Canel's; Ericcson; LNB/0.000/0.000
5/31/03
Williams accuse Renault of
cheating According to this PitPass
article, WilliamsF1 chief operations engineer Sam
Michael, has accused Renault of flouting the rules regarding
moveable aerodynamic devices. At a private function last night
Michael said that Renault is using a rear wing which deformed
at high speed, but which conformed to regulations when checked
by scrutineers. Officially this has been termed as
'elasticity' and cannot, apparently, be proven as illegal.
Michael explained that the scrutineers do check the rear wings
by attaching weights to see if they deform, but these are
attached to supported elements of the rear wing, whereas it is
the unsupported elements on the Renault that deform. It is
unclear what steps are being taken by either the FIA or rival
teams, but this issue will no doubt rear its head at 'quick'
circuits in the near future.
5/31/03
Coulthard moves to top of
charts in Monaco Saturday practice
POS DRIVER NATIONALITY ENTRANT
TIRE TIME
1. David Coulthard Britain McLaren-Mercedes 1:14.747
2. Juan Pablo Montoya Colombia Williams-BMW 1:15.098
3. Michael Schumacher Germany Ferrari 1:15.255
4. Ralf Schumacher Germany Williams-BMW 1:15.303
5. Jarno Trulli Italy Renault 1:15.517
6. Kimi Raikkonen Finland McLaren-Mercedes 1:15.604
7. Rubens Barrichello Brazil Ferrari 1:15.861
8. Mark Webber Australia Jaguar-Cosworth 1:15.886
9. Giancarlo Fisichella Italy Jordan-Ford 1:16.311
10. Jacques Villeneuve Canada BAR-Honda 1:16.810
11. Jenson Button Britain BAR-Honda 1:16.895
12. Antonio Pizzonia Brazil Jaguar-Cosworth 1:17.113
13. Heinz-Harald Frentzen Germany Sauber-Petronas 1:17.232
14. Fernando Alonso Spain Renault 1:17.290
15. Cristiano Da Matta Brazil Toyota 1:17.686
16. Ralph Firman Britain Jordan-Ford 1:17.986
17. Olivier Panis France Toyota 1:18.101
18. Nick Heidfeld Germany Sauber-Petronas 1:18.167
19. Jos Verstappen Netherlands Minardi-Cosworth 1:18.425
20. Justin Wilson Britain Minardi-Cosworth 1:18.606
5/30/03 Industry News
Phoenix to be reshaped
This Arizona Central
article says, Phoenix International Raceway, the
design for which resulted in a quirky, misshapen, 1-mile oval
four decades ago, is undergoing a makeover intended to alter
Turn 2 and a portion of the backside straightaway.
Construction recently began to extend the Turn 2 wall outward
and create a significantly wider racing surface. Although the
dogleg along the back straightaway remains, it won't be so
pronounced with the new design, which is intended to rid the
"pinching-down effect" now associated with Turn 2. "The new
Turn 2 is going to do two things," PIR President Bryan Sperber
said. "It's going to make the track a little faster, but more
importantly, it's going to create a new passing zone." "It's
going to do something else, too. It's going to alter a track
unlike any other. Certainly, PIR has blemishes, but that's
what makes it so entertaining. A goofy dogleg and a deformed
Turn 2 is what made the oval so challenging and had crew
chiefs scratching their heads trying to configure an effective
chassis setup. Although NASCAR officials and some drivers
approve of the changes, which could also reduce accidents and
increase safety, other drivers aren't exactly throwing a party
in favor of the new design. "I don't like it," said Billy
Boat, who has logged nearly as many laps at PIR as anyone from
the Valley. "Turn 2 and that dogleg is what makes it so
unique." Boat estimates IRL qualifying speeds likely will
increase by 2-3 mph, to about 181-182 mph. "You can run wide
open around there now, but not everyone can do that," Boat
said. "The changes will make it easier for everyone to do it."
