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Mid-Ohio celebrates 10 years as host
A record number of participants are expected to be on hand to compete
in the 40th annual Valvoline Runoffs®, the Sportscar Club of America (SCCA)
amateur road racing national championships, at Mid-Ohio Sports Car
Course in Lexington, Ohio. The event, which has crowned past champions
such as Bobby Rahal, Roger Penske, and Jimmy Vasser, celebrates its
10th consecutive year at Mid-Ohio, September 15-21.
The Valvoline Runoffs® represents the climax to a summer full of
racing during one week of action. The cars take to Mid-Ohio’s natural
terrain road course for practice on Monday, September 15 and qualify
on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday of race week. Beginning Friday,
September 19, the racing gets fast and furious with eight races on
each of the three weekend days, one for every SCCA-recognized class.
“This is a special year for the Valvoline Runoffs®, celebrating its
40th anniversary, and for Mid-Ohio, which has had the honor of hosting
the event for 10 years,” said Michelle Trueman Gajoch, President of
TrueSports, Inc., owner and operator of Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course.
“The growth of the Valvoline Runoffs over the past 10 years is a
testament to the continued support that the competitors, volunteers,
fans, and sponsors such as Valvoline have given to this championship
caliber event.”
Adding to the atmosphere through the weekend is the inclusion of every
race televised on SPEED. Beginning in November, each race will be
televised in one-hour blocks. As has become a holiday tradition, SPEED
will air a Valvoline Runoffs® marathon on Christmas Day, broadcasting
all 24 races in succession.
Tickets for the Valvoline Runoffs® can be purchased by calling
1-800-MID-OHIO or on-line at
www.midohio.com. A “Super Ticket” is available for seven-day
admission, beginning Monday, September 15 through the final race on
Sunday, September 21 for only $32 in advance and $40 at the gate.
Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course is located approximately halfway between
Columbus and Cleveland, Ohio off of Interstate 71. Commonly referred
to as the “most Competitive in the U.S.”, the Valvoline Runoffs is
Mid-Ohio’s sixth and final event held this summer. For event
information or tickets, visit
www.midohio.com or call 1-800-MID-OHIO.
9/9/03
Sperafico returns to Coyne
Alex Sperafico will make his second career Champ Car start for Dale
Coyne Racing in the upcoming Grand Prix Americas in Miami, replacing
fellow Brazilian Gualter Salles who has another racing commitment in
Brazil stock cars. Alex is the cousin of F3000 drivers Ricardo
and Rodrigo Sperafico. Sperafico is hoping to attract enough
sponsorship to enable him to continue with Coyne full time in 2004. Mark C.
9/9/03
Just how long the CART buyout
transaction will take
There has been some confusion over exactly how long it
will take for the CART buyout to conclude, including some
confusion on our part. A bit of research reveals that it
will take longer than most would have thought.
If this deal were announced today (an agreed upon buyout price
by the CART Board and Open Wheel Racing Series LLC), there is
no way it could be concluded for at least 90 days and probably
longer. The first step is to sign a merger agreement. Then the
lawyers have to prepare a proxy statement and because this
appears to be a transaction where some of the existing or
former directors of CART will be buying the company, a 13E-3
statement (a requirement in "insider" going private
transactions) will probably be required as well. It will
probably take a few weeks after the merger agreement is signed
to get drafts of these documents filed with the SEC. There
will then be a back-and-forth comment process with the SEC.
For interested transactions it is not uncommon at all for it
to take 3-6 months for the SEC to "clear" the disclosure
materials. 13E-3 transactions get A LOT of scrutiny from the
SEC. Once the proxy statement is cleared there will be a
stockholders meeting approximately 30 days later. If the
buyers are not "insiders" it won't be a 13E-3 transaction and
they may be able to clear the proxy materials throughout the
SEC faster, but it still usually takes at least two months to
clear a merger proxy statement. Then 30 days before a meeting
so you are still probably looking at a minimum of about 90
days.
There is an alternative that can be faster. The merger
agreement can provide that the buyer will conduct a tender
offer. The tender offer can start almost immediately after a
deal is announced. If more than 90% of the shares are tendered
into the tender offer, the buyer can do what is known as a
"short form" merger under Delaware law and the acquisition is
complete. However, if the buyer does not get 90% in the tender
offer, a proxy statement and full stockholders meeting would
be required to complete the acquisition -- which again, will
take several months as described above.
If this deal needs to get done quickly they will have to
proceed via the tender offer route, but if the tender offer
price is really only half of the current market price (though
that is dropping daily) there is a real reason to question
whether the tender offer will be successful since we doubt
they can muster 90% of the votes given what Vannini and
friends control.
Therefore, it appears to AR1 that teams, sponsors, and drivers
will have to be convinced that CART will be in business in
2004 on its own merit so their contracts can be signed,
because it does not appear, based on this research, that the
buyout itself can be concluded before the end of 2003.
CART does have enough in the bank to start the 2004 season,
but will everyone be willing to sign deals for all of 2004 not
knowing for certain if the buyout will be approved by the
shareholders so the season can be completed? What CART needs
is a healthy bid above market value such that there would be
little doubt that the tender offer would get the 90% of the
vote needed to expedite things. Then the buyout would
pretty much be a foregone conclusion and everyone could get on
with business as usual. But then, what do we know? Mark C.
9/9/03
CART stock watch
In NYSE trading today MPH closed DOWN $0.04 p/shr. or
4.40% to $0.87 p/shr on Volume of 91,800 shares.
Low/High of Session: $0.83/$0.92
NYSE DOWN 79.09 or 0.83% on Volume of 1.67B shares.
NASDAQ DOWN 15.19 or 0.80%
S&P 500 DOWN 8.47 or 0.82%
courtesy of C3I.AndersonGroupe – Chicago www.andersongroupe.com
9/9/03
CART SPEED TV Ratings go from
awful to horrible
The tape-delayed TV rating for CART's Denver race on SPEED
Channel came in at 0.17 (97,000 households - USA only),
compared to 0.29 (155,000 households) in 2002. This
represents a drop of 41% in one year. Whose idea was it
to tape delay the broadcast and who negotiated the SPEED TV
deal in the first place? While CART holds its own on
network TV, ratings on SPEED are a disaster. The
pre-race show got a 0.24 rating, but after 11:00 PM the race's
rating went to near zero. That's because the parade that
CART put on in Denver probably put everyone to sleep by then
(works better than warm milk). Hopefully in 2004 we will see
single-lap qualifying to mix the grid up, and the push-to-pass
button implemented. Together they may be able to bring
fans out of the comatose state that CART has managed to get
them in with their follow-the-leader, impossible-to-pass,
street circuits. Mark C.
9/9/03
New Michelin tires deemed legal
The FIA has announced that Michelin's new designed
tires do conform to the Formula One regulations, and should
Michelin's teams use them in this weekend's Italian Grand
Prix, motorsport's governing body does not foresee any
problems arising. "During a meeting on Monday with
representatives of Michelin and the McLaren and Williams
Formula One teams, the FIA were shown examples of a new
Michelin tire before and after use," an FIA statement said.
"The FIA technical department has confirmed that it believes
these tires will comply with the Formula One regulations if
used in the same way at Monza." Motorsport's governing body
also clarified its position on tread width, and its earlier
announcement regarding when the width will be measured. While
in the past it had been measured prior to a race, as of the
Italian Grand Prix it will be measured after the race. "A
number of press reports have suggested that the FIA has
changed or re-interpreted the tire regulations. This is not
correct," the statement continued. "The maximum tread width
has been 270mm since 1999. The FIA has never suggested that
tread width was unlimited once the tire was in use." It
concluded: "However, as far as the FIA technical department is
concerned, the matter is now closed and the Championship can
continue with all teams on an equal footing."
9/9/03
Banks Ready To Sign SLEC Shares
To GPWC
The ongoing negotiations between the F1 manufacturers
and the three banks, which control the majority stake of SLEC,
could come to an end within the next few weeks. Werner Schmidt
Fischer, the outgoing chairman of Bayerische Landesbank, which
is one of the banks, has proposed a solution that he is hoping
will bring an end to the negotiations. The F1 manufacturers
are looking for a way to gain control of the 75 percent stake
that the banks have in SLEC, F1's holding company. Should they
fail, they may go ahead with their plans to start a rival
series, the Grand Prix World Championship, when the current
Concorde Agreement expires in 2008. However, Fischer, who will
retire on 30 September 2003, has told Reuters that his bank
has already prepared a contract and is ready to sign it.
Planet F1
9/9/03
Waltrip speaks out on Wind Tunnel about NASCAR rubbin'
The quotes below were taken from three-time NASCAR
Winston Cup Series champion Darrell Waltrip's Sept. 8
appearance on SPEED Channel's Wind Tunnel with Dave Despain.
Waltrip discussed the recent post-race temper tantrums and the
effect they are having on the sport, as well as the difference
between "rubbin's racin" and a cheap shot.
DW: "I love rubbin' - rubbin's racin. You drive down under me
in the third turn coming to get the checkers and we come out of
turn four side-by-side like Ricky Craven and Kurt Busch did
and we're racin' for the line, that's a beautiful thing. You
run down in the corner behind me and give me a cheap shot and
send me up the hill and you go on to win the race, I'm gonna
be after you."
DW: "I think it's out of control - I think it's out of hand. I
think what happens is we become desensitized to it. I think
the fans do - the competitors certainly don't - but we see it
week in and week out and we start to expect it. I expected
(Johnny) Sauter to bump (Matt) Kenseth out of the way. That's
what I expected and that's what the whole joint was waiting
for ... I think what NASCAR has to do is to say 'Look, if you
wreck a guy or you bump a guy out of the way, you go to the
rear of the field. And if it's on the last lap and you wreck
the guy, you finish one spot behind wherever he does. They've
got to take action and quit penalizing the victim and start
looking at the guy that created the havoc in the first place.
And I don't care who it is - if you go down into the corner
and you root a guy out of the way to win the race, that's not
racing. Racing is an art."
DW: "The (bump and run) should not be allowed and you've got
to stop it because if you don't it becomes part of every
weekend. Every weekend we're going to have fighting in the
pits. It starts at the top. NASCAR has to come up with a deal
where a driver will not do that. What's probation? I was on
probation for 30 years. And these cats make three, four, five
million dollars a year, what's $35,000 to them? The most
logical thing to do is that if you bump a guy and he spins and
hits the fence, you finish behind him. You've got to have some
penalty that will get these guys' attention - young and old."
DW: "My excuse book was pretty thick. I could think of a lot
of reasons why I did what I had to do or why I didn't win a
race - my mirror fell off, my foot was burnin'. There are
always excuses for why you do what you do. The bottom line is that
if you are guilty week in and week out or guilty occasionally,
you've got to pay the price. You just can't let it keep going
like it is or it will ruin racing ... Discipline is part of
it, and you know me, I'm an emotional guy. I love racing. I'm
passionate. I care. But I also don't want to see our sport
mistreated. Our sport is being damaged by what is taking
place."
Wind Tunnel with Dave Despain is on SPEED Channel Monday
through Thursday at 9 p.m. ET. Guests this season have
included four-time NASCAR Winston Cup Series champ Jeff
Gordon, drag racing legend Don "Big Daddy" Garlits, IRL champ
Sam Hornish, Supercross champ Ricky Carmichael, CART boss
Chris Pook and others. Viewers are invited to submit questions
to the program by calling 1-866-W-Tunnel or e-mailing
windtunnel@speedtv.com.
Guests scheduled to appear in the Tunnel this week include
NHRA Top Fuel points leader Larry Dixon (tonight), GM director
of racing operations Herb Fishel (Wednesday) and Winston Cup
driver Ryan Newman (Thursday).
9/9/03
Updated photos of new Shanghai
circuit
These exclusive
pictures show that the impressive new Shanghai
International Circuit is slowly taking shape ahead of hosting
its first F1 race next season.
9/9/03
CART sale close, but roadblocks
remain
This Autoweek
article talks about the status of the CART buyout and
what roadblocks remain. Though not 100% accurate, it
pretty much sums up where things lie. We should be
hearing something about a price agreed to by CART and Open
Wheel Racing Series LLC any day now. Then the
shareholder vote clock starts. Mark C.
9/9/03
Grand-Am to no longer sanction Fran-Am
Grand American Road Racing Association President Roger
Edmondson announced today that Grand American is no longer the
sanctioning body of the Fran-Am Sport series. Anyone holding a
Grand American membership obtained through Fran-Am will
continue to be granted admission to any and all Grand
American-sanctioned races for the balance of the 2003 season.
9/9/03
New merchandising license deal
for Jordan F1 team
Copyright Promotions Licensing Group (CPLG) has
concluded a worldwide apparel deal between Direct Sports
Leisurewear (DSL) and Jordan Grand Prix. DSL will
assume the role of merchandising master licensee for the
Silverstone-based Formula 1 team. DSL has signed a
two-and-a-half-year deal covering product categories such as
apparel, luggage, accessories and souvenirs. DSL will also
produce a limited edition collection of products for Jordan
driver Ralph Firman which will be available through Firman's
and Jordan's official websites.
Good crowd for Chicagoland 2nd UPDATE Another reader
chimes in - I disagree with your headline of a "Good Crowd for
Chicagoland." It needs to be realized that if the attendance was
40,000 as reported by the Chicago Sun-Times, it also means that there
were approximately 35,000 paid no-shows (Image above right shows how
full seats really were, painting a totally different picture than what
was portrayed on TV as a massive crowd by the announcers). Since
the Chicagoland Speedway sells their IRL tickets as a part of a ticket
package for their NASCAR race, all 75,000 seats were sold for the IRL
event. In my opinion, 35,000 no-shows for the IRL event speaks much
louder than the 40,000 that showed up. Mark Graham
Dear AR1, 40,000 on hand is “good” for an IRL race but Chicago
Motor Speedway management was crucified in the local press when CART
only had 40,000 for the weather plagued (if memory serves me) 2002
Target Grand Prix. J.N. Anderson Chicago, IL 9/8/03 - Perhaps our
estimates were too high. The Chicago
Sun Times estimated attendance at 40,000. We
feel that is a bit low, though the colored seats made it look
far more full on TV than it actually was. Our man on the
scene, Rick Schenk said that the crowd was far more sparse in
real life than what appeared on TV from the media center.
Still, we maintain it was a healthy crowd. 9/8/03
- The 75,000 seat Chicagoland Speedway was a sellout for
Sunday's IRL race because all seats are sold as a package with
Winston Cup tickets, which everyone covets. However,
estimates are that 50,000 to 60,000 fans showed up for the race on
Sunday, an impressive number, all of whom saw an exciting
finish, the type of finishes that will have them coming back
for more. Last year's estimates were 40,000, so 60,000
represents a 50% increase, amazing for one year. Perhaps
last year's close finish had them coming back for more this
year. At this rate, all 75,000 seats will be full for
next year's IRL race.
9/8/03
Chicagoland overnight rating
The Indy Racing League event on ABC from Chicagoland Speedway
turned in overnights of a 0.8 rating and 2 share, according to Nielsen
Media Research as reported in Sports Business Daily. This compares to
a final for the same race on ABC last year of 1.1. A rating drop
of 1.1 to 0.8 represents a large plummet of 27% from last year and
typically the final rating for IRL races drop from the overnights.
If it drops to 0.7 for example, it will represent a 36% drop from a
year ago. Stay tuned for the final rating around Thursday. It's
clear the IRL is losing market share rapidly, and the fans are not
buying the artificial closeness that 100% throttle racing fabricates.
The question now remains whether the sponsors and manufacturers are
going to force Tony George to merge with CART. Each day the
split goes on the further the fans become disenfranchised with Indy
Car racing.