Construction will necessitate adding some banking to the new
Turn 2 at the point where the wall is being extended outward
to connect to the current crossover opening for infield
vehicular access. A temporary wall also is being constructed
where the crossover is now because a permanent opening no
longer is needed due to a vehicle/pedestrian tunnel being
built in Turn 4.
5/30/03
Ticket sales up at Laguna Seca
We are told that ticket sales are up significantly at Laguna
Seca for this year's CART race. They are doing more
promotion for the race and the local government is getting
behind the event. It's about time. They are
spending all that money on new garages and suites, it would
have been a shame to let the race continue to slide into
oblivion. Mark C.
5/30/03
Dalziel will start from pole at
Milwaukee Despite the best efforts of CART Toyota
Atlantic Championship officials, which included moving the
start time of qualifying up 15 minutes, qualifying for
Saturday's Milwaukee Mile Centennial 250 Presented by Miller
Lite was rained-out after eight cars made qualifying attempts.
As a result, the starting grid was established based on
combined practice speeds, giving Sierra Sierra Enterprises'
second-year driver Ryan Dalziel (#28 Discovery Lake/Daily
Record Newspaper) his second career CART Toyota Atlantic
Championship pole position. Dalziel posted the fastest
practice lap of the weekend at 149.571 mph (24.839 seconds),
which gave the Scot his first pole since taking the top
starting spot in the 2002 CART Toyota Atlantic Championship
season finale at Denver. However, while Dalziel will be
credited with the pole, he will not receive a championship
point due to the fact that the qualifying session was not
completed. Starting alongside Dalziel on the front row will be
Canadian Jonathan Macri (#84 NTN), who turned in a best
practice lap of 149.193 mph (24.902 seconds). The performance
allowed Macri to match his career best starting position,
which he established by starting second in 2002 at Mazda
Raceway Laguna Seca. Both Macri and Dalziel enter Saturday's
race still looking for their first career CART Toyota Atlantic
Championship race victory.
5/30/03
Drivers went for fast times
knowing rain was coming Alex Tagliani's fast lap in
practice today at Milwaukee was like a qualifier. "We knew
rain was forecast so we kept dialing understeer out of the car
and when we went for our fast lap toward the end of the
session with new tires the wind died down and I was able to
get a fast lap." As it turned out, that was a pole
winning effort. Mark C.
5/30/03
Wing package makes a big
difference The pole sitter for tomorrow night's Milwaukee
race, Alex Tagliani, says that "as long as two drivers are not
equal, we should be able to pass around the outside here.
Before with the small wings, a driver could hold you up, but
with these big wings, if you are faster, we should be able to
get around the guy in front. The trick will be to keep
the car consistent all night." Mark C.
5/30/03
Rain-delay update from
Milwaukee UPDATE CART
tried, but qualifying has been canceled and the cars will
line up in the order of practice speeds tomorrow night.
Tagliani will start from the pole, but will not earn the
championship points that goes with it. See related story, an
interview with the General Manager, who expects a solid 34,000
in attendance for tomorrow night. 5/30/03 - It is
currently 8:30 PM CST here in Milwaukee and we can see clear
sky off to the northeast. CART is trying to dry the
track from the storm that blew through Milwaukee the last two
hours. CART's John Lopes said that "we want to finish
qualifying by 11:00 PM at the latest so the teams, who need 2
hours afterwards, can be done and out of the track by 1:00 AM.
We are doing everything in our power to get the qualifying in.
If we can't, Alex Tagliani will start from pole as the result
of being fastest in the practice sessions, Michel Jourdain
would start 2nd, etc." Mark C.
5/30/03
Tagliani leads practice at
Milwaukee Alex Tagliani appears to be hooked
up at Milwaukee, turning the fastest lap in the final practice
before tonight's single-car qualifying session.. Mark C.
5/30/03
Seen at Milwaukee - II Two
new sponsors seen at Milwaukee, Alpina is on the side of
Gualter Salles' car and Swiss Watch maker Japhiro prominently
covers the top of Patrick Lemarie's rear wing. Mark C.
5/30/03
Seen at Milwaukee We
spotted a couple of gentlemen walking around the CART paddock
today with F3000 Brand Motorsports shirts on. Recall
they recently withdrew from the F3000 series. Mark C.
5/30/03
Milwaukee will be a night race,
regardless If this weekend's inaugural night
race at Milwaukee were to rain out Saturday night, the race
will run Sunday night under the lights. The Milwaukee
fans want a night race, and a night race it will be.
Mark C.
5/30/03
Did talks with Toyota cause Dodge to
drop Davis Racing?UPDATE
Dodge isn’t messing around. The company does not intend to
provide any sort of foundation for the competition, in this
case the entry of Toyota into the Craftsman Truck Series. John
Fernandez, Director of Motorsports at Dodge, meant it when he
stated earlier this season that nothing less than a Winston
Cup championship was the goal of 2003. To that end, Dodge
terminated an agreement between themselves and Bill Davis
Racing just prior to the Coca Cola 600 at Lowe’s Motor
Speedway. “Dodge Motorsports has terminated an agreement with
Bill Davis Racing due to a material breach of the agreement on
their part,” stated Todd Goyer, Manager Dodge Motorsports
Communications, on Friday afternoon at Dover International
Speedway. “The actions on their part were intolerable,”
Goyer added. What was it the Davis Racing organization did to
provoke such an extreme response? Goyer isn’t saying and
neither is Fernandez. However, it isn’t all that difficult to
connect a few dots. Bill Davis Racing was one of three
organizations that joined up with Dodge in 1999, along with
Evernham Motorsports and Petty Enterprises. Davis left Pontiac
to make the jump to Dodge after what the car owner admitted
was an extremely agonizing process. Evernham led the group
because of his past championships. Petty was wooed because of
the deep history with the company. Dodge wanted Davis in the
fold because “we liked the consistency in his choice of
drivers and how he managed his race team.” Even though
the Dodge effort in the truck series floundered at times, the
effort in Winston Cup was a near immediate rocket to contender
status. One reason for the quick success of the program was
what Dodge called their “one team” approach. Away from the
track, Dodge encouraged their teams to share information
freely, setting up a special high-speed computer connection
between the teams to speed up the flow. Something Davis has
now been cut off from using. It appears a break in that
process has led to the rift between Dodge and Davis. “Our
approached has been one of family,” said Fernandez. One team,
one car, we even encourage our teams to coordinate their
public relations efforts to the benefit of the entire program.
We all work towards a consistent end. Anytime we see something
that jeopardizes the integrity of our approach something has
to be done. “That is what happened with Bill Davis Racing.”