IRL TV Ratings Trend
2002:
Homestead (ABC) 1.5
Phoenix (ABC) 1.2
California (ESPN) 0.5
Nazareth (ABC) 1.3
Indy (ABC) 4.8
Texas (ESPN) 0.6
Pike's Peak (ABC) 1.0
Richmond (ESPN) 0.6
Kansas (ABC) 1.3
Nashville (ESPN2) 0.5
Michigan (ABC) 1.2
Kentucky (ABC) 0.9
Gateway (ESPN) 0.8
Chicagoland (ABC) 1.1
Texas (ABC) 0.9
Gateway (ESPN) 0.75 2003:
Homestead (ABC) 1.8 (Up 20%)
Phoenix (ABC) 0.9 (Down 25%)
Japan (ABC) 0.9 (First Time Event, but down from a 1.0 for CART on ABC
in 2001)
Indy (ABC) 4.6 (Down 4.1%)
Texas (ESPN) 0.4 (Down 33%)
Pike's Peak (ABC) 0.7 (Down 30%)
Richmond (ESPN) 0.48 (Down 20%)
Kansas (ABC) 1.2 (Down 7.7%)
Nashville (ESPN2) 0.3 (Down 40%)
Michigan (ABC) 1.0 (Down 16.7%)
Gateway (ABC) 0.70 (Down 6.7%)
Kentucky (ABC) 0.8 (Down 11.1%)
Nazareth (ESPN) 0.7 +/- (Down 46%
or more)
Chicagoland (ABC) 0.8* (Down 27%)
*Overnight, final will probably drop further
9/8/03
***READER COMMENT***No Open
Wheel Promotion UPDATE We have had a number
of readers respond. Dear AR1, Even the radio spots from the Toyota
dealers for four free Saturday tix in exchange for vehicle service
work lead in with the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Race. The IRL gets second
billing. I guess they're just warming up for Toyota's entry into
NASCAR. Augie Hermenegildo, Lomita CA9/8/03
- A reader writes, Dear AR1, Thought you might be
interested to know about the current situation I have seen
concerning the promotion here in Southern California for the
upcoming races at California Speedway. In the past, short TV
spots (during race broadcasts) and newspaper ads would start
appearing for the Nov. CART race at California Speedway in
mid-August. This year, as of this last weekend, there have
been none (not surprising since ISC wants to edge CART out
from the Speedway schedule). What is surprising is that as of
this past weekend there has been no advertising or promotion
of the IRL race that is only 2 weeks away! There were no TV
ads during the IRL broadcast yesterday, there have been no ads
in the newspaper (at least the LA Times), and no visible
promotion (at least outside the dealerships) from any of the
Toyota or Honda dealers locally. Quite puzzling. Your
thoughts? Mike Weyhrich Dear Mike, We have no
idea why California Speedway would not be promoting the heck
out of these races, but one person told us that ISC may have
come to the conclusion financially they are ahead by not
spending money on open wheel racing promotion in the southern
California market because it does not result in enough ticket
sales to offset the cost. We suspect there is a minimal
effort underway, but you have not seen it because it's so
small. Mark
C.
9/8/03
CART stock watch
Shares of MPH closed down 9% today to 0.91 on a volume of 207,500
shares. This represents an all-time low for MPH as the company
heads down the tubes. The silence is deafening. If the
buyout takes too long, there won't be anything left to buy. Now
that it has fallen under $1.00 per share the NYSE can start procedures
to delist it from their stock exchange, which would see it drop the
the NASDAQ most likely. Mark
C.
9/8/03
NASCAR to announce 2004 templates
NASCAR will announce Tuesday its body template guidelines for
the 2004 cars. A rear spoiler reduction, as requested by some drivers
and teams, will be announced either at that time or shortly
thereafter, in plenty of time for teams to begin preparing for next
season. There likely will not be templates added to the current 32 or
34 required to police NASCAR's aero-matching policy, which makes the
bodies of all four competing makes virtually the same in the air.
NASCAR will require tighter tolerances on many of the templates now in
use, NASCAR garage chief John Darby said over the weekend at Richmond.
The spoiler reduction, from the current 6.25in to 5.5in, will not be
accompanied by a mandatory reduction of the front valence, Darby said.
That, he believes, will take care of itself as teams work to balance
their cars for competition. The changes suggested will apply only at
the unrestricted races, 32 of the 36. A different set of regulations
will apply to the restricted tracks, Daytona and Talladega. It has
been reported, however, that NASCAR will try a slightly taller spoiler
and a slightly larger restrictor plate at the Talladega race in three
weeks. Exact details were not given.
Speed
Channel
9/8/03
Jaguar gives Wilson more time
Jaguar have given Britain's Justin Wilson the rest of the
season to convince the team he should partner Australian Mark Webber
next year. Wilson has three races left, starting with Sunday's Italian
Grand Prix, to secure the drive - with further opportunities at the US
and Japanese GPs. "Justin is doing a good job for us and we have
another three races left with him before we need to make a decision
for 2004," said Jaguar's managing director David Pitchforth. "We need
to give him a trouble-free race package for a weekend - something we
haven't done given his retirements from the German and Hungarian Grand
Prix. Only then can Justin demonstrate his true potential. It is a
buyer's market right now and we are under no pressure to announce
Mark's team-mate for next season. Unlike other teams, we changed our
driver line-up mid-season and we need to give Justin a fair
opportunity to demonstrate himself prior to any decisions being
taken. It is a complex equation that involves looking at experience,
the extent to which someone is a team player, adaptability to our
growing company and suitability to the challenge that lies ahead of us
amongst many other factors," Pitchforth added. "Justin was made aware
of this right from day one and both sides are clear and comfortable
with the matter," he added. "I am enjoying my time with the team and
we are making steps forward," said Wilson. "I know they had a podium
here last year but to be honest, if I can finish the race I will be a
happy man."
9/8/03
Ticket sales strong for 2004 LVMS race
A high volume of telephone ticket orders and an equally heavy
dosage of Internet orders kept Las Vegas Motor Speedway’s ticket
office working at a fever pitch Monday as tickets went on sale for
next year’s NASCAR Weekend. “This was one of the busiest and most
successful first days of ticket sales since the inaugural event,” said
Chris Powell, LVMS general manager. “With the increased volume of
Internet buyers, it has allowed us to increase our efficiency in
filling orders. We’re very pleased with our first-day results.” LVMS
has processed a record number of renewals from last year’s event, but
the addition of the 22,000-seat Dale Earnhardt Terrace has created
more opportunity for first-time ticket buyers to get better seats.
“Today’s success in the ticket office is a direct result of the appeal
of our facility and our great city,” Powell said. “Combine that with
the momentum NASCAR is carrying nationwide and it should come as no
surprise that ticket sales are way ahead of any previous pace. We had
sold every grandstand seat to this past year’s race a month before the
event. That demand has created a greater sense of urgency among race
fans to secure their seats early for the 2004 NASCAR Weekend. Race
fans can purchase tickets to the March 7 UAW-DaimlerChrysler 400 and
March 6 Sam’s Town 300 by calling 1-800-644-4444 or by logging on to
www.lvms.com. Tickets also are on
sale for the Las Vegas 350 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series event on
Sept. 27.
9/8/03
Ralf still has headaches
Ralf Schumacher still has headaches from the concussion he
suffered in a crash during testing last week and will have another
medical before deciding whether to race in the upcoming Italian Grand
Prix, his spokesman said Monday. "In principle, he's very well but
he still has slight headaches," spokesman Thomas Hofmann said.
9/8/03
Harvick
and crewmen penalized Kevin Harvick was fined $35,000 and
put on probation Monday, and two of his crew members were suspended
for one race for their roles in the melee after the Richmond race that
saw Harvick and a crewman stomping on Rudd's hood. In all,
NASCAR penalized Harvick and five members of his team, along with Pat
Tryson, Ricky Rudd's crew chief, for "actions detrimental to stock car
racing." Harvick was placed on probation until Dec. 31, while
crew members Mike Scearce and Gene Pasquale were suspended until Sept.
17, meaning they will miss Sunday's race in Loudon, N.H. Harvick
crew members Kirk Almquist and Ken Barber were each fined $2,500 and
placed on probation until Dec. 31, and Tryson was fined $5,000 for
their parts in the fight Saturday night in Richmond, Va. With
nine laps to go in the Chevrolet 400, Harvick was running second but
hit the wall after being nudged from behind by Rudd, who went on to
finish third. Harvick, who lost a possible sixth straight
top-five finish, was furious after winding up 16th. He drove his
battered car to pit road and banged into the side of Rudd's car.
Several of Harvick's crew members also ran onto pit road and began
banging on Rudd's car, mangling the hood. Harvick climbed on the roof
of his car and began shouting at Rudd, who remained in his car.
Harvick's team owner, Richard Childress, apologized Monday.
"Emotions can run high and that is part of what fuels a driver's and
crew's desire to be the best," he said. "Sometimes, though, in the
heat of battle, those emotions can get the best of you and things
happen that you regret later." Childress said he also called
Rudd's team, Wood Brothers Ford, to apologize and offer to pay for the
damage to its car.
AP
9/8/03
Will
Brands Hatch try for approval again? UPDATE According to
reports in the British Press over the weekend, Bernie
Ecclestone would welcome a return of Formula One to the Brands
Hatch circuit for the annual British GP, instead of the
constantly criticized Silverstone track in Northamptonshire.
Former F1 driver Sir Stirling Moss has echoed Ecclestone’s
thoughts about the move, but only if the infrastructure could
cope with the traffic. "If we get the facilities we want, I
don't mind where it is," Ecclestone said. The circuit has been
faced with many planning hurdles to bring it back up to
standard and at the present time faces a rather uncertain
future after it became one of three circuits put up for sale
by owners at Interpublic. 9/4/03
- This Grandprix.com article
says, Plans to redevelop Brands Hatch racing circuit for
Formula 1 use were laid down in 2000 but the application for
planning permission, agreed by the local Sevenoaks District
Council, were then sent to the Secretary of State for the
Environment, Transport and the Regions. The Planning Minister
Nick Raynsford decided that the best course of action was a
public inquiry and this was due to start in January 2001 but
the application was withdrawn when it became clear that a deal
had been struck between the owners of Brands Hatch and the
British Racing Drivers' Club for the race to be held at
Silverstone. (See proposed track changes in diagram to
right from AR1 archives. The pits and garage area would
be relocated to the long straight called Pilgrims Drop between
Surtees and Hawthorne Bend)
With Brands Hatch now up for sale (and even rumors that it is
being acquired by F1 boss Bernie Ecclestone), the issue of
planning permission may be raised again, particularly in the
light of the fact that the Kent County Council has recently
come up with a new strategic plan for sport in the county.
"Kent: The Champion County, the strategic framework for sport
in Kent 2003 - 2008" is a new report produced by Kent County
Council's Sports Development Unit which calls for the county
to "regularly accommodate major events of national and
international significance" and that the country should make
the best use of the existing facilities. The document also
argued that Kent "should be allowed the flexibility to
determine its needs and have agreements with national or
regional funding bodies to ensure that those needs are met"
and that although proximity to London means that Kent does not
secure major events, "the location could be an advantage if
North West Kent secured high quality facilities able to be
used for national and international events".
The planning application made in 2000 called for permission to
redevelop existing facilities including partial demolition of
existing buildings and erection of pit buildings and paddock,
media centre and associated helipads and grandstands,
alteration to configuration of both the Indy and Grand Prix
circuit together with landscaping, highway works and parking.
It proposed a new 15,000 seat grandstand and three temporary
grandstands capable of accommodating some 26,000 spectators so
that Brands Hatch could accommodate 120,000 people on race
day. The proposed redevelopment would mean the loss of 14
hectares of woodland, much of it ancient.
9/8/03
Gualter
Salles involved in fatal accident
Champ Car driver Gualter Salles, from Brazil, was
involved in a fatal accident Sunday, during a Brazilian
StockCar V8 race, in the city of Campo Grande.
Salles' Chevrolet Vectra was bumped at the start and skidded
across the track. Raphael Lima, a 19-year-old photographer who
broke through security and was in a non-allowed area, was hit
by Salles' Vectra, which then hit the tire barriers and rolled
over twice. Lima was taken to a nearby hospital still alive,
but died some 30 minutes after the accident. The
race was red-flagged, and both Salles and his Golden Cross
Teammate, André Bragantini, withdrew from the second start.
The race's SporTV broadcast interviewed Salles moments later,
and the Brazilian was shocked, crying incessantly and unable
to speak. The crash is another incident in Salles
tumultuous 2003 Stock Car season, marked by many DNFs and
which has recorded a season-best 3rd-place finish in the
previous Campo Grande race. Cássio Côrtes
***READER COMMENT***Very suspicious UPDATE Another reader
writes, While searching for the Falcons/Cowboys game, I came upon the
final 4 laps of the IRL race. Already knowing what I was going to see
(HP Hornish win), I decided to see if anything would change. I was
wondering if anyone noticed that for the previous 3 laps before the
white flag, Hornish was side-by-side of "whoever," unable to make a
move and the positions between the cars didn't change by more than
approximately a foot for the entire 3 laps. Yet, right before the
start/finish line on the white flag lap, Hornish's car appeared to
gain a short 5 second burst of 10-15 mph and conveniently crossed the
start/finish line ahead of the leader for the first time! I was
astonished by this mystery burst of speed on the same line and spot he
had traveled on for the previous 3 laps. Did anyone else notice this?
Thanks. Derek Hughes, Jacksonville, FL. Dear Derek, It is
possible Hornish was saving some for the last lap. We just can't
believe something fishy is going on inside those rev-limiters. Besides
it being the biggest scandal of all-time, we would lose complete faith
in racing being a sport, but instead just a circus. Mark C.9/8/03 - A reader writes, Dear AR1, Are the IRL cars radio
controlled from the control tower such that they are able to get the
cars to run together in a pack and side-by-side? Isn't their
rev-limiter a sealed unit? What's going on inside that little baby
that we don't know about? It sure seems that way and how come Sam
Hornish, the IRL's poster boy, always manages to squeak out the win at
the line? Mordichai Rosen, LA, Calif. Dear
Mordichai, We can't vouch for any conspiracy theories about all the
close finishes, but if your conspiracy theory is right, it would be
one of the biggest scandals of all time. Here's what we think is
happening. The IRL is all about 100% throttle racing. With
engine rules so restricted, all the engines are making about the same
HP, probably within 5 or 10 HP of each other, therefore, everyone runs
about the same speed. On the high banked tracks the drivers just
hold their foot to the floor the entire race, drive in circles and
make sure they don't hit anyone, or don't get out of the groove. Not a
lot of driving talent required, just bravery and great concentration.
Then it comes down to working the draft, the right gearing and knowing
that the guy on the outside wins 99.9% of the time because his car
runs freer in the higher groove. Sam Hornish has figured this
out and wins all his side-by-side races on the outside.
The one time he was on the inside he lost. Mark
C.
9/7/03
Conseco to drop IRL sponsorship
This Indy Star
article talks about Conseco's pending emergence from
bankruptcy and how the company and its debt were restructured.
One interesting note in the article - Motorsports sponsorships such as
Conseco's Indy Racing League presence will end this year. The move
will save the company $15 million annually. This will have a
major impact on the AJ Foyt team.
9/7/03
***READER COMMENT*** Let CART die!
A reader writes, Dear AR1, I own a few thousand shares of
CART. However, If the VERY, and I mean VERY deep pockets of OWRS
steals this series for 75 cents, then I hope there will be a class
action suit. I will definitely add my name! CART could be liquidated
now for $2.00 a share. CART has a GREAT product. I would bet my last
dollar that by 2006 these guys will be getting a great return on their
investment! The owners of OWRS will become the Bernie Ecclestone of
American road racing! These guys not only can save CART but
treat shareholders fairly. I understand the concept of buy low sell
high, and so do they. I believed in Chris Pook, but in the end we got
screwed again. Let CART die! Then NASCAR will kill off the IRL
by stopping the, you must buy an IRL ticket to get a Winston cup
ticket. Then maybe we can get a Don Panoz type, smart, savvy, wealthy
and not greedy to start a new open wheel series and start from
scratch. I love CART! When one race is over, I can't wait till the
next. But even I have had enough! Kelly O'Connor, Altoona, Iowa. Dear
Kelly, Unless we had access to the records for all of CART's assets
and liabilities, it's had to say exactly what a fair market price for
CART's stock is. Not too long ago we were told it was worth around
$2.00 per share, but we don't know all the facts now and we hear the
CART Board has negotiated $0.75 per share. That must be the fair
market value because their neck is on the line. If there is a
lawsuit, and a judge finds that costs were booked that were
inappropriate, or not booked in the proper year in an effort to show
the company is worth less, he or she will throw the book at the
offenders in this post-Enron era. Judges simply don't have any
stomach for "Enron Accounting Practices." Hopefully everything
is aboveboard and we can get back to racing. Mark C.
9/7/03
Brack resting in medical center
Kenny Brack is resting in the medical center at Chicagoland
Speedway. He will be kept there until the end of this race.
Brack brought out the yellow flag on lap 120 after doing a 180
degree spin to the left between Turns 3 and 4. His car made
contact with the outside retaining wall in Turn 4 with the
left side of the car. His car came to rest in the grass at
entrance to pit lane. Something broke on the car causing
the spin. Rick
Schenk
9/7/03
Todt defends tire protests
Ferrari team principal Jean Todt, insists that his team
were not being unsporting when they raised the Michelin tire
issue with the FIA. "What do you think would have
happened if the Bridgestone tires on a Ferrari were too wide?"
asks Todt in an interview with Frankfurter Allgemeine
Sonntagszeitung. "Do you think they would have kept
quiet?," he continues. "They would have crucified us. They
would have accused us of cheating. Our opponents would have
demanded we be disqualified for all the races it could be
proven we had used illegal tires." Todt insists that the
decision to go to the FIA with its evidence was not in
retaliation for the Italian team's humiliation at the
Hungaroring, and that it was not a matter of Ferrari being bad
losers. "It's our view that such an issue shouldn't be
discussed at the race," he said. "We didn't want to harm the
sport. "But I'll tell you that was not an easy decision," he
continued, "our opponents should explain why they think we're
sore losers. We didn't challenge the race results in Hungary
even though we could have. There was enough evidence there."
9/7/03
No new teams for Michelin in
2004
Michelin have confirmed that they will not be taking on
any new F1 teams in 2004 nor will there be any change with
their other current clients. There has been speculation that
some Bridgestone shod teams may want to jump ship and start a
partnership with Michelin, however that despite the added
increase in demand, Pierre Dupasquier has confirmed that they
just don’t have the capacity to supply anyone else. "We
currently do not have the industrial capacity to do it," he
told Autosport. They currently supply 50% of the grid with
Williams, McLaren, Renault, Jaguar and Toyota but are legally
allowed to supply up to 60%.
9/7/03
A few word with Unser Jr.
We caught up with Al Unser Jr. just before the start of
today's race at Chicagoland and got in a few quick questions
on the grid.
AR1: 5 second question for
you Al. We're back here pretty far in the field. Will
you be able to sit back and relax with all these other cars in
front of you? This track can have very fast starts. Unser Yeah we have to. We have to look up the track and
around the curves and not be looking at the cars close to us.
You are right, this will be a very fast start. AR1: We were with you in your rookie run of the Indy
500 along with Michael Andretti. Michael is now retired;.
Is this your last season or will next year be your last
season? Unser I Don't know yet. AR1: We hope to see you one more year. Unser Thanks Rick
Schenk
9/7/03 Formula Renault
Ranger salvages a 10th place
Despite starting from the fifteenth spot on the grid in Round 15
of the Formula Renault UK Championship, Quebec race car driver, and
Fran-Am star, Andrew Ranger finished today’s sixteen lap event
at Donington Park, England, tenth out of a field of twenty-eight
drivers. The 16 year-old racer who was invited to join Manor
Motorsport for the event, managed to climb his way up several
positions in the second of two races held this weekend, despite
dealing with a car that was more or less competitive.
“When you start so far back you have to consider that there are two
groups on the track; the fastest group and the main pack who
inevitably fall back from the quickest. I was able to move up several
positions and then I tried to catch up with the leaders, who had
already opened up quite a gap. In North America we generally have much
longer races and that gives us more time to catch the leaders. A
sixteen lap race isn’t really long enough, especially if you’re at a
disadvantage at the start,” said Ranger.
“In a high quality series it’s essential to have a good starting
position because all the drivers work to protect their position which
makes passing difficult and almost any attempt must be made from the
outside. But we’ve produced a top-ten finish and under the
circumstances, I consider that pretty good,” said the Roxton Pond,
Quebec native.
As in the first race of the weekend, the event was won by Ranger’s
teammate, Britain’s Lewis Hamilton who was followed by Swedes Alex
Storckenfeldt and Stefan Soderberg.
9/7/03
Seen in Chicagoland - II
The IRL race at Chicagoland today is getting plenty of media
coverage with the media center standing room only. The IRL is
doing a decent job on getting grassroots coverage. Rick
Schenk
9/7/03
Seen in Chicagoland UPDATE Stefan Johansson
represents IRL driver Scott Dixon, who is hoping to move up to F1, and
Johansson was there to talk to Dixon about his future we are told.
9/6/03 - CART team owner Stefan Johansson was seen in Chicagoland today
checking out the action. With time running out for CART to be
saved for the 2004 season, CART team owners are going to have to start
making alternate plans for where they will race in 2004.
9/7/03
Giaffone in pain
After this morning's IRL warm-up session at Chicagoland, 3rd
fastest man, Felipe Giaffone, just back from serious injuries, was
taken to the infield care center in severe pain. Precautionary
X-Rays were taken on his multitude of broken bones but nothing was
found and it was determined it must be muscle pain. He is
walking around the paddock with one crutch, but is cleared to race
today. His fast lap was 223.519 MPH. Fastest was Scott
Dixon at 223.666 MPH and slowest was a soon to be retiring Gil de
Ferran. Rick Schenk
9/7/03
Nemechek confident of landing a Cup ride
This Indy Star
article says, Veteran Joe Nemechek is losing his No. 25
Chevrolet to 19-year-old Brian Vickers next season, but on Friday at
Richmond he was wearing a big smile and didn't seem at all concerned
about finding future employment in Winston Cup. "I'm not worried,"
Nemechek said. "I can get the job done, and I will get the job done.
I'm a Winston Cup racer, and I've won three races and I've got some
good years left." Nemechek, who turns 40 on Sept. 26, said his car
owner, Rick Hendrick, has pledged to help him find a new team.
9/7/03
Sponsor troubles may deprive Unser of farewell tour
This Indy Star
article talks about Al Unser Jr.'s desire to drive one more
season so he can do a proper farewell tour. However, the team
doesn't have any sponsorship lined up for next year, and one year
deals are sometimes hard to find. We predict now that the IRL
will find Unser a sponsor or Tony George will fund his last year.
Although not as competitive as he once was, Unser is still one of the
biggest names in the IRL.
9/7/03
Bridgestone goes all-out to win title
Bridgestone, poised to lose the world championship to rivals
Michelin, unveiled a 'future construction concept' at the Autodromo Nazionale in Monza last week during testing. Hirohide Hamashima,
the marque's Head of Tire Development, said Ferrari runners including
Michael Schumacher tried the all-new design. 'It won't appear
this season but we hope to introduce it next year,' he said. 'We also
tried about 10 new specifications.' With only three races left
to go and a margin of just one point in the drivers' chase, Hamashima
said there was 'only one way' Bridgestone can fight back. He
smiled: 'We have to make the best tires we can! We've been
working hard and came here for a big testing effort we hope will
benefit all our teams.' Schumacher's Ferrari was fastest on the
final two days of the Monza test equipped with four black Bridgestones.
We suspect next year's tires will be raced this year if they are
ready.
9/7/03
***READER QUESTION*** Is RuSPORT really
moving up?
A reader writes, Dear AR1, I keep hearing that the RuSPORT
Toyota Atlantic championship winning team is moving up to Champ Cars
next year. Is that true and who will be the drivers?
Danny Yokolavitich, Frenchtown, NJ Dear Danny, If CART is
still in business next year they will indeed be moving up to Champ
Cars in 2004. If CART folds then, and only then, will they race
in the IRL, in our opinion and from what we hear. We are pretty
sure AJ Allmendinger will be their driver. Whether they run two
cars has yet to be determined (though we think they will), as has who
would drive the 2nd car. Since they would be rookies in the
Champ Car series, we have to believe they will choose a driver with a
bit of Champ Car experience for the 2nd car. While they can
choose to go with another rookie in the 2nd car, we have to believe
they recognize the need for at least one experienced Champ Car driver
alongside AJ because the competition in the Champ Car series is
definitely tougher. Mark C.
9/7/03
Like we said, Turbos are becoming more
common on passenger cars
This NY Times
article (requires free registration to read) talks about
turbochargers and why today they are far more accepted and gaining in
popularity both in the USA and abroad. If CART stays with the
turbo engine, it certainly keeps it in tune with the passenger car
market far more than a N/A V-10 will.
9/7/03
Bernie picks Kimi to win title
Bucking the trend, Bernie Ecclestone has put Raikkonen down as
his favorite to win this season's F1 title. The McLaren driver may be
third in the Drivers' standings but he's only two points behind
Schumacher. "I'm one of Montoya's biggest supporters and we all know
about Michael," he said. "Montoya can be either fantastic or not.
Räikkönen is more consistent so you would probably have to put your
money on him."
9/6/03
Escape Hatch test
NASCAR expects to conduct a final test this week in preparation for
allowing teams the option of installing a roof exit in cars. Winston
Cup driver Michael Waltrip will participate in a test at Daytona
International Speedway with the roof exit installed to determine if
any aerodynamic issues exist with the new hatch, said Gary Nelson,
director of NASCAR's research and development center in Concord, NC.
When the roof exit is finalized, teams will be allowed the option of
installing it, but it will not be required, Nelson said. "If that test
goes well, I already have the (technical) bulletin so the guys can use
it," Nelson said.
ThatsRacin.com
9/6/03
Miami race getting a lot of good press
This year's CART race in Miami is getting a LOT of publicity this
year in Miami...it's everywhere. Just saw 14 pages (CART only)
in the very classy LOFT magazine.
9/6/03 ARCA
ARCA news from Chicagoland UPDATE Shelby Howard
nearly ran a few people down during the ARCA race. His brakes seemed
to fail on track, and he came barreling though the paddock, people
jumping out of his way. His crew had to sprint to stop his car. The
guy even kept his motor running! He needs more coaching because
he easily could have killed someone today. 9/6/03 - 18 year old driver Shelby Howard is being coached by NASCAR
driver Derrick Cope. He may drive a couple of Busch races yet
this year. Friday, he and veteran ARCA driver Frank Kimmel
traded fastest laps during practice sessions for the ARCA ReadyHosting.com 200 Chicagoland to be run Saturday, Sept. 6. The ARCA
RE/MAX Series consists of Ford Taurus, Chevy Monte Carlo, Pontiac
Grand Prix, Dodge Intrepid cars, ranging in years from 1999 through
2003. Some of the teams haul their race cars in racing haulers, some
come to the track hauling their race car on open trailers behind
vintage motor homes. Rick Schenk
9/6/03
Mark Taylor wins closest IPS race ever
Mark Taylor, driver of the No. 4 Fulmar Panther
Dallara/Infiniti/Firestone, won the Chicagoland 100 by 0.0170 of a
second over #14 Carpenter. #20 Simmons was third, 0.0522 of a second
behind #4 Taylor. Cars came across the line three-wide. Medical update
from Dr. Henry Bock, director of medical services for the Indy Racing
League: Marco Cioci has been checked and released from the infield
medical center. He is cleared to drive. Results Saturday of the
Chicagoland 100 IRL Menards Infiniti Pro Series event at Chicagoland
Speedway, with order of finish, starting position in parentheses,
driver, chassis-engine, laps completed and reason out (if any):
1. (2) Mark Taylor, Dallara-Infiniti, 67
2. (1) Ed Carpenter, Dallara-Infiniti, 67
3. (13) Jeff Simmons, Dallara-Infiniti, 67
4. (4) Arie Luyendyk Jr., Dallara-Infiniti, 67
5. (3) Aaron Fike, Dallara-Infiniti, 67
6. (7) Cory Witherill, Dallara-Infiniti, 67
7. (5) G.J. Mennen, Dallara-Infiniti, 67
8. (8) Gary Peterson, Dallara-Infiniti, 67
9. (6) Thiago Medeiros, Dallara-Infiniti, 67
10. (11) Marty Roth, Dallara-Infiniti, 66
11. (12) Billy Roe, Dallara-Infiniti, 61
12. (10) Marco Cioci, Dallara-Infiniti, 55, accident
13. (14) Paul Dana, Dallara-Infiniti, 16, accident
14. (9) Taylor Fletcher, Dallara-Infiniti, 7, gearbox Race Statistics
Winner's average speed: 132.826 mph.
Time of race: 00:46:00.1733.
Margin of victory: .0170
Cautions: 3 for 16 laps.
Lead changes: 17 among 2.
Lap leaders: Carpenter 1-10, Taylor 11-12, Carpenter 13-26, Taylor
27-28, Carpenter 29, Taylor 30, Carpenter 31-32, Taylor 33, Carpenter
34, Taylor 35, Carpenter 36, Taylor 37, Carpenter 38-40, Taylor 41,
Carpenter 42, Taylor 43, Carpenter 44-66, Taylor 6
9/6/03 Formula Renault
Difficult day for Ranger
Canadian race car driver and Fran-Am star Andrew Ranger finished 14th in today’s Round
14 of the Formula Renault UK Championship at Donington Park in
England. Ranger, who started the race from the 15th spot had moved up
several places but fell back after spinning while battling for track
position. The 16 year-old driver who was invited to join Manor
Motorsport, says he saw it all in this first of two races being held
this weekend. “I was much quicker today than I was in qualifying
yesterday because the team finally agreed to make the changes I wanted
to the car,” explained the Roxton Pond, Quebec native. “Yesterday I
was given a setup that was very similar to my teammate Lewis Hamilton,
a setup that really doesn’t complement my driving style. Even though
my car was among the fastest today, it’s extremely difficult to pass
here. There are a few good passing zones like on the long straight,
but the whole group is always right there and they stay so tight
together that the move is practically impossible. I was able to move
up to ninth and I think that by staying very patient, I would have
been able to finish eighth, but two cars ahead of me were battling it
out and when they braked, I touched the back of one of them. The rear
of my car stepped out and I spun. I ended up fourteenth. It was a wild race. There was an accident in the group behind me at
the start of the race. One of the cars involved was practically cut in
half. The competition is also very intense. I’ll be ready to get out
there tomorrow, but once again I’m starting back in fifteenth and
getting through the field is not going to be easy. Even if the cars
ahead of me are slower, all the drivers work to protect their
position. The key really is to start the race in the first few rows.
But, if the car is as quick as it was today, I may be able to move up
a few spots,” he concluded. Ranger’s teammate this weekend, Britain’s
Lewis Hamilton, won the12-lap race and was followed by fellow
countryman James Rossiter. Ranger will be back on track tomorrow to
contest Round 15 of the Formula Renault UK Championship at 1: 40 p.m.
(GMT), 8:40 a.m. - Eastern Time.
9/6/03
Menards to sponsor 12-race 2004 IPS
Menard Inc., a Midwest chain of home-improvement stores, has
become the co-title sponsor of the IRL Infiniti Pro Series, the
official development series of the IRL, league officials announced
Sept. 6. The new series name is the IRL Menards Infiniti Pro Series.
“The Indy Racing League finds itself with an exciting opportunity as
we partner together with two great companies in the IRL Menards
Infiniti Pro Series,” said Roger Bailey, executive director of the
Menards Infiniti Pro Series. “The combination of Menards, Infiniti and
the IRL brings together companies with unique strengths that offer an
opportunity to build an exciting business and marketing platform
together.” The 2004 Menards Infiniti Pro Series schedule
will consist of 12 races at some of the nation’s finest oval venues,
including the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Indy Racing League
officials announced Sept. 6. The 100-mile Infiniti Pro Series
“sprints” will take place in conjunction with IRL IndyCar
Series events, with six of the 12 races scheduled for the same day as
the IndyCar Series races. “As we look toward our second
full season, I’m delighted that our drivers will be gaining valuable
experience on an a variety of tracks, ranging from 1-mile ovals to the
2.5-mile Indianapolis Motor Speedway,” said Roger Bailey, executive
director of the Infiniti Pro Series. “As a training series, we are
exactly where we need to be. The fact that a full 50 percent of
Menards Infiniti Pro Series events will be run on the same day as
IndyCar Series races is an added bonus for everyone involved.”
The Menards Infiniti Pro Series serves as an essential stepping-stone
for drivers striving to reach the pinnacle of open-wheel, oval-track
racing in America, the IRL IndyCar Series. Infiniti Q45 engines
power Dallara Automobili chassis built for the series, with Firestone
Firehawk tires used exclusively on all cars. The V8 engines produce
approximately 450 horsepower for the single-seat winged chassis,
providing an ideal training ground for the 650-horsepower, single-seat
winged cars of the IndyCar Series.
All Menards Infiniti Pro Series events are televised on ESPN2 and
distributed worldwide through ESPN International. 2004 MENARDS INFINITI PRO SERIES SCHEDULE
Sunday, Feb. 29 Homestead-Miami Speedway
Saturday, March 20 Phoenix International Raceway
Sunday, May 22 Indianapolis Motor Speedway
Sunday, July 4 Kansas Speedway
Saturday, July 17 Nashville Superspeedway
Sunday, July 25 The Milwaukee Mile
Sunday, Aug. 1 Michigan International Speedway
Saturday, Aug. 14 Kentucky Speedway
Sunday, Aug. 22 Pikes Peak International Raceway
Saturday, Sept. 11 Chicagoland Speedway
Saturday, Oct. 2 California Speedway
Saturday, Oct. 16 Texas Motor Speedway
9/6/03
Hollywood cutting Giaffone's money 50%
According to this
Indy Star
article, Felipe Giaffone recently learned that Hollywood, a
Brazilian cigarette company, will cut its sponsorship next year by at
least 50 percent, putting his program with Morris Nunn's team in
jeopardy. Hollywood isn't getting the television exposure it needs in
Brazil because IRL races are shown on cable, not network television
like Formula One and CART. "I hope it allows me to stay with Morris
because I think we have a good thing going," Giaffone said. "If it
weren't for some bad luck this year, I think we'd be right there for
the championship. But we'll have to see."