Stan Creekmore, AR1 NASCAR Editor5/30/03 -Dodge Motorsports has terminated its contract with Bill Davis Racing,
cutting off all support and access to information for drivers Ward
Burton and Kenny Wallace. Todd Goyer, managing director for Dodge
Motorsports, said Thursday the contract was broken before last week's
Coca-Cola 600 because of a "material breach of agreement." "We do have
enough reason to reach the conclusion that we did," Goyer said. There
has been speculation Davis has been in discussion with Toyota, which
will become the first foreign automaker in NASCAR next season when it
enters Tundras in the Truck Series. Goyer would not comment further on
what led to the split with BDR. Davis can still use Dodge Intrepids
for Burton, Wallace and Busch Series driver Scott Wimmer, but he'll
now have to pay for all of his equipment. He'll also be shut out of
the information sharing that goes on between Dodge teams. That access
can be vital, considering NASCAR heavyweights Roger Penske, Chip
Ganassi and Ray Evernham are part of the Dodge contingent. "Factory
support means they have access to the technology that all the Dodge
teams have and all the information sharing," Goyer said. "It's access
to all the technical aspects, plus the marketing support and use of
the Dodge brand name." AP
5/30/03
Dixon turns fast lap again For
the second consecutive day, Scott Dixon turned the fastest lap
at the Indy Racing League IndyCar™ Series’ Richmond Open Test
at Richmond International Raceway. Dixon, driver of the
No. 9 Target Chip Ganassi Racing Panoz G
Force/Toyota/Firestone, turned a lap of 16.2511 seconds,
166.143 mph. “It’s been pretty good,” Dixon said. “The car was
good right off the trailer. We didn’t have to do much. We’re
just fine-tuning it, making sure that different things that we
try, we’re ending in the right direction. The guys have been
doing a good job.” The Richmond Open Test was extended to 9
a.m.-3 p.m. May 30 after rain cut short the scheduled May 29
session after less than 2.5 hours of track time. Two-time
Indianapolis 500 winner Helio Castroneves, driver of the No. 3
Marlboro Team Penske Dallara/Toyota/Firestone, was second
fastest with a lap of 16.3635, 165.001, while Dixon’s
teammate, Tomas Scheckter, driver of the No. 10 Target Chip
Ganassi Racing Panoz G Force/Toyota/Firestone, was third quick
at 16.4405, 164.229. (see hot news item on today's crashes
below).
1 9 Scott Dixon Target Chip
Ganassi Racing G/T/F 16.2511 166.143 208
2 3 Helio Castroneves Marlboro Team Penske D/T/F 16.3635
165.001 168
3 10 Tomas Scheckter Target Chip Ganassi Racing G/T/F 16.4405
164.229 68
4 11 Tony Kanaan Team 7-Eleven D/H/F 16.4681 163.953 156
5 6 Gil de Ferran Marlboro Team Penske D/T/F 16.5910 162.739
90
6 15 Kenny Brack Pioneer/Miller Lite D/H/F 16.6831 161.840 87
7 21 Felipe Giaffone Hollywood Mo Nunn Racing G/T/F 16.7485
161.208 201
8 12 Tora Takagi Pioneer Mo Nunn Racing G/T/F 16.7652 161.048
165
9 52 Buddy Rice Red Bull Cheever Racing D/C/F 16.8047 160.669
183
10 55 Roger Yasukawa (R) Panasonic ARTA D/H/F 17.1044 157.854
177
(R) – Rookie
5/30/03
Williams signs another sponsor
Xilinx today announced a collaboration with the BMW WilliamsF1
Team for the 2003 Formula One season. The technology alliance
represents the culmination of a long-standing relationship
between the two companies. Xilinx provides the BMW WilliamsF1
Team with its technology and support services for the vehicle
control module (VCM). The Xilinx-enabled VCM is used to
control essential components such as the gearbox,
differential, traction control, launch control and telemetry.
5/30/03
Hornish launches new website Sports
Management Network, Inc. announced today that it has launched
a newly developed website for 2001 and 2002 IndyCar champion
and client Sam Hornish, Jr. SMN structured an agreement for
the design, development and hosting of the website with
world-class interactive and broadcast media producer Cinemagic.
The website, located at
http://www.samhornish.com , provides information on
Hornish, his sponsors, and his racing activities in both the
IndyCar Series and all-star IROC series as well as various
other features. A Sam Hornish, Jr. merchandise line is
currently being developed and will soon be available via this
new website.