9/6/03 ARCA
Kimmel wins ARCA race
Frank Kimmel has just won the ReadyHosting.com 200. This is the
seventh win this year for the driver of the No. 46 Advance Auto
Parts-Pork Ford. Rick Schenk
9/6/03
**READER OPINION**Eventually Tony will have to sit down
with CART UPDATE Another reader
responds - Dear AR1, Can someone, anyone, please explain to me WHY
“the sponsors” are STILL so hung up on the Indy 500? The fans get it.
The teams get it. Why don’t the sponsors? They lust for the 500 as if
it were the first gorgeous stripper to blow them a kiss back in their
youth when today it’s Grandma circling the pole in her walker, pasties
drooping way down! Speaking of “way” and “down” the TV audience
for the 500 is way down as are ticket sales. All because the 500 is
dependent upon the IRL for its show and the IRL is a concept that
produces TOTALLY lame racing THAT NO ONE WILL PAY TO SEE TONY, how
much longer can “the sponsors” tolerate the results they’re getting
for their huge investments in Tony’s “vision”?
If we could separate
the management of the Indy 500 from that of the IRL, Sister and
Brother let’s say, it’s clear Sis needs to throw the IRL out on its
ass and immediately ante up the sanctioning fee for a CART event over
the Memorial Day weekend. Let the IRL run as a support race for the
Brickyard 400 since they’re so fond of forcing their tickets on NASCAR
fans helpless to prevent it. Don’t “the sponsors” understand the
difference between “motorsports fans” (us) and “Indianapolis 500 fans”
(them, the ones that head back home to their Lazy-Boys immediately
after the checkers fall, little green oxygen tanks squeaking in tow
behind them, having seen their one and only “car race” for the year)
and get the fact they are TOTALLY different! Don’t the laptop
lugging MBAs running the marketing departments of “the sponsors”
understand who buys their product? “But they do it for the
media exposure too.” True. But look at the quality of the media
exposure in major ADI markets since the split. A lot of “press kit
journalism.”
Media outlets are not dedicating the resources they once
did. There is other stuff their readers want covered that’s much more
important to them. Let’s call it like it is. Tony shot the Golden
Goose in the head. All that remains to be seen is how much more of
this nonsense Sis will take before she reasserts herself, pulls the
plug, and stops the lunacy that has driven the once great race right
straight into the ground, taking North American open wheel racing
right along with it like a wing man in the Iraqi air force!
It’s time for corporate motorsports sponsors to give up their
misplaced infatuation with the old dancer (the race, not Sis) in her
walker. Move on guys and gals! Get over it! Motorsports fans sure
have. The Indianapolis 500 is just another lame under-attended and
under-viewed IRL race propped-up by three weeks of expensive pre-race
nonsense (that you sponsors ultimately pay for) designed to fluff up
the importance of a mediocre “car race”, depleted of all significance
and dismissed by the fans for its total lack of relevance in today’s
“sports entertainment marketplace.”
The 500 won’t again be
worthy of affectionate sponsors tucking $100 bills in her G-String
until Grandma gets off the stage and puts her hot, sexy, turbocharged
granddaughter up there in her place. With a Bump and a Grind,
J.N. Anderson, Chicago, Illinois Dear JN, What you fail to
address is the fact that CART isn't in much better shape. The
split, and the person who created it must ultimately be held
responsible for the downfall of open wheel racing in the USA. The fans
have already spoken, but Mr. George still sees no sense in a merger,
thinking that CART's death will help the IRL to thrive. That
misconception is as far from the truth as the misconception that all
the big driver names, manufacturers and sponsors moving from CART to
the IRL would help it grow. It's had exactly the opposite
effect. Mark C.
9/5/03 - A reader writes, Dear AR1, It is clear to me that once Open
Wheel Racing Series LLC takes over Championship Auto Racing Teams Inc;
more serious talks with Tony George will take place. The aim will be
to get the Indianapolis 500 back to CART's schedule. Since the
inaugural race (in January 1996) to date; the IRL has failed to be
what it was meant to. Not only is it not an All American series any
more (manufacturers and drivers from different nationalities are
dominating), the attendance to their races (including its crown jewel
the Indy 500) have been falling year after year and, as if it wasn't
enough, its TV audience is minimal. They were predicting sold out
events, grids of 30+ cars along with CART's death. Not only they
did not have 30+ cars, IRL's car count is now the same as CART's,
crashes and injuries have plagued it, their events are embarrassingly
sparsely attended (while CART's are usually sold out or close to it)
and CART is still alive. Sponsors, teams and manufacturers must not be
happy with all this. One doesn't have to be a rocket scientist to
realize that the IRL is in trouble and that today its future is more
uncertain than CART's.
On the other hand, CART has a strong product backed by solid venues,
successful races, a very competitive, affordable and reliable
engine/chassis formula and a fast growing worldwide fan base. Today
CART is a more appealing product than the IRL. So, the question is:
being CART is a US based series, will they be able to survive and
thrive without the Indy500? A die-hard CART fan would answer
with a conclusive yes. However, as any motor racing series, CART's
blood is made out of sponsors' money and the Indianapolis 500 is (and
will be for the years to come) US's top open wheel racing event by
far. In other words, CART is a much more attractive product to the
sponsor's eyes if the Indy 500 is part of its schedule. OWRS will go
for it.
Tony George knows all this; he knows all he has is the Indy500; he'll
have no option but to eventually sit down with OWRS and negotiate. His
sponsors, teams and manufacturers will demand that from him.
Regards, Roberto Reyes
9/6/03
Back to the big tracks
Sunday's Delphi
Indy 300 at Chicagoland Speedway will mark the return of the IRL Indy
Car Series to superspeedway competition. The final three races of the
IRL schedule will be contested on tracks that reward horsepower.
Chicagoland Speedway and Texas Motor Speedway (site of the
season-ending Chevy 500 on Oct. 12) are 1.5 mile ovals; California
Speedway, which hosts an IRL event on Sept. 21, is a 2-mile track.
"With the final three events of the IRL season on big ovals, the
spotlight will be on engine performance," said Joe Negri, GM Racing
IRL program manager. "Based on the new Chevy Indy V8's [nee Ford
Cosworth] results in superspeedway races at Kentucky and MIS, with a
victory and a runner-up finish, we expect that the new Chevrolet
engine will be a strong contender. Up to this point, our primary
focus has been on converting and supplying Chevrolet teams with new
Gen IV Chevy Indy V8 engines," Negri noted. "While we are still
working hard to fill the pipeline, we are now turning our focus to
development projects. Engine reliability has been outstanding, which
has allowed us to begin work on performance improvements."
9/6/03
Darlington #1 sports show
The Mountain Dew Southern 500, the NASCAR Winston Cup Series race
held last Sunday at Darlington Raceway and televised by NBC, was the
most-watched sporting event of Labor Day weekend, with an average of
7,965,000 viewers. The race’s household viewership of 5,241,000 easily
outdistanced the weekend’s second most-watched sporting event –
college football on ABC on Saturday night – by 40%.
9/6/03 Industry News
Chicagoland announces 2004 schedule
Matthew Alexander, VP/GM of Chicagoland Speedway, announced the
2004 racing schedule will initially include five races over two event
weekends. The 2004 season will open with the Tropicana
Twister 300 (NASCAR Busch Series) on Saturday, July 10 and the
Tropicana 400 (NASCAR Nextel Cup Series) on Sunday, July 11. The
season will conclude with the Chicagoland 100 (IRL Infiniti Pro
Series) and the ReadyHosting.com 200 (ARCA RE/MAX Series) on Saturday,
September 11, as well as the Delphi Indy 300 (IRL IndyCar Series) on
Sunday, September 12.
"We are excited to once again welcome back NASCAR, IRL, and ARCA to
Chicagoland Speedway," Alexander said. "It is always our goal to give
our Track Pack holders (PS: The only way you can buy tickets is the
Track Pack which is a ticket for every race held at this facility) the
most valuable motorsports and entertainment ticket in town and we will
continue to look at ways to maximize our guests' experience. We will
keep working with sanctioning bodies and leagues to explore adding
more events to the current schedule."
Alexander urges race fans to act now so they don't miss the 2004
racing action. "The world-class racing we have brought to the Chicago
market has created a tremendous amount of excitement and an ever
expanding fan base. Chicagoland Speedway and our Track Pack has
quickly become one of the hottest tickets in the third largest market
in the country. Because of the outstanding racing, our beautiful
facility and the entertainment value we offer in our Track Pack, we
have sold out our grandstands earlier each year since our 2001
inaugural season. I urge fans new to the sport and fans that have
followed the sport for many years to purchase quickly so they are not
caught looking for tickets that are not available next summer." 2004 CHICAGOLAND SPEEDWAY SEASON SCHEDULE*
JULY 10-11 NASCAR WEEKEND:
July 10, 2004: Tropicana Twister 300
(NASCAR Busch Series)
July 11, 2004: Tropicana 400
(NASCAR Nextel Cup Series)
SEPTEMBER 11-12 ARCA/IRL WEEKEND:
September 11, 2004: ReadyHosting.com 2000
(ARCA RE/MAX Series)
September 11, 2004: Chicagoland 100
(IRL Infiniti Pro Series)
September 12, 2004: Delphi Indy 300
(IRL IndyCar Series)
*Schedule subject to change.
9/6/03
Ed Carpenter wins IPS pole
Qualifying Friday for the Chicagoland 100 IRL Infiniti Pro
Series event on the 1.5-mile Chicagoland Speedway, with starting
position, car number in parenthesis, driver and chassis-engine:
1. (14) Ed Carpenter, Dallara-Infiniti, 189.057
2. (4) Mark Taylor, Dallara-Infiniti, 188.597
3. (91) Aaron Fike, Dallara-Infiniti, 188.251
4. (5) Arie Luyendyk Jr., Dallara-Infiniti, 187.366
5. (25) G.J. Mennen, Dallara-Infiniti, 186.691
6. (36) Thiago Medeiros, Dallara-Infiniti, 186.607
7. (92) Cory Witherill, Dallara-Infiniti, 186.594
8. (27) Gary Peterson, Dallara-Infiniti, 186.305
9. (9) Taylor Fletcher, Dallara-Infiniti, 185.517
10. (99) Marco Cioci, Dallara-Infiniti, 184.876
11. (3) Marty Roth, Dallara-Infiniti, 184.149
12. (24) Billy Roe, Dallara-Infiniti, 183.436
13. (20) Jeff Simmons, Dallara-Infiniti, 179.443
14. (33) Paul Dana, Dallara-Infiniti, no time
9/6/03
Rocket Man Ticket package for Miami
MotoRock LLC has partnered with the Trans-Am Road Racing Series
to bring the MotoRock Miami 100 – Battle by the Beach, and Rock N Roll
legend Elton John in concert in conjunction with the Grand Prix
Americas presented by Sportsbook.com. The concert will take place at
the American Airlines Arena on Saturday September 27th at 8:00 PM. “We
are thrilled to have MotoRock presenting such a great act as part of
the Grand Prix Americas,” said Martinez. “This is another example as
to how the Grand Prix Americas is working to enhance the experience of
our fans, by creating an exciting atmosphere with concerts, festivals
and events.” "We are proud to announce that on September 27, 2003
MotoRock will be presenting Elton John in concert at the American
Airlines Arena in Miami,” stated Jamie Rose, Chairman and CEO of
MotoRock. “It will be the first time in history that Elton has
performed at this arena, and we’re thrilled to have him as the
cornerstone of the first MotoRock event,” concluded Rose. Buy Your
Elton John/Grand Prix Americas package online! Includes admission to
the Elton John Concert on Saturday night (9/27/03), General Admission
to the race (3-day ticket), a Grand Prix Americas Hat, and a MotoRock
T-Shirt. (Note: If you have already purchased tickets or would like to
add the concert to another ticket, call the ticket office at (305)
373-3333). The package will be $89 and will be available starting
Saturday on www.miamirace.com
9/6/03
Mexico
City ticket sales update
With 36-days remaining, Mexico City organizers have sold over
60% of the reserved 3-day tickets for CART's upcoming Mexico City
Race. To date, 58,790 have been sold in just 36 days. Race
organizers are expecting a 3-day crowd of over 300,000 people.
They have set General Admissions prices much lower this year so more
Mexicans can afford to attend the race, which drew over 150,000 on
race day last year.
9/6/03
Biela
sets fast test time at Mazda Raceway
Seeking his third consecutive American Le Mans Series win at
Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, Frank Biela started the quest on a positive
note Friday by setting the fast time of the day in an unofficial test
session for Sunday's Fry's Electronics Sports Car Championships event.
Biela, driving the Infineon Team Joest Audi R8 that he will share with
Marco Werner, turned a lap of 1:16.593 on the 2.238-mile circuit. The
lap was the fastest overall among the 35 cars that recorded times in
the session as well as the leading time in the LMP 900 class. More....
9/5/03
Scheckter
ends day fastest, Ray out for weekend
Target Chip Ganassi driver Tomas Scheckter turned the fastest lap in
Friday practice for the IRL IndyCar TM Series Delphi Indy 300 at
Chicagoland Speedway. Veteran Richie Hearn, returning to the cockpit
for the first time since the Indianapolis 500 on May 25, was second on
the speed chart. Scheckter, 22, turned a fast lap of 24.4493
seconds, 223.810 mph in the No. 10 Target Chip Ganassi Panoz G
Force/Toyota/Firestone. Hearn’s fastest lap was 24.4820, 223.511 in
the No. 2 Menards/Johns Manville Dallara/Chevrolet/Firestone.
Kenny Brack was third at 24.5524, 222.870 in the No. 15 Pioneer/Miller
Lite Dallara/Honda/Firestone. Bryan Herta followed at 24.5596, 222.805
in the No. 27 Archipelago/Motorola Dallara/Honda/Firestone, while
Scott Dixon rounded out the top five at 24.5796, 222.624 in the No. 9
Target Chip Ganassi Panoz G/Toyota/Firestone. The only
accident of the day came in the first practice session when Greg Ray
made contact with the outside retaining wall in Turn 4. He
was uninjured. Team officials said the car was irreparable. Ray will
not compete in Sunday’s race. More.....IRL
9/5/03
Scheckter fast, Ray crashes
Tomas Scheckter led the first Delphi Indy 300 practice
session at Chicagoland Speedway with a lap of 24.5551 seconds,
222.755 mph in the No. 10 Target Chip Ganassi Racing Panoz G
Force/Toyota/Firestone. Richie Hearn, driver of the No. 2
Menards/Johns Manville Dallara/Chevrolet/Firestone, was second
fastest at 24.5884, 222.544. During the practice session, Greg
Ray, driver of the No. 13 TrimSpa Special Panoz G
Force/Honda/Firestone, made contact with the outside retaining
wall in Turn 4. Ray was uninjured. IRL
9/5/03
CART stock watch
In NYSE trading today MPH closed UNCHANGED at $1.00 p/shr
on Volume of 110,500 shares.
Low/High of Session: $1.00/$1.05
NYSE DOWN 84.56 or 0.88% on Volume of 1.83B shares.
NASDAQ DOWN 10.85 or 0.58%
S&P 500 DOWN 6.60 or 0.64%
courtesy of C3I.AndersonGroupe – Chicago www.andersongroupe.com
9/5/03
Busch drops complaint against
Spencer
Kurt Busch dropped his assault complaint against rival
#7-Jimmy Spencer, who punched him in the face after a race
last month at Michigan International Speedway..
9/5/03 Industry News
ISC reports 2nd Quarter
earnings drop
Daytona Beach-based International Speedway Corp. (NYSE:
ISCA) reported decreased earnings for the second quarter. The
company blamed the weather for the lowered earnings. Also
lowered were third quarter and annual expectations, primarily
because of lower revenue at the Pepsi 400 in July in Daytona
and the lack of a sponsor for an August race in Michigan.
International Speedway reported earnings of $12.5 million, or
24 cents a share, compared to $14.4 million, or 27 cents a
share, for the prior year.
9/5/03
Lawsuit could cost NASCAR $1
billion
According to this Dallas Morning News
article, Some of the most prominent attorneys and most
prestigious law firms in the country are involved in the Ferko
vs. NASCAR antitrust lawsuit. The TMS side includes Johnnie
Cochran, who became famous as the attorney for O.J. Simpson.
He has estimated financial damages at upwards of $1 billion,
although other attorneys involved say $200 million is more
realistic.
9/5/03
Bridgestone Motorsports boss
Q&A
The FIA letter sent by Charlie Whiting a few days ago to
the 10 teams and the two tire manufacturers is still making
waves. Hirohide Hamashima gives us the Bridgestone's position:
More....