5/30/03
MiJack signs Financial Times as
a sponsor Mi-Jack Conquest Racing today
announced that the Financial Times business newspaper and
FT.com will join as associate sponsors for the 2003 Champ Car
World Series, beginning with this weekend's 250 mile
open-wheel classic at the famed Milwaukee Mile. Mi-Jack
Conquest's Reynard - Ford, featuring the Financial Times and
FT.com logos will be driven by rising star Mario Haberfeld,
currently third in the rookie of the year chase. Mi-Jack
Conquest Racing CEO Eric Bachelart commented: "We're
tremendously pleased to welcome onboard a prestigious global
brand like the FT as an associate sponsor. It is a natural fit
- both Champ Car and the Financial Times have a long heritage
- and reach a large and influential audience." As part of
their new "Read To Lead" advertising campaign, building upon
the FT's firmly established position as one of the world's
leading business information brands, the Financial Times will
continue its patronage of Mi-Jack Conquest for the remainder
of the 2003 Champ Car season. Alex Withers, Senior Marketing
Manager for the Financial Times noted: "This is a great
way for the FT to support the automotive community and
continue to expand the FT brand across the US. We're looking
forward to a strong and successful partnership with Mi-Jack
Conquest Racing and Mario." About the Financial Times: The
Financial Times is firmly established as one of the world's
leading business information brands, internationally
recognized for its authoritative, accurate, and incisive news,
comment and analysis. The Financial Times has in-depth
coverage of major news, business and geo-political stories, as
well as feature coverage of sport and culture from around the
world. Whether in print or online, the Financial Times is
essential reading for a global community of business
influencers. Printed in 8 cities across the United Sates and
twenty-one sites around the world, the Financial Times
newspaper currently has a daily circulation of 450,000 copies
worldwide. FT.com, the internet arm of the Financial Times,
has 3.5 million unique monthly users and generates over 55
million monthly page views.
5/30/03
Hunter-Reay hits wall CART
rookie Ryan Hunter-Reay crashed his Reynard heavily at turn
two in the dying minutes of the second practice session. “The
rear end of the car was feeling unstable throughout the
session,” the American rookie explained. “We tried several
changes, but they didn’t help. In the last stint, the team
gave me a fresh set of tires and it just snapped. I had my
first big hit on the oval, I am going to go through the
telemetry and learn from it and we’ll be back tomorrow. The
#12 side is happy with their car, we’ll talk to them and we’ll
get it figured out.” Hunter-Reay will drive the 31x for the
remainder of the weekend.
5/30/03
CART stock watch
MPH closed at $2.82 Up $0.17 on
Volume of 34,000 shares.
$2.17 Bid - $3.14 Ask on close.
Session Low/High $2.67/$2.87
MPH Value Change Up 6.42%
DOW Jones Up 139.08 or 1.6 on Volume of 2.1 billion shares.
NASDAQ Up 20.96 or 1.33%
S&P 500 Up 13.95 or 1.47%
Courtesy of C3I.AndersonGroupe - Chicago www.andersongroupe.com
5/30/03
The carnage continues in the
IRL Testing
update from Richmond today - four cars crashed - Tomas
Scheckter hit the wall, Dan Wheldon hit the wall yesterday,
and just now Tony Kanaan and Helio Castroneves got together.
Helio went upside down and tore down half the fence. How
much of this carnage can the teams afford? That's four
cars wiped out in two days. The drivers were not injured we
hear, but Helio got out of his flaming car, tore off his
helmet and got into a shouting match with Tony Kanaan spewing
obscenities at each other in Portuguese. The rest of the test
was cancelled. “We were both running full tanks,”
Kanaan said. “In talking to Helio, what happened was I was
warming my tires, and he was obviously going much quicker. I
went wide in Turn 3 and 4. I was going a slower speed than
him, and he was in a blind spot. He hit me from behind.
Fortunately, he’s OK and I’m OK, so we’re going to go back
home.” “I was just behind Tony, and we were running
together,” Castroneves said. “All of sudden, Tony went high.
He was in a situation where he couldn’t see my hands. When he
slowed down, my car hit his left-rear wheel. I noticed I was
upside down. I smelled the methanol, and I was just worried
about it getting on fire. All of a sudden, the fire caught. It
(the crash) was a good one. I wasn’t very happy, because the
car was very good. I’m fine. I’m ready to go.”