9/5/03
Elliott to decide on future
soon
Bill Elliott says he will decide by the end of the month
whether he'll retire at the end of the current Winston Cup
season or return for one more year. But the choice isn't as
simple as it seems. He's struggling to make a decision that is
in the best interest of a host of parties, including his car
owner Ray Evernham, his crew, NASCAR and his legions of fans.
He's in the last year of his contract with car owner Ray
Evernham, but Evernham has said the No. 9 Dodge is Elliott's
for as long as he wants to drive it. Elliott, who is still
fully capable of winning, says he won't leave Evernham unless
a top-notch replacement is standing by to take over his car.
Complicating matters is the fact that Elliott's teammate
Jeremy Mayfield is struggling, which could mean he might be
forced out of the #19 Dodge. If Elliott retired at the end of
this year, that could leave Evernham in the difficult position
of having a multi-car race team with no drivers in place for
the upcoming season. Then there are the top NASCAR officials
who are urging Elliott to continue for at least one more
season, so his contributions to the sport can be properly
recognized. But Elliott, who shuns the spotlight whenever
possible, said he wants no part of the type of retirement tour
that Richard Petty and Darrell Waltrip took in the final
season of their careers.
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
9/5/03
Drive
the Surfers course online
The CART Lexmark Surfers race folks have added a brand new
feature to the
http://www.qantm.com.au/ site. It's called Indy Racer! And it's
your chance to race the Indy track online in full 3D. What's better is
that the game is free. All you need is your computer and
internet access. Even better still is that you can win great prizes
for having the best lap time each fortnight! In addition you can win a
framed poster signed by the 2002 Champ Car Series Drivers! The best
lap times of the week will appear on the Leader Board. You can also
set up your own private Leader Board to challenge your friends! To
play, click on the link below, or copy and paste the link into your
internet browser.
http://svc105.bne146v.server-web.com/indy
9/5/03
Newman says no IRL UPDATE A reader writes, You
have to have a lot of respect for Paul. He means what he says.
I was a little worried when I started hearing stories about a Newman/Haas IRL entry at the Indy 500. He said a while ago that he has
washed his hands of the 500 and isn't looking back and I always
respected what he said. As I said a while ago I wish people could get
over the Indy 500. It's not a race worth destroying a whole
racing series over. Not even close! I would take
Long Beach and Vancouver over the Indy 500 even in the old days!
Doug Ferguson, West Palm Beach, FL9/4/03 - Paul Newman flew to Denver last Sunday (where his team finished
1-2) to spend one day with the Newman/Haas team and to assure them
that he has no interest in a switch to the IRL. "I am here
specifically to scotch the rumors about us moving to the IRL," Newman
told AUTOSPORT. "I wanted to make it clear to the guys on the team
exactly where I stand. As I've said before, I'm totally committed to
CART and I have no interest at all in the IRL." Most of the
Newman/Haas crew shares Newman's attitude toward the IRL, but
engineering director Peter Gibbons is a close friend of Michael
Andretti, who drove for the team from 1989-92 and 1995-2000. Andretti
has been applying pressure on Gibbons to try to get him to convince
Haas to mount an IRL effort. Should Gibbons be successful in his quest
for a full-time IRL program, it is likely that Newman would withdraw
his support and the team would be known as Haas Racing. Paul Newman
said some time ago he would never again set foot on the Indianapolis
Motor Speedway.
9/5/03
Button cheers up girlfriend
In other quick F1 news, Jenson Button's girlfriend got the
perfect 'cheer-up' consolation prize for being booted of BBC talent
show Fame Academy. Her BAR-driving boyfriend, 23, bought
Louise Griffiths a brand-new Mercedes road car and roared off to
celebrate in it near London's trendy nightspots last week.
San Jose plays host to ALMS cars
The normally serene and tranquil area of San Jose’s Cesar Chavez
Park will come alive with the sights and sounds of professional auto
racing with the Mini Le Mans event on Wednesday, September 3.
Several of the exotic race cars that will be competing in this
weekend’s Fry’s Electronics Sports Car Championships at Mazda Raceway
Laguna Seca in Monterey, Calif., will be on display and will then fire
up and make some laps of the park on San Jose’s West Market Street and
other adjoining city streets.
The display will include cars from the American Le Mans Series,
several of which having competed in this year’s 24 Hours of Le Mans
event in France, as well as cars from some of the other racing series
that will be competing at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca this weekend.
Cars will be on display beginning at 11 a.m. (PDT) and will start up
and make laps at noon and then again at 12:20 p.m. One of the cars
will stage a pit stop demonstration between the runs. Race fans in the
area will be able to see the cars and get autographs from the drivers
in a special autograph session beginning at 12:30 p.m.
Among the American Le Mans Series cars expected to participate in the
San Jose event are a Panoz LMP01 Prototype from JML Team Panoz, a
Ferrari 550 Maranello from Prodrive, the White Lightning/Petersen
Motorsports Porsche 911 GT3 RS and the Team Bucknum Racing/Dark Dog
Pilbeam MP91 Prototype. The Fry’s Electronics Sports Car Championships
event at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca culminates with a two-hour,
45-minute timed event for the American Le Mans Series on Sunday, Sept.
7, at 12 noon. Practice and qualifying, as well as races for support
series, will be held on Friday and Saturday.
Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca is located on Highway 68 between Salinas and
Monterey. Event ticket information is available online at
www.laguna-seca.com or by
calling 1-800-327-7322.
Photos
1)
Fans take a close look at the #80 Prodrive
Ferrari 550 Maranello and the #31 White Lightning-Petersen Motorsports
Porsche 911 GT3 RS before they took some laps around San Jose's Cesar
Chavez Park on Wednesday. The cars will compete in Sunday's American
Le Mans Series event at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca in Monterey, Calif.
2)
Market Street in Downtown San Jose became a temporary
racing circuit Wednesday as cars from the American Le Mans Series took
some demonstration laps around Cesar Chavez Park. The cars will race
in Sunday's event at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca in Monterey, Calif. The
#80 Ferrari, driven by Jan Magnussen, leads the #31 Porsche driven by
Johnny Mowlem.
3) American Le Mans Series drivers (l-r) Craig Stanton,
Johnny Mowlem and Jan Magnussen sign autographs for fans in San Jose's
Cesar Chavez Park Wednesday afternoon after doing demonstration laps
on Market Street in their race cars that they will drive in Sunday's
event at Mazda
Raceway Laguna Seca.
9/5/03
Pollock on the challenges ahead for
CART owners
Craig Pollock had this to say in the latest issue of National
Speed Sport News with regard to CART's future owners, and how they
must run the series - "At the start, I got heavily involved in it to
make sure that the right partners were put together," Pollock
continued. "I'd like to think that initially I was a little bit of a
catalyst in getting these partners to come together. Gerry is my
partner in Formula 1 and Kevin is my partner in CART. They are
definitely the key players out there at the moment, then getting on
board Paul Gentilozzi and Carl Russo is just added strength." Pollock
believes that Open Wheel Racing Series (OWRS) will need to make
radical and fundamental changes if it hopes to rebuild Champ Car
racing the worldwide level of success it enjoyed in the mid-90s. "The
managing director or chief executive officer of CART is going to have
to deal with four very strong opinions and potentially egos," Pollock
said. "So I believe it's going to take a very strong, hard-nosed
businessman to run the sport. Sometimes he's going to have to turn
around and say, 'I don't agree with you and we have to do it this way.
You put me in position to do it, so leave me to do it and just step
back. The main thing is that this is a very serious group of investors
who are very fully aware that they are going to have to change the
character of the sport and make it a lot more sexy," he added. "That
sexiness can come out of many things. It can be the concept of having
a full weekend of entertainment off the track to keep the whole family
interested in coming to a race. Everything on the track must also
change. We've got to create passing and they will be looking into that
very seriously because the only way to generate revenue is through
sponsors and TV and media. It can only be sexy for the TV side if you
put on a show, but it still has to remain a sport. All that has to be
studied by the experts that these four gentlemen have to get in there,
because they are not 100 percent experts on motorsports. It's
important that these four guys have to be willing to do that."
9/4/03
2004 Las Vegas Cup tickets go
on sale Monday
Tickets for the March, 2004 NASCAR Weekend at Las Vegas
Motor Speedway will go on sale Monday, Sept. 8 at 8 a.m.
Pacific Time. Tickets for the seventh annual UAW-DaimlerChrysler
400 NASCAR Nextel Cup event on March 7, 2004, the Sam’s Town
300 NASCAR Busch Series event (March 6), Pole Day (March 5)
and the O’Reilly World of Outlaws (March 4 and 5) will be
available on Monday. Race fans can call 1-800-644-4444 or log
on to www.lvms.com to
purchase tickets. Race fans purchasing weekend packages
receive seating priority from year to year. Weekend packages
include frontstretch seats for the UAW-DaimlerChrysler 400 and
Sam’s Town 300 as well as a free ticket to Pole Day. LVMS also
offers a “Super Ticket” that includes tickets to two nights of
the O’Reilly World of Outlaws events in addition to the NASCAR
events. For the fourth consecutive year, Las Vegas Motor
Speedway will offer Pole Day-only pit passes. These passes,
which must be accompanied by a Pole Day ticket, will allow
fans access to the infield and pit-road areas during practice
and qualifying. The passes do not allow for access to the
garage areas.
9/4/03
2004 All-Star race to stay at
Lowe's
NASCAR's annual all-star race will return to Lowe's
Motor Speedway in Concord, N.C., next season, ThatsRacin.com
has learned. The race, called The Winston since its inception
in 1985, will be run on May 22, 2004 - the traditional
Saturday night spot on the schedule prior to the track's first
Winston Cup race of the season, the May 30 Coca-Cola 600,
sources confirmed Thursday. A formal announcement of the race
date will likely come in the next few weeks. The name of the
race remains unclear. Track officials would not confirm the
race date Thursday. "Nothing can officially be said until
NASCAR releases its 2004 schedule," said track spokesman Jerry
Gappens. "Obviously, we feel very positive it will return to
its rightful place in 2004." Lowe's signed a one-year
extension to host the all-star race this [2003] season. Last
year, NASCAR suggested it might rotate The Winston to other
cities, news that did not go over well with community leaders
across the Charlotte region. The race generates $75 million
for the track area's economy, a 1999 UNC Charlotte study
found. Since then, The Winston has grown even more popular,
and this year attracted a record crowd of 150,000. A nonprofit
group organized to promote the race this year raised $650,000
and used the theme, "There's No Place Like Home." Most drivers
and race teams live in the region, and the track has hosted
the race every year since 1987. The departure of series
sponsor Winston - announced in June - ensured the race would
at least change in name, and possibly in location. Nextel
Communications, based in Reston, Va., signed a 10-year
agreement to begin sponsoring what is now known at the Winston
Cup Series, beginning in 2004. At the time of their
announcement, Nextel officials said they would be involved in
the all-star race, but said they would leave the location up
to NASCAR. There had been a lot of speculation in recent
months that the race could end up at some point at Richmond
International Raceway, since it is the closest Cup track to
Nextel's headquarters. Last month, Lowe's officials confirmed
they had signed a sanctioning agreement with NASCAR to host a
Truck series race on May 21, an indicator that the all-star
race would return next season. The track hosted its first
Truck race this season on the night before The Winston and it
was a success with more than 40,000 in attendance. Speedway
officials said then they did not plan to hold a Truck race as
a stand-alone event and planned it to once again coincide with
the all-star race.
ThatsRacin.com
9/4/03
Michelin sends letter to
Italian newspaper
Michelin replied to the negative comments made by Ross
Brawn of team Ferrari about Michelin tires in Gazzetta dello
Sport.
Following the publication of an article implicating Michelin
in your September 3, 2003 edition, the Management of Michelin
would like to bring to your attention the following points :
1. Since the San Marino F1 Grand Prix, 2001, the FIA has
always authorized all our front tires whose ‘tread width must
not exceed 270mm ". This measurement has been taken by the FIA
on new tires, as stated in the FIA Sporting Regulations
article 77)C.
2. The day after the Hungarian Grand Prix 2003, the FIA
unilaterally changed the interpretation of its regulation by
stating that the front tire tread width must now be measured
before and after use. Michelin is ready to try to conform to
this new interpretation of the regulation, but continues to
feel that it is necessary to have more time. The time-scale
given, the next Monza Grand Prix, being much too short.
3. By making Ross Brawn’s mistaken declaration the title of
your article, you are misleading your readers and it is not
for Ross Brawn to decide the legality of Michelin’s tires. We
therefore request that you rectify this information,
remembering that Ross Brawn’s grievances are highly
prejudicial to Michelin.
4. Michelin is saddened to see the great house of Ferrari
involved in such false accusations. Michelin would like to
remind you that it won its first F1 Grand Prix in 1978 in Rio
and its first world title in 1979, both with the Ferrari team,
a team for which Michelin has always had the greatest respect.
5. Michelin of course reserves the right to take legal action
following the slanderous remarks of the Ferrari team-member.
9/4/03
CART files to modify their
poison pill
CART filed this
SEC Form 8/8A today that, if we interpret it
correctly, says that CART is now waiving its poison pill (the
poison pill in the stock agreement said no one can own more
than 15% voting shares, and any shares owned over 15% are
worthless. A special amendment was made for Forsythe to
own over the 15%, but he could only vote 15%, the rest being
voted as CART saw fit). This can mean a couple of
scenarios. Rather than letting Forsythe's remaining 9.9%
shares go un-voted in a proxy vote (CART itself had to stay
neutral), CART is now allowing Forsythe to vote all his 24.9%
shares he owns. Another scenario is that they are
opening up who owns voting shares to make the buyout
possible. There has been a lot of stock activity lately
and perhaps someone is accumulating as many shares as possible
to vote for or against the buyout. We placed a call
into CART's financial folks today to get a confirmation on our
interpretation, but they are all tied up in the Board meeting
in Chicago. We await their return call. Mark C.
9/4/03
CART stock watch UPDATE CART MPH
shares closed down 0.03 (2.91%) to $1.00 per share on a very
large volume of 362,300 shares. 9/4/03 - Another
big volume day for MPH with over 200,000 shares traded at
12:45 PM EST and the price down 0.10.
9/4/03
Monza testing Day 3 -
Schumacher fastest
World champion Michael Schumacher set the pace on the
third day of testing at the Monza circuit today (Thursday),
outpacing championship rivals Juan Pablo Montoya and Kimi
Raikkonen as preparation for the Italian Grand Prix continues.
Pos Driver Chassis-engine Tires
Time Laps
1 Michael Schumacher Ferrari B 1m21.29s 76
2 Juan Pablo Montoya Williams-BMW M 1m21.35s 39
3 Kimi Raikkonen McLaren-Mercedes M 1m21.71s 77
4 Fernando Alonso Renault M 1m21.74s 96
5 Luca Badoer Ferrari B 1m21.81s 70
6 Jarno Trulli Renault M 1m21.95s 81
7 David Coulthard McLaren-Mercedes M 1m21.96s 49
8 Marc Gene Williams-BMW M 1m21.99s 74
9 Rubens Barrichello Ferrari B 1m22.05s 54
10 Jacques Villeneuve BAR-Honda B 1m22.09s 73
11 Mark Webber Jaguar M 1m22.12s 62
12 Alex Wurz McLaren-Mercedes M 1m22.25s 28
13 Cristiano da Matta Toyota M 1m22.27s 78
14 Olivier Panis Toyota M 1m22.29s 80
15 Ricardo Zonta Toyota M 1m22.46s 65
16 Takuma Sato BAR-Honda B 1m22.46s 60
17 Anthony Davidson BAR-Honda B 1m22.90s 32
18 Giancarlo Fisichella Jordan-Ford B 1m23.04s 39
19 Nick Heidfeld Sauber-Petronas B 1m23.45s 39
20 Bjorn Wirdheim Jordan-Ford B 1m23.63s 46
21 Gianmaria Bruni Minardi-Cosworth B 1m24.73s 26
22 Nicola Kiesa Minardi-Cosworth B 1m25.03s 35
B = Bridgestone
M = Michelin
9/4/03
Wirdheim gets first taste of F1
power
New FIA F3000 champion Bjorn Wirdheim got his first
taste of Formula One power today when he drove Giancarlo
Fisichella's car at Monza. "It was a bit difficult because we
ran into some problems and, unfortunately, I didn't get as
much running as I was hoping for," Wirdheim admitted.
"The team did good job and was able to get me out at the end of
the day for a few more laps. It was good experience for me to
drive the car, but I was still learning at the end of the
afternoon, so I would have liked a few more laps." "It was a
fairly difficult day with a few problems of our own," the
team's director of engineering, Gary Anderson, confirmed. "We
had to take the engine off to carry out a fuel system repair
on Björn's car and, fairly early on in the pit-lane, there was
an electronics glitch on his car which meant the throttle
stuck fully open. We had a lot of downtime on both cars while
we diagnosed and corrected the problem. Bjorn did a good job
in difficult circumstances – he was cool and calm and got on
with work. He probably would have found more lap time with
another 20 laps. Giancarlo had a gearbox casing failure
early this afternoon and we spent a lot of time changing the
gearbox," Anderson admitted, "It was a 'stop-start' day, which
is a bit frustrating, but it happens in testing. Both drivers
did a reasonable job and all our tire and damper work is
complete. Björn had the opportunity to learn about the car and
Giancarlo had some time to work on race set-up, so it was
positive."
9/4/03
Rear suspension failure for
Williams
Williams technical director Patrick Head said that a
faulty rear suspension was the likely cause of Ralf
Schumacher's 150mph crash during testing at Monza on Tuesday.
His Williams left the track at Lesmo 1, where it reportedly
flipped several times. Schumacher was discharged from a Milan
hospital Wednesday, and has returned home to rest. "It appears
there may have been a failure of the bonding in part of the
rear suspension," Head told British newspaper The Guardian.
We flew out new components which were fitted to the cars in
time for yesterday's test."
9/4/03
Q&A with Fernando Alonso
The Renault F1 Team driver begins his first day of
testing at Monza today, and he sat down yesterday to talk
about his recent win and what the future holds in an interview
for www.renaultf1.com. Fernando, what have you been doing since Budapest?
Fernando Alonso: The first thing was a promotional event for
Renault in Poland, and afterwards I spent a few days at home
in Oxford. I was relaxing, and training for the next race.
Nothing special really. You didn’t go back to Spain?
FA: No. The response to my win has been incredible there – it
was almost too much. If I had gone back straight away, I
wouldn’t even have been able to walk down the street without
attracting attention! The press would have followed me
twenty-four hours a day. Even the King of Spain called you?
FA: Yes, he did. He is a motor racing fan and we have already
met a few times, particularly at prize-giving ceremonies. His
call after the race in Budapest was extremely important to me.
My win was also partly a victory for Spain, and for us, the
King is a special figure: to receive a message from him was a
real privilege. Has the win changed anything in your approach to racing?
FA: Not really. From a personal point of view, my first win is
a very positive step: I had dreamed about it for a long time!
Having said that, I think it has had a bigger impact on the
team. Renault has made an incredible effort to get on terms
with the other top teams in the last few months, and people
have been working very hard, especially on the engine and on
integrating the teams at Enstone and Viry. We didn’t go to
Hungary expecting to win: it’s a fantastic bonus for us. Overall, would you say it was a relatively easy victory for
you?
FA: Yes… Qualifying counted for at least 50% of the result,
because overtaking is so hard at Budapest. During the first
stint of the race I pushed liked mad, and then after that I
was looking after the car and the tyres, controlling the gap.
I was just worried about hearing strange noises from the car. Did you expect to be able to win in the way you did?
FA: In my mind, I had seen my first Grand Prix win coming
because of mechanical problems with another car: for example,
if Schumacher’s Ferrari had had a problem in Barcelona. I
never expected to win this year after dominating the race
quite like that. Your father was in Hungary to see the win. What did that
mean to you?
FA: He didn’t go to Malaysia because he doesn’t like flying
too much, so he missed my first podium. My family has made a
lot of sacrifices for my career, and to be able to stand on
the top step of the podium in Budapest, look down and see my
Dad was a great feeling for me. For him as well, I think. People see you as a potential World Champion. What’s your
reaction?
FA: I don’t pay any attention. People said good things after
Sepang and Barcelona, then the results were less spectacular
and less was written about me. I’m sure that after Monza, the
press attention will be focused on somebody else again. The next race is Monza: what are you hoping for?
FA: It will probably be the hardest race of the season for us,
and expectations are not huge. Our aim has to be to score more
points. Having said that, we expected to be competitive in
Budapest, but not competitive enough to win on merit. That
might mean Italy has some nice surprises in store! Finally, is life in F1 as difficult as you imagined it
would be?
FA: No: it’s even harder! My life has changed a lot this year,
and I don’t really have time to myself anymore. Things like
just riding my bike for a few hours, having dinner with
friends, or going out bowling until midnight are all
impossible now. If that’s the price to pay for winning more
often, though, I’m not complaining!
9/4/03
Will
Brands Hatch try for approval again?
This Grandprix.com article
says, Plans to redevelop Brands Hatch racing circuit for
Formula 1 use were laid down in 2000 but the application for
planning permission, agreed by the local Sevenoaks District
Council, were then sent to the Secretary of State for the
Environment, Transport and the Regions. The Planning Minister
Nick Raynsford decided that the best course of action was a
public inquiry and this was due to start in January 2001 but
the application was withdrawn when it became clear that a deal
had been struck between the owners of Brands Hatch and the
British Racing Drivers' Club for the race to be held at
Silverstone. (See proposed track changes in diagram to
right from AR1 archives. The pits and garage area would
be relocated to the long straight called Pilgrims Drop between
Surtees and Hawthorne Bend)
With Brands Hatch now up for sale (and even rumors that it is
being acquired by F1 boss Bernie Ecclestone), the issue of
planning permission may be raised again, particularly in the
light of the fact that the Kent County Council has recently
come up with a new strategic plan for sport in the county.
"Kent: The Champion County, the strategic framework for sport
in Kent 2003 - 2008" is a new report produced by Kent County
Council's Sports Development Unit which calls for the county
to "regularly accommodate major events of national and
international significance" and that the country should make
the best use of the existing facilities. The document also
argued that Kent "should be allowed the flexibility to
determine its needs and have agreements with national or
regional funding bodies to ensure that those needs are met"
and that although proximity to London means that Kent does not
secure major events, "the location could be an advantage if
North West Kent secured high quality facilities able to be
used for national and international events".
The planning application made in 2000 called for permission to
redevelop existing facilities including partial demolition of
existing buildings and erection of pit buildings and paddock,
media centre and associated helipads and grandstands,
alteration to configuration of both the Indy and Grand Prix
circuit together with landscaping, highway works and parking.
It proposed a new 15,000 seat grandstand and three temporary
grandstands capable of accommodating some 26,000 spectators so
that Brands Hatch could accommodate 120,000 people on race
day. The proposed redevelopment would mean the loss of 14
hectares of woodland, much of it ancient.
9/4/03
Heidfeld crashes at Monza
Nick Heidfeld had a high speed shunt this morning in
testing at Monza. The German lost control of his Sauber
Petronas under braking for the first corner, plowing into the
Armco barriers. As he approached turn 1 it appeared be braked
too late and the car's back end came around and pitched it
through some Styrofoam blocks and into the Armco barriers.
Heidfeld was unhurt. The team is preparing his backup car for
later today.
9/4/03
Renault's Pat Symonds on
testing
Every Formula 1 team might be testing this week in
Monza, but for the Renault F1 Team, the race began months ago.
Before the season had even started in fact…
To the outside world, the Formula 1 circus goes from race to
race every two or three weeks: after one has finished,
attention shifts to the next. When it comes to planning
set-ups and strategies for season's races, though, things are
somewhat different: as Executive Director of Engineering Pat
Symonds explains, preparation begins months ahead of time.
"We use two main types of simulation in our race
preparations," explains Pat. "First of all, there are the
set-up simulations. With respect to Monza, work on these began
anything up to three months ago, in order to make sure things
like the correct gear ratios are available for the race. Once
that baseline work has been conducted, the engineers begin
concentrating on the other details, such as the type of
springs or rollbars, immediately after the previous race."
On the strategy side, things begin even earlier, are
fine-tuned up to the beginning of the race and can sometimes
even change while it is in progress. "I take a first look at
our options in terms of strategy before the beginning of the
season," continues Pat. "Prior to leaving for Australia, I sit
down and examine all the races, looking at what we might do,
and whether any patterns emerge. After that, the detailed work
begins in the weeks before the race. By Saturday, we have made
our decisions on when we will make our first stop as we must
run with that fuel load in final qualifying, then we continue
running simulations the evening before the race in order to
determine our plans for the rest of the Grand Prix."
As for the simulations themselves, they are more complex than
they seem. "When we talk about running a single strategy
simulation, what that actually equates to is ten thousand
simulated races on the computer," concludes Pat. "After
running a simulation, we then alter fuel loads, or predicted
tire degradation, or what we expect our rivals to do, and
repeat the process. By the Saturday night before a race, we
might have run anything up to one hundred simulations… or to
put it another way, one million simulated races…" Renault
9/4/03
Tracy nominated for 3rd Qtr.
DOY
Coming off a slow midseason run that saw him briefly
give up his spot atop the CART Champ Car World Series point
standings, Paul Tracy (#3 Player's/Indeck
Ford-Cosworth/Lola/Bridgestone) looked at a summer stretch of
seven races in two months and saw an opportunity to make his
move. The veteran started July with a second-place run in
Cleveland and when the third-quarter ended last weekend in
Denver, Tracy had earned three wins, three poles, four
podiums, led 325 laps and put himself in prime position to
gain his first Bridgestone Presents The Champ Car World Series
Powered by Ford championship. As a result of the dominant
performance, Tracy was again nominated for the prestigious
SPEED Channel Presents the Driver of the Quarter Award as one
of eight finalists from across the world of motorsports. Tracy
was named as the winner of the award for the first quarter of
the year after starting the 2003 season with three consecutive
victories, earning himself a spot in the year-end voting for
the Driver of the Year Award, which was won last year by Champ
Car World Series titlist Cristiano da Matta. In its 37th year,
the Driver of the Quarter award will be determined by an
independent vote of an 18-member panel of auto racing
journalists and broadcasters and one vote based on the
cumulative tally of fans voting at
www.speedtv.com. "The
quality of the nominees this quarter reflects consistent
excellence in performance by great drivers," said Driver of
the Year President Barry Schmoyer. "The second quarter fan
vote - approximately 129,000 - encouraged me because it proved
how seriously auto racing fans take their favorite sport."
Tracy will compete will seven other nominees for the
third-quarter award, including five other drivers that are
leading their respective series. NHRA Top Fuel points leader
Larry Dixon, Trans-Am leader Scott Pruett, NASCAR Winston Cup
frontman Matt Kenseth, USAC ace J.J. Yeley and IRL leader
Helio Castroneves are all among the nominees along with
NASCAR's Kevin Harvick and Ryan Newman.
9/4/03
Da Matta says Indy Car racing
must be patterned after CART
In this Toronto Sun
article, F1 driver Cristiano da Matta says, his CART
win at the Toronto Molson Indy in 2002 is one he cherishes. In
fact, da Matta said it is races like Toronto that keep him
opposed to the Indy Racing League becoming the only North
American open wheel series left should CART fail. "From what I
see from (Europe) is that I hope CART does not join with the
IRL," he said. "I think CART with its street courses, road
courses and ovals is a much better series." Da Matta said if
there is to be just one open wheel series in North American he
hopes it will be patterned on CART. That doesn't mean he
doesn't have hopes of some day competing at the Indianapolis
500, the crown jewel of the IRL. "I think of the Indianapolis
500 as separate from the IRL," da Matta said. "It is one of
the greatest races in the world." Da Matta said that even
racing at Indianapolis Motor Speedway later this month at the
United States Grand Prix will pale in comparison with racing
the big oval on Memorial Day. "To drive the (USGP) course at
Indianapolis is just another normal F-1 track," da Matta said.
"But the oval ... that's the place that has all of the
tradition."
9/4/03
Barron to replace Rice
Look for Alex Barron to drive Cheever Racing's
Dallara/Chevrolet starting this weekend at Chicagoland
Speedway. He will replace Buddy Rice. The team has
not had great success this year and Cheever felt a driver
change was in order.
9/4/03
Zanardi can be copied but never equaled
Former CART driver Alex Zanardi started the post-race victory
donut craze, but to this day, we have yet to see a driver who could do
them as well as Zanardi. The Winston Cup drivers try, put they
can't come anywhere near close to equaling Zanardi's donuts that would
form perfect circle on top of circle for as long as he wanted.
Zanardi's secret was thought to be putting the brake bias all the way
forward and locking the front tires using the brakes (front) as a
pivot point while he spun the back tires with his 900 HP Champ Car
engine. His ability to keep the pivot point almost stationary
was remarkable. This AP
article talks about the copycat NASCAR drivers who have gotten
out of hand doing donuts, that frankly look pathetic. Oh, and
have you noticed they now copy former CART driver Helio Castroneves'
(who now does it in the IRL) Spiderman fence climbing antics?
Can they think of anything original on their own? To a
very professional Terry Labonte's credit, when asked Tuesday
night on Wind Tunnel why he didn't do victory donuts, he said
it didn't make sense because Alex Zanardi set the standard
that no one could ever match. Basically he was saying
he's not a copycat like the others. Mark C.
9/4/03
Wednesday testing at Lowe's
Jamie McMurray continued to set the pace Wednesday as NASCAR
Winston Cup teams wrapped up their two-day testing session at Lowe’s
Motor Speedway. For the second night, McMurray topped the unofficial
speed charts in the twilight session with a lap of 177.282 mph around
the 1.5 mile quad-oval. McMurray’s Havoline team was among the five
teams that remained for the second of the two-day session as the teams
made their final preparations for the UAW-GM Quality 500 on Saturday
night, Oct. 11. "We are definitely better than we were here in May,"
McMurray said. "We've gone through a bunch of shocks, basically trying
stuff we don't have time to try during a race weekend. We think we've
found something and the car is driving really good. I'm looking
forward to coming back in October." Jeff Fultz, a former ARCA RE/MAX
Series winner here, was second fastest at 177.072 mph in the No. 55
Ford. Two-time UAW-GM Quality 500 winner Dale Jarrett was third
fastest at 175.821 mph in the No. 88 UPS Ford. Christian Fittipaldi
was fourth fastest at 173.482 mph in the No. 44 Dodge. NASCAR Busch
Series point leader Scott Riggs returned to test on Wednesday, but the
#57 CLR team packed up before sunset. Larry Foyt and Scott Wimmer did
not return for the second day of open testing. The unofficial speeds:
1. Jamie McMurray, 177.282 mph; 2. Jeff Fultz, 177.072; 3. Dale
Jarrett, 175.821; 4. Christian Fittipaldi, 173.482; 5. Scott Riggs,
173.176. Pete McCole
9/4/03
Is CART dead?
A reader writes, Dear AutoRacing1, Labor Day has come and gone.
I thought for sure CART would have been sold by now. Time has
run out already to have a successful 2004 season. They have not
even announced a 2004 schedule yet. Is CART dead?
Michael Moore, St. Louis, Mo. Dear Michael, If Jon Vannini
files his lawsuit, yes CART is dead. Not only will the lawsuit
seek any assets of CART itself, it will probably attempt to pierce the
corporate veil and tap personal assets. That process alone will
delay plans for the 2004 season such that it will be too late for
everything. Quite unfortunate, but that's the reality of the
situation. However, we're still hopeful cooler heads will
prevail and that will be resolved before it gets that far. At
least both sides are still talking. The good news is that if
that does get resolved, Open Wheel Racing Series LLC has been working
hard behind the scenes and will have some big announcements to make
once they own CART. Any delusions by those who think CART is
dead will be gone. In fact, at that point CART will have more money
(i.e. the new owners have a combined wealth that is said to
exceed the Hulman George family) behind it than the Hulman George family
reportedly has and can hunker down
for the long haul until Tony George runs out of money. We're not
sure Tony's sisters have the stomach for such a battle (yes, they
really have a big say in the family fortunes).
Mark C.
Pruett nets Rocketsports owners title
Scott Pruett, who padded his points lead in the MotoRock
Trans-Am Tour for the BFGoodrich Tires Cup championship with a victory
in the MotoRock Mile High 100 last Sunday at Denver, took home much
more than a trophy. With the triumph, Pruett earned yet another spot
in the history books, a chance to be named the top driver in the
sport, an invitation to rock out with Elton John, and finally the
ultimate honor for his Rocketsports team.
With his victory at Denver, Pruett and his Rocketsports crew clinched
the Team Owners’ Championship, clinching Rocketsports Racing’s first
title since the current Team Championship format was adopted last
season.
“We’re doing what we came here to do,” said Pruett. “We started by
clinching the Manufacturers’ Championship for Jaguar at Road America.
That was our first big hurdle. We cleared the next obstacle by winning
the Team Owners’ Championship. Now, our next step is to grab the
Drivers’ Championship.
“It’s just been a great season,” added the two-time Trans-Am
titleholder. “I stepped into a championship-caliber team. The team’s
immense talent and my experience combined to make all of the pieces
fall into place.”