5/30/03 F3000
Townsend Bell struggles in
Monaco Friday’s FIA F3000 qualifying brought
mixed results for the Arden team as Bjorn Wirdheim took a
superb pole position and Townsend Bell had a heavy
accident just two laps into the session. Townsend was one of
three American drivers to fall foul of the tricky Swimming
Pool section, but despite not completing the required three
laps in the session, the stewards have decreed that he will be
allowed to start from the back of the grid in 18th place.
Townsend’s day started well when he was a respectable 13th in
the half-hour practice session as he learned his way around
the Monaco track, setting a best time of 1m29.891s. On his
first hot qualifying lap he pushed a little too hard and was
launched by the plastic curb that sits in the middle of the
track at the revised exit of the Swimming Pool section.
Townsend was extremely frustrated with what happened: “I took
a lot of the curb on my first lap, and thought I’ll just see
what it feels like. I was pretty shocked when the car went
airborne, and I had no idea I risked doing that. At that point
there was nothing I could do. I’m really disappointed. It’s
not a very good showing from me, and we’ve certainly got a car
that’s capable of great things. Bjorn did a helluva job to get
pole, but there’s not much I can say. “Obviously if you have a
day like we have today you don’t really care about the Monaco
atmosphere! But the track is fun to drive. There are some
tricky bits to get sorted, and in the race we can just hang in
there and see what happens. Right now we might as well just go
to the beach and cry for a bit.” Later Phil Giebler had a
similar accident at the same spot, badly damaging his Den Bla
Avis car, although he was already out of shape before he hit
was launched by the curb. Also in trouble was rookie William
Langhorne, a last minute replacement at the BCN team. He
crashed on the entry to the Swimming Pool section, and did
rather less damage than his compatriots. Having seen his three
compatriots in the fence a relieved Derek Hill made it to the
end of the session in one piece in 14th spot, disappointed
that a change of ride height between practice and qualifying
had not worked out. Wirdheim’s brilliant qualifying effort
obviously puts him in the best possible shape to win and
extend his title lead in Saturday’s race, but anything can
happen at Monaco and many a comfortable leader has thrown away
a victory on the principality’s streets. The run into the
first turn at Ste Devote, a lot less tight now that the inside
barrier has been replaced by a painted line, will be critical.
Not least because his main title rivals Giorgio Pantano and
Ricardo Sperafico are immediately behind him on the grid.
1. Bjorn Wirdheim…1m25.881s
2. Ricardo Sperafico…1m26.160s
3. Giorgio Pantano…1m26.257s
4. Vitantonio Liuzzi…1m26.488s
5. Enrico Toccacelo…1m26.694s
6. Nick Kiesa…1m27.204s
7. Jeff van Hooydonk…1m27.291s
8. Jaroslav Janis…1m27.291s
9. Raffaele Giammaria…1m27.674s
10. Zsolt Baumgartner…1m27.744s
14. Derek Hill…1m28.673s
15. Phil Giebler…1m29.038s
17. William Langhorne…1m41.808s
18. Townsend Bell…1m59.134s
5/30/03
Vasser on Wind Tunnel tonight Jimmy
Vasser will guest with Dave Despain on Wind Tunnel tonight on
SPEED at 11:00. Send your e-mail questions for Dave and Jimmy
to
windtunnel@speedtv.com now or call 1-866-W-TUNNEL during
the show.