“I’m very pleased to receive this honor,” said Pruett. “The fans in
this industry are what it’s all about. We’ve been doing really well in
both Trans-Am and Winston Cup, but the competition is really stiff.
Then again, you never know.
“I’ve had a great season on the track, but this award is also given
for accomplishments off the track as well,” added Pruett, who is also
a commentator for the Champ Car World Series broadcasts on SPEED. “I
believe in giving back, and through the Scott Pruett Charity Golf
Tournament, we’ve given hundreds of thousands of dollars to the
Make-a-Wish Foundation. I’m also involved in Give Kids the World.
That’s what this is all about; being involved in things you believe
in.”
Pruett also earned a unique opportunity from MotoRock for his victory
at Denver. MotoRock, which will run its first event in conjunction
with the Trans-Am Tour this year in Miami, Sept. 26-28, will feature
rock and roll’s original “Rocket Man” Elton John during the Saturday,
Sept. 27 festivities. For his efforts at Denver, Pruett will be a
guest of honor at that concert, sitting in the front row, and will
attend a special reception with Elton John.
“That is very cool,” said Pruett. “When you look at the great
performers in rock and roll history, Elton John easily rises to the
top. This opportunity is just the icing on the cake.
“MotoRock will offer people the value for their money they’ve come to
expect,” said Pruett. “MotoRock is a new and exciting idea that will
give back to the fans.
“All of the drivers I know love music, and most performers enjoy auto
racing,” concluded Pruett. “This is a perfect fit.”
Finally, with his Denver win, Pruett kept climbing the rungs of the
Trans-Am all-time win list, with number 21, tying Bob Tullius for
fourth. Interestingly, Tullius won the 1978 Drivers’ Championship and
Manufacturers’ Championship for Jaguar, the British carmaker’s first
of three titles. Pruett clinched the manufacturers’ title for Jaguar
two weeks ago at Road America. In fact, with two more wins this year,
Pruett will start next season just one victory behind three-time
champion Paul Gentilozzi.
9/3/03
Kenny Brack & Mark Taylor
teleconference
INDY RACING LEAGUE
WEEKLY TELECONFERENCE TRANSCRIPT
Kenny Brack and Mark Taylor
9/3/03
Too old?
We thought 45-year old Tom Wood was too old to be starting a
driving career in the IPS (IRL training series). Up until his serious
accident, possibly career-ending, we certainly thought so, but oval
track racing doesn't require the fast reflexes of the young like road
racing does (watch in-car camera shots of Michel Jourdain and Oriol
Servia in qualifying from CART's Denver GP and you will see what we
mean). Now comes word Taylor Fletcher will drive for Sam Schmidt
Motorsports in the Infiniti Pro Series Chicagoland 100 Sept. 6 at
Chicagoland Speedway. Fletcher, 46, from San Clemente, Calif., will
drive the No. 9 Empress Casino/Olive Crest Foundation
Dallara/Infiniti/Firestone.
9/3/03
Witherill engaged
Infiniti Pro Series standout Cory Witherill recently became
engaged to Jennifer Khasnabis, co-host of PBS’ MotorWeek. Witherill,
who proposed in Tahiti, was asked what was more nerve-wracking
proposing or qualifying for the Indianapolis 500 in 2001. “I wasn't
too nervous,” Witherill said. “Actually, I felt pretty comfortable in
both situations. I was confident with what I was doing and confident
that everything would work out for the best. I was making a big step,
one in my career and the other in my life. It made me a little
nervous, but, at the same time, it is all for the best. It’s just a
happy moment.”
9/3/03
Eve 6 to perform
Platinum recording RCA musical group, Eve 6, will perform Sept.
7 prior to the start of the Delphi Indy 300 at Chicagoland Speedway.
The one-hour concert will take place on the Indy Racing Live stage in
Expo Village at 11 a.m. Eve 6’s 1998 self-titled album went platinum
and contained the No. 1 hit, “Inside Out” and the top 10 follow-up
single “Leech.” The trio also had success with 2001 album, Horrorscope,”
which contained the top-five modern rock hit “Promise,” and the
MTV/Top 40 smash “Here’s To The Night.” The band recently released the
latest album, “It’s All In Your Head” in July.
9/3/03
IRL injury update
IndyCar Series driver Sarah Fisher, who suffered a severe back
contusion during an accident at Nazareth Speedway Aug. 23 during final
practice, has been cleared to drive by Dr. Henry Bock, medical
services director for the Indy Racing League. Fisher will return to
the cockpit of the No. 23 GMAC/AOL/Dreyer & Reinbold Racing
Dallara/Chevrolet/Firestone this weekend at the Delphi Indy 300 at
Chicagoland Speedway. IRL Infiniti Pro Series driver Tom Wood has been
moved from Methodist Hospital in Indianapolis to the Rehabilitation
Hospital of Indiana to begin rehabilitation, said Dr. Kevin Scheid, an
orthopedic surgeon from OrthoIndy. Wood, from Calgary, Alberta,
suffered fractures to his middle back, right knee, right foot and both
ankles during an accident on Lap 52 of the Kentucky 100 Infiniti Pro
Series event on Aug. 16 at Kentucky Speedway.
9/3/03
Castroneves nominated for DOY
Two-time Indianapolis 500 champion Helio Castroneves has been
nominated for the Speed Channel Presents Driver of the Year 2003 Third
Quarter award. Castroneves, who leads the IndyCar Series point
standings, scored victories in two of the last three races. He won the
Emerson Indy 250 Aug. 10 at Gateway International Raceway and the
Firestone Indy 225 Aug. 24 at Nazareth Speedway. The Driver of the
Year award is in its 37th year, and awards are given out quarterly
during the racing season, before the end of the year award is given.
Voting for the awards is determined by an independent vote of an
18-member panel of auto-racing journalists and broadcasters and one
vote based on the cumulative tally of fan voting at
www.speedtv.com. More than
128,000 fans voted online during the second quarter. The winner of the
third quarter voting will be given a trophy and a Maurice Lacroix
Swiss Watch, the official watch of the Driver of the Year.
9/3/03
Bell
gets first taste of F1 car UPDATE We have added photos
from Townsend's first on-track F1 test. 9/2/03 - American Townsend Bell had his first taste of Formula One
with the BAR team on Tuesday when he began straight-line aerodynamics
testing at the Lurcy-Levis track in central France. "Today was
amazing," said the 28-year-old Formula 3000 driver after driving the
BAR-Honda 005. "It's the fastest car I've ever driven. I was too busy
smiling to be too analytical on the first run but it was great
gradually working up to higher speeds. "I'm really looking forward to
the next couple of days." There are no U.S. drivers in Formula One,
which has had American world champions in the past like Phil Hill and
Mario Andretti.
Reuters
(L to R) Bell at Speed, Bell awaits
adjustments, Stefan Stranhnz-Team Leader
9/3/03
SAFER Walls ready to go at Richmond
This AP
article says, One unforgettable moment from the most recent
NASCAR weekend at Richmond International Raceway was the departure of
a helicopter carrying seriously injured driver Jerry Nadeau to a
hospital. But a triple-header this weekend will be run on a track with
a new Steel and Foam Energy Reduction (SAFER) wall system in place at
both ends. The barrier is designed to soften the blow of crashes in
the turns. Richmond is the first short track in the series to have the
walls, and drivers who have seen the barriers have praised the change
as one that provides some peace of mind. "They took some time and did
their research to try to figure out how to do it right the first
time," said Winston Cup ace Kevin Harvick. "They obviously wouldn't be
putting them up if it wouldn't help." Johnny Benson and Bobby Hamilton
have missed races after being hurt at Richmond, but neither was
injured as seriously as Nadeau in May. He had to be cut from his car
after it slammed driver's side first into the wall. He suffered a head
injury, a fractured shoulder blade and lung and rib injuries, remained
semiconscious for three weeks and hasn't raced since. Drivers in
Saturday night's Chevrolet Rock & Roll 400 and the Busch and Craftsman
Truck series events the previous nights will find 1,197 feet of the
steel and Styrofoam barriers in each turn. "Richmond is a great track
and if this barrier works like I think it will, everyone in our sport
will benefit," said Benson, who broke a rib in a Busch race crash here
in May 2002. "We hit the wall at the short tracks as hard as we do at
the bigger tracks." The installation, completed last week, prevented
teams from coming to the track to test. But Harvick's teammate, Robby
Gordon, doesn't think that will matter. Track president Doug Fritz
said NASCAR asked Richmond to install the walls, joining Indianapolis
Motor Speedway as the only track on the circuit with the system in
place. The track will have crews on hand throughout the busy weekend
to inspect the walls for damage and to assess whether immediate
repairs are required. Winston Cup champion Tony Stewart doesn't expect
drivers to be thinking about the walls while they are racing, but
qualified that. "I guarantee that if you start spinning and you're
heading toward that wall, you're going to be thinking about it a
little bit," he said.
9/3/03
Williams hires teenager
Estonia's Marko Asmer has joined Williams as a Formula One test
driver for the rest of the year. Williams said they had
retained Asmer, 19, for future testing duties in 2003, with an option
on his services for 2004. The Formula Ford driver carried out
straight-line testing at Vairano in Italy earlier in the year and also
tested for Williams in Barcelona in July. "Marko proved himself to be
a keen and competent worker in the car, providing us with some great
feedback," said chief operations engineer Sam Michael.
9/3/03
Judge rules in favor of RJ Reynolds at
The Glen
This AP
article says, The state's highest court Tuesday refused to
disturb lower court rulings that rejected state Attorney General Eliot
Spitzer's attempts to limit billboard advertisements by the R.J.
Reynolds Tobacco Co. at the Watkins Glen International Speedway.
Without comment, the Court of Appeals said it would not hear a case
based on Spitzer's contention that R.J. Reynolds was violating terms
of the 1998 Master Settlement between the state and the tobacco
industry by the year-round billboards at Watkins Glen. Under the
settlement, which was negotiated for New York by Spitzer's predecessor
Dennis Vacco, the signs should have gone up no more than 90 days
before the NASCAR event at Watkins Glen and come down 10 days after
the race ended, Spitzer argued. But R.J. Reynolds contended that the
Master Settlement allowed it to sponsor one sports-related event a
year and that its Winston Cup stock car series is a continuous event
beginning in February every year and ending in November. It argued
that its billboards at Watkins Glen were permissible throughout the
Winston Cup series season, not just around the time of the annual
NASCAR road race at the Glen......Courts in other states have also
found for R.J. Reynolds in race track billboard cases brought outside
of New York. "The advertising restrictions in the tobacco settlement
are an important tool in protecting public health in New York state,"
Christine Pritchard, a spokeswoman for Spitzer, said Tuesday. "We are
disappointed in the Court of Appeals' ruling declining to hear the
case." Spitzer's suit noted that besides the NASCAR event at Watkins
Glen, the track is also used for other races, a wine festival and
other public events throughout the year. In February 2003, R.J.
Reynolds cited marketing restrictions and an uncertain business
climate in the tobacco industry for its decision to stop sponsoring
the Winston Cup racing series. Telecommunications giant Nextel in June
agreed to pay $700 million to sponsor the premier NASCAR racing series
beginning in 2004.
9/3/03 NHRA
IRL and NHRA Texas dates
conflict again
One year after officials for the IRL and the NHRA said
they would try to avoid a scheduling overlap in the future,
the 2004 schedules show the two racing leagues will again
compete on the same weekend in the Dallas-Fort Worth market.
The 2004 NHRA schedule was released Saturday, listing the
O'Reilly Fall Nationals at the Texas Motorplex in Ennis as
Oct. 14-17. It's the same weekend as the IRL and NASCAR
Craftsman Truck Series events at Texas Motor Speedway in Fort
Worth. TMS general manager Eddie Gossage emphasized that the
2004 fall event at TMS was changed to a week later to avoid
the NHRA weekend in Ennis. He was surprised Saturday when he
learned the scheduling overlap would continue next year. "What
happened to their traditionally second weekend [of October]
argument?" Gossage asked. "They made such a big production out
of that last year when this happened, so we went out of our
way to accommodate them this time." NHRA president Tom
Compton, in Indianapolis for the U.S. Nationals, disagrees
with that perspective. "Eddie is incorrect about that,"
Compton said. "Anyone who makes schedules knows dates shift
from year to year. The Ennis race has been the sixth weekend
after Labor Day. That's what it was last year, that's what it
is this year and that's what it will be next year. Gossage
said he worked with ABC television officials and the IRL to
change the 2004 TMS October date.
Dallas Morning News
9/3/03
CART stock watchUPDATE In NYSE
trading today MPH closed UNCHANGED at $1.03 p/shr on Volume of
267,300 shares.
Low/High of Session: $1.00/$1.09
NYSE UP 45.19 or 0.47% on Volume of 2.08B shares.
NASDAQ UP 11.42 or 0.62%
S&P 500 UP 4.28 or 0.42% 9/3/03 - At 12:49 PM EDT 199,300 shares of MPH traded at $1.00 p/shr..
So far in the session MPH is DOWN $0.03 p/shr or 2.91% to
$1.00 p/shr on Volume of 235,500 shares.
Low/High of Session: $1.00/$1.09. The volume is
relatively high today.
courtesy of C3I.AndersonGroupe – Chicago www.andersongroupe.com
9/3/03
Wednesday Monza test times
David Coulthard took top position on the timesheets for
the second successive day at Monza, edging out teammate Kimi
Raikkonen by 0.217 seconds. Coulthard, who posted a best time
of 1:22.065 on Tuesday to take P1, shaved half a second off
his time on Wednesday as he continued McLaren's preparations
for next weekend's Italian Grand Prix. Both McLaren drivers,
as well as the Williams drivers, ran Michelin's new spec tires
for the first time on Wednesday. The French company has
produced the tires in response to the FIA's announcement last
week that tread width would now be measured after and not
before a race, which may have resulted in Michelin's old tires
being deemed illegal.
1. Coulthard McLaren-Mercedes
1:21.533 50 laps
2. Raikkonen McLaren-Mercedes 1:21.750 79 laps
3. Frentzen Sauber-Petronas 1:22.125 79 laps
4. Schumacher Ferrari 1:22.148 60 laps
5. Badoer Ferrari 1:22.164 65 laps
6. Montoya Williams-BMW 1:22.177 31 laps
7. Villlenuve BAR-Honda 1:22.184 136 laps
8. Barrichello Ferrari 1:22.238 34 laps
9. Trulli Renault 1:22.413 84 laps
10. Button BAR-Honda 1:22.497 79 laps
11. Alonso Renault 1:22.633 70 laps
12. Webber Jaguar-Cosworth 1:22.810 50 laps
13. Sato BAR-Honda 1:22.828 51 laps
14. Zonta Toyota 1:22.914 61 laps
15. Wilson Jaguar-Cosworth 1:22.937 50 laps
16. Panis Toyota 1:22.954 61 laps
17. da Matta Toyota 1:23.110 77 laps
18. Baumgartner Jordan-Ford 1:24.122 73 laps
19. Fisichella Jordan-Ford 1:24.641 57 laps
20. Verstappen Minardi-Cosworth 1:24.723 21 laps
21. Bruni Minardi-Cosworth 1:25.237 34 laps
22. Gene Williams-BMW 1:25.493 4 laps
9/3/03
Michelin reacts quickly with
new tire
Michelin has responded to the Formula 1 tire
controversy, by producing a completely new design ahead of
next weekend's Italian Grand Prix. The French manufacturer's
motorsport boss Pierre Dupasquier commented: "The new
interpretation of the rules by the FIA has forced us to react.
You don't think for one moment that Michelin would not respond
to the challenge? Our people have been working 24 hours a day
since last Wednesday and new tires are being tested in Monza
as we speak. For anyone that knows anything about the tire
world, to do what we've just managed is a huge achievement and
this is only possible thanks to the hard work and fast
reaction time of our teams here in Clermont-Ferrand."
9/3/03
Mazda Raceway to honor Rahal
Three time CART champion and current Bridgestone
Presents The Champ Car World Series Powered by Ford team owner
Bobby Rahal was named Grand Marshal earlier this season for
the Champ Car Grand Prix of Monterey at Mazda Raceway Laguna
Seca, and this Friday, September 5th the Northern California
circuit will recognize him again when officials dedicate a
portion of the winding 2.238-mile ribbon of pavement in his
honor. In a ceremony during the Fry’s Electronics Sports Car
Championships this Friday at 12:00 p.m. PT in Monterey, the
challenging section of Laguna Seca from the exit of Turn 6 up
the hill and through the Turn 7 kink to the entrance of the
fabled “corkscrew” turn will officially be named the “Rahal
Straight,” honoring one of the great friends of the historic
venue. “Laguna Seca has always had a special place in my
heart,” said Rahal, who won the Champ Car race at Laguna Seca
as a driver four consecutive years from 1984-1987. “To have a
section of what is one of the crown jewels in American road
racing bear my name is an honor beyond belief. I am truly
humbled.” Rahal also has three more CART victories at Laguna
Seca as a team owner, in 1998 and ’99 with Bryan Herta at the
wheel and 2001 with Max Papis driving. His first race at the
track was in 1976 in Atlantic competition and the first big
event he won at Laguna came was in the Can-Am series in 1979.
“I’ve just always loved this circuit,” said Rahal. “To win
here four years in a row, I’m really proud of that. It’s just
one of those tracks I’ve had an affinity for. But, what’s not
to like about the Monterey Peninsula? Every win here was
special. How fortunate I’ve been to win so much at a circuit I
love.”
9/3/03 Industry News
Bridgestone/Firestone names Motorsports PR Manager
Bridgestone/Firestone North American Tire, LLC is proud
to announce that Charla Sasser has assumed the position of
Manager of Motorsports and Product Public Relations, effective
September 1.
Ms. Sasser comes to BFNT after serving the past 3 1/2 years as
Deputy Director of Scheduling for Florida Gov. Jeb Bush.
Possessing a Master's degree in Sports Administration from
Florida State University, Ms. Sasser also has previous public
relations experience with the Savannah Rug Ratz of the Eastern
Indoor Soccer League, the East Coast Hockey League, the
Florida State University sports information department and the
British Olympic Association.
Ms. Sasser is ready to assist with any of your media or public
relations needs involving the Bridgestone and Firestone
motorsports programs. You may contact her at (615) 937-3341 or
by e-mail at
SasserCharla@bfusa.com.
9/3/03
Preparations
continue at Indy despite flooding UPDATE We have added
more flooding photos below, courtesy of IMS. No one is
driving through that tunnel for a few days. 9/2/03
- The Indianapolis Motor Speedway is among the long list
of central Indiana residences and businesses battling
floodwaters in the aftermath of record rainfall over the Labor
Day weekend. The Indianapolis International Airport – located
5 miles from the Speedway – received 7.2 inches of rain on
Labor Day, making Sept. 1 officially the wettest day ever in
Indianapolis. Despite flooding on the grounds of the Speedway
and Brickyard Crossing Golf Course, Speedway officials said
that preparations for the fourth running of the United States
Grand Prix, scheduled for Sept. 26-28, continue unabated.
Ironically, the rains came on the day FIA Safety Delegate and USGP race director Charlie Whiting visited IMS for his final
inspection before the race. Some day-to-day operations at the
Indianapolis Motor Speedway have been hampered or canceled by
the rain, including:
●Brickyard Crossing Golf Course will remain closed until at
least Thursday due to flood damage along Little Eagle Creek,
which runs through the middle of the course. The Brickyard
Crossing staff is assessing the damage before officially
announcing a reopening date.
●The Hall of Fame Museum remains open despite the closure of
Gate 2 – the main entrance and tunnel into the Speedway off
16th Street – due to flooding. Museum guests should enter the
Speedway grounds via the Brickyard Crossing Inn entrance,
located a block east of the Speedway entrance, and follow the
signs.
●Track tours by the Hall of Fame Museum continue to run.
●The lower level of the Brickyard Crossing Inn received flood
damage, thereby impacting the Brickyard Crossing Golf Course
clubhouse, the Brickyard Crossing Inn sales and catering
offices and several meeting rooms. If you were scheduled to
attend a meeting or event at Brickyard Crossing this week,
hotel officials recommend that you call ahead at (317)
492-2500 to confirm its status.
9/3/03
Kelley Racing signs new
partnership
Kelley Racing and SmartVideo Technologies Inc. (OTCBB:
SMVD), a leading provider of digital media solutions, have
announced a new multi-year partnership. This partnership will
provide leading edge communications tools that will put Kelley
Racing at the forefront of communicating with their fans and
partners about the dynamic world of IndyCar Series racing.
Kelley Racing plans to use SmartVideo’s SvBroadcast Product to
enable its drivers to frequently communicate with their fans
around the world. The team will use SmartVideo’s Products to
communicate with all the team partners and enhance their
marketing communications and build brand awareness and
loyalty. “I know how loyal Kelley Racing and their drivers are
to the IndyCar Series fans. Most race fans still access the
Internet through dial-up connections – I’m really glad that
Kelley recognizes the value of these viewers and has chosen to
work with SmartVideo in delivering frequent information to the
millions of fans around the world,” said Richard Bennett,
President of SmartVideo Technologies. Kelley Racing
9/3/03
Ferrari says it was they who
turned Michelin in
Ferrari's Ross Brawn has revealed that they were
responsible for alerting the FIA of Michelin’s illegal tires.
He told the Italian press that the team had contacted the
sport’s governing body, despite Max Mosley's earlier claim
that Ferrari hadn't been the source. Brawn said Ferrari
contacted the FIA after seeing photographs that proved their
rivals, Williams and McLaren were using illegal tires. He told
the Gazzetta dello Sport: "It all started in Budapest when
Bridgestone got ahold of some photos taken in the paddock by a
Japanese photographer. "They showed in an unequivocal way that
the front Michelin tires had an excessively large tread at the
end of the race or after being used. We turned to
Charlie Whiting who, on the basis of his measurements and the
photos, then sent the famous letter. We could have
pretended to have seen nothing, to not let the FIA know and
then lodge a complaint at the following race, but that didn't
seem like the right thing to do." Brawn estimated that the
advantage in the wider tread could make a car half a second
quicker. But he fell short of saying that the advantage of the
Michelin tires had been enough to explain Ferrari’s recent
lack of pace. He said: "You can't say that. But it's clear
that if you take an advantage like that away from the
competition you'll find yourself in a better position."
9/3/03
Indians to make pitch for F1
race
An Indian government delegation will travel to Italy
next week in a bid to convince Formula One chiefs to add an
Indian grand prix to the race calendar. The delegation will
make a presentation to Bernie Ecclestone outlining facilities
available in Hyderabad, according to Andhra Pradesh state
chief minister Chandrababu Naidu. Ecclestone will be in Italy
to attend the Italian Grand Prix at Monza. The meeting follows
an invitation to Naidu to discuss the size of the event and
requirements for hosting it. The grand prix would give a
tremendous boost to the state's infrastructure and tourism,
said Naidu. The state government already has held two rounds
of talks with F1 representatives. Circuit designer Hermann
Tilke, who conceived the grand prix race tracks in Bahrain and
Malaysia, as well as in Shanghai, recently visited India.
AP Story
9/3/03
Vickers to be youngest Cup driver
Brian Vickers will become the youngest full-time competitor ever in
NASCAR's top series next season when he takes over the No. 25
Chevrolet now driven by Joe Nemechek. Car owner Rick Hendrick put
Vickers on an advanced schedule Tuesday based on the promise the
19-year-old has shown in just under two seasons in the Busch Series.
As the youngest full-time participant in any of NASCAR's top three
classes, Vickers ranks third in the Busch Series points with 15 top-10
finishes and eight top-fives.
He scored his second career victory Saturday at Darlington Raceway,
leading 18-year-old teammate Kyle Busch across the finish line for a
1-2 Hendrick showing. Now he'll get the keys to the No. 25, which
Nemechek has driven the past year-and-a-half. His contract is not
being renewed. Vickers, who turns 20 in October, will be two months
younger than Casey Atwood was when he made his Winston Cup debut at
age 20 two years ago. ``Brian has proven that he has the tools to be
successful, not only through on-track performance, but with his
maturity and ability to handle himself in a way that represents our
sponsors, our teams and our sport in a positive light,'' Hendrick
said. ``There's no doubt in my mind that he's going to have a very
long and productive career." The move also clears a seat for Busch to
race full-time next season in Vickers' old car. AP
9/3/03
Keep
your eye on Andrew Ranger
Everyone is saying that 16-year old Andrew Ranger is somebody to
keep an eye on. He's been mopping up the Fran-Am series and now
sets his sights on his next challenge. A new challenge awaits young
sensation Andrew Ranger this weekend, as he will enter two rounds of
the Formula Renault UK Championship with Manor Motorsport, a
subsidiary of the McLaren Mercedes group. The young 16-year old driver
will take part in some pre-race testing sessions on Thursday in order
to get ready for rounds 14 and 15 of this renowned championship,
disputed this Saturday and Sunday on the 1.96-mile Donington Park
circuit in England. It will be a new step in the young driver’s career
and may very well be a precursor to a few more European events this
year while pursuing his activities in the North American Fran-Am
Championship series. This won’t be Ranger’s first European experience
as the young driver competed in karting overseas for a couple of years
and even became the first ever Canadian driver to win the FIA/CIK
Viking Trophy in Denmark in 2001. “I am thrilled to have this
opportunity to compete in the upcoming round of the Formula Renault
2000 UK Championship at Donington Park, even more so to join the ranks
of such a strong and dominating team as Manor Motorsport. This
leading, single-seater racing team has captured six titles in Formula
Renault alone and has launched the career of numerous young talents,
including that of Kimi Raikkonen who graduated straight from a Formula
Renault to a Formula 1 car,” said the Roxton Pond, Quebec driver.
“This will be a first experience for me and I have to face a few
unknown factors in this venture. To enter a championship in the middle
of a season with a new team can sometimes be unsettling, but I am
confident that things will work out fine for me in such a professional
environment. I never had the chance to race at Donington before but
that should not be a problem. We’re having a very successful season in
the North American Fran-Am Pro Championship where I have never
competed on any of the circuits and yet we collected four victories so
far. I look forward to learning the track next Thursday and to assess
the competition. It will be an extremely busy week for me but I am
well prepared and highly motivated to take on this exciting
challenge,” concluded Ranger. Ranger currently leads the Fran-Am Pro
drivers’ standings with a total of 261 points, 43 more than Charles
Hall of Great Britain, second with 218 points and 60 more than Robert
Bell, two-times champion of the Formula Renault UK winter series. The
young driver left Montreal last night to go the Manor Motorsport race
shop in England to mould his seat. He will be on track at Donington
Park starting Thursday for four testing sessions of 50 minutes each
and then again on Friday, for two qualifying sessions.
9/3/03
Schumacher in major Monza shunt UPDATE Ralf
Schumacher will return to his home in Austria this morning after
spending the night in a Milan hospital for observation. Schumacher
crashed at the 150mph Lesmo 1 corner at Monza, where the car is
reported to have somersaulted several times. The German will take no
further part in this week's test as he rests ahead of the Italian
Grand Prix. Sam Michael, Williams' Chief Operations Engineer,
confirmed that the Monza accident was not Ralf's fault. “We are not
100% sure yet what happened, but it was some sort of technical
failure. The car is not a write-off, but it's going back to the
factory today to be repaired." Ralf has no broken bones but reports
say he may have suffered some concussion. Williams were unable to
confirm this. A more detailed statement is expected later. 9/2/03
- A huge testing crash at the end of the day today at
Monza put Williams star Ralf Schumacher in the hospital. The
German was conscious when he arrived at the track's medical
centre, but his car came back in a serious state of damage.
Eyewitnesses said the accident happened at the 150mph first Lesmo corner and that the car somersaulted several times.
Ralf's older brother Michael has accompanied him to the San
Rafaele hospital in Milan for checks, although the German is
believed to be unhurt in the incident. Schumacher Jr had
already had an incident earlier in the day when an oil leak
caused a conflagration at the rear of his car. Tim
Newton, BMW-Williams test team manager, said: "Ralf suffered
an accident at the end of the afternoon session when he spun
off the circuit at one of the Lesmo corners. He is currently
undergoing precautionary medical checks. The cause of the
accident is not yet known but is under investigation."
Teammate Juan Pablo Montoya's day went more smoothly as
Williams concentrated on long runs in order to evaluate tire
wear in the light of the new tire rules interpretation imposed
by the FIA. Today's test times:
Pos Driver (Car-Engine) Time
Tires Laps
1 David Coulthard (McLaren-Mercedes) M 1m22.065s 61
2 Ralf Schumacher (Williams-BMW) M 1m22.416s 62
3 Michael Schumacher (Ferrari) B 1m22.532s 30
4 Jenson Button (BAR-Honda) B 1m22.630s 81
5 Alex Wurz (McLaren-Mercedes) M 1m22.630s 73
6 Jacques Villeneuve (BAR-Honda) B 1m22.647s 82
7 Heinz-Harald Frentzen (Sauber-Petronas) B 1m22.651s 69
8 Felipe Massa (Ferrari) B 1m22.753s 65
9 Takuma Sato (BAR-Honda) B 1m23.153s 32
10 Juan Pablo Montoya (Williams-BMW) M 1m23.163s 88
B = Bridgestone
M = Michelin
What equipment for a merged series?
A reader writes, With this recent talk of a merger between CART and
the IRL, what equipment would a combined series use? I see this
as a major obstacle. George Murphy, New Orleans, LA Dear
George, First, the issue of a merger is still a long way off.
Tony George has rebuffed any past overtures from CART for a merger.
What would be different this time? It's clear the IRL by itself
is failing with falling TV ratings, low car count, and numerous driver
injuries. At some point the engine manufacturers and sponsors
are going to insist on a merger to save the sport of Indy Car Racing.
As it is right now, they can't be happy with the statistics, and will
either force Tony's hand or withdraw. Common equipment would be
essential if teams were to cross over between the road racing and oval
racing divisions, or if they were to run as all one division on a
combination of track type (oval, road courses, streets). The
current Champ Car is a versatile machine that works well on all the
circuits, while the IRL car was strictly designed to be an oval car.
Sure you can try to retrofit the IRL car to become a road racer, but
why would you want to? By all accounts the cars are not very
attractive (compared to a Champ Car Lola), they make too much noise
for street circuits, they are still tail-heavy and tail-happy, and the
current Champ Car engine costs less and the turbo enables the engines
to make more HP than the IRL engine and be more durable. It's
difficult to keep engine costs down and everyone equal unless you go
with the badging concept. However, here is a possible alternate
scenario - Honda and Toyota still have a 2.65 L turbo engine
sitting in mothballs. If the engines are required to last 1,200
miles between rebuilds, and have a maximum RPM, the cost of those
engines are equal to or less than the current IRL engine spec.
Perhaps common electronics can be designed to work on all three
engines to keep everyone legal and prevent traction control. The
mothballed Honda and Toyota 2.65 L turbo would require a retrofit like
Cosworth did with their Champ Car engine (Cosworth did not redesign a
whole new engine) to get the 1,200 miles between rebuilds, and some
side-by-side dyno runs over the winter of 2004 would be required to
ensure they're all pretty equal, but then the engines can be locked
down for the year with minimal changes allowed, but for rebuilds.
The 2.65L turbo had been the Indy Car engine since the 1970s and
there's really no reason not to continue with it as long as controls
are in place to prevent runaway HP and high costs. What about
Chevy? They can badge the turbo Cosworth just like they are badging the current 3.5 L Cosworth. What about using the 3.5 L
IRL engine instead? It does not last 1,200 miles between
rebuilds and would require revs be dropped even further to do so.
It's already running at a ridiculously low RPM. The dumbing down of
Indy Car racing has hurt its image in our opinion. If anything, the
turbo engine is a bit sexier, has a higher-tech image and sounds
better. This isn't stock car racing. Endurance racing
(LeMans) has proven over the years that a turbo engine is the way to
go if you're looking for good performance and longevity. A turbo
hasn't been beaten in years. Plus turbos and superchargers
(i.e. forced air induction engines) are gaining in popularity on
street cars. We're rambling. It doesn't matter what we
think. First Tony George has to say yes to a merger, and that's
far from being a reality at this point. Mark C.
9/3/03
Kyle Busch lands Hendrick ride
Car owner Ricky Hendrick today announced that 18-year-old Kyle Busch
will move to the NASCAR Busch Series full-time in 2004 as driver of
the No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolets. The move will pair Busch
with a proven team that currently ranks third in Busch Series
championship points with driver Brian Vickers, who will compete in the
NASCAR Nextel Cup Series in 2004. "Kyle Busch is a talent," Hendrick
said. "In a short amount of time, he's shown that he has the ability
to go out and compete with the best this sport has to offer. It's
going to be fun to watch him race every week with a
championship-caliber team." Busch signed a multi-year agreement with
Hendrick Motorsports in February, winning two ARCA Series races before
his 18th birthday. In five starts on the circuit this season, the Las
Vegas native has earned two victories, two pole positions and four
top-five starts. After becoming eligible for NASCAR competition on May
2, Busch has posted two runner-up finishes and three top-10 qualifying
efforts in a trio of Busch Series starts. His second-place effort at
Lowe's Motor Speedway on May 24 marked one of the best debuts in the
tour's history. "This is a great situation for a young driver like
myself," Busch said. "It gives me the opportunity to come into the
Busch Series full-time with an established team that can compete week
in and week out. I