5/30/03
Goodyear will not leave NASCAR
Stu Grant, head of Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company's racing
program as general manager, global race tires, said this week
that Goodyear has no intention of leaving NASCAR. With the
parent company struggling financially, reports have been
circulating since late March that Goodyear would drop its
racing division as a cost cutting measure. Goodyear is
involved in several different types of racing and has been the
sole supplier of tires for NASCAR's three major series,
Winston Cup, Busch and Craftsman truck, since 1997. But
essentially, Goodyear has been the only tire in stock car
racing's top circuit since 1974, when Firestone withdrew from
the sport. Hoosier invaded the Winston Cup Series briefly in
1994, but left after one year. "We have no intention of
getting out of NASCAR, in fact, we have a renewed commitment
here," Grant said. "We have a five-year contract (through
2007) with NASCAR. Reportedly, Goodyear's corporate leadership
has ordered its marketing department to start making better
use of the racing program, and a bevy of marketing people were
on hand at Charlotte last week. Still, some in the NASCAR
garage remain a bit uneasy about Goodyear's situation, and
competitors are appearing on the periphery of the sport. In
March, Michelin sponsored the spring race at Darlington, which
created a furor when Goodyear was never mentioned during the
telecast of the event. And Yokohama recently became the
official tire of Infineon Raceway (Sears Point). Others point
out that while Goodyear does indeed have a long-term contract
with NASCAR, it could sell its rights to another company and
despite all the talk about a renewed commitment to the sport,
Goodyear has cut back on its testing. Specifically, Goodyear
reportedly will not test at New Hampshire, which is being
repaved, or at Homestead, where a major construction project
is underway to dramatically change the corners. A source close
to NASCAR said it already has a contingency plan in place
should Goodyear suddenly drop out. Most likely, that involves
Firestone, which has the engineering experience necessary to
produce racing tires for ovals.
Lakeland Ledger
5/30/03
History of car manufacturers in F1
“The car industry is a welcome and valuable participant in Formula
One. But grand prix racing is not the industry’s core business and no
car company can be expected to maintain a constant presence. Company
chiefs change and what today is fixed policy can tomorrow be seen as a
mistake of the previous administration. The industry is entitled to
come and go as it pleases and will always do so.” “Those who think
that Formula One has no need for independent teams and can rely
entirely on the big car companies should perhaps consider the
following brief chronology.” Max Mosley, FIA President More.....
5/30/03
CART Stars making their presence known
Several drivers from the Snap-on Champ Car Stars of Tomorrow presented
by RACER are making news around the country. Jonathan Bomarito, of
Salinas, California won round three of the Formula Ford 2000 Zetec
Championship at Lime Rock Park in Connecticut. Bomarito was one of the
original Stars champions back in 2000. Bomarito, who set a lap record
in qualifying, drove his Valley financial PR1 Motorsports Ford to a
wire to wire victory of the SCCA-sanctioned event. Other Stars alumni
– Adam Pecorari, Chris Festa, and Steve Welk also nabbed top ten
finishes in the race last weekend. Steve Welk is a busy man these
days, as he is also running his maiden race in the Barber-Dodge Pro
Series at the Milwaukee Mile this weekend. Welk also competes in the
Zetec series as well as continuing to battle in the Stars of Tomorrow.
“I have grown up watching races at ‘the Mile’ and when I heard that
the Barber Dodge Pro Series was going to run here I knew I wanted to
race,” said the Franklin, Wisconsin resident. The Barber-Dodge race is
part of the Champ Car weekend at the historic track where they will be
racing under the lights for the first time. Past Stars champion Colin
Fleming of North Hills, California will also be competing at Milwaukee
as he zeroes in on the Barber-Dodge Rookie of the Year Award. As part
of the Champ Car ladder system, Welk and current Stars of Tomorrow
racer Tony Loniewski of Springfield, Illinois will take part in the
CART driver autograph session Friday at The Mile. Loniewski races the
direct drive ICA class and impressed with a fantastic 28th to sixth
place run at the Bobby Rahal Automotive Group Grand Prix at BeaveRun
earlier this month in Pennsylvania. 2001 Stars champion Matt Jaskol is
battling for the championship lead in the Skip Barber Formula Dodge
National Championship presented by RACER after taking round one of the
series at Sebring in March. The FDNC is running this weekend at the
famous Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin. Jaskol plans on being
back there soon as he will compete in the ICC class for the Stars of
Tomorrow in three weeks and then go on to the spectacular Stars of
Tomorrow Dodge Grand Prix of Windsor in Windsor/Detroit, June 27-29.
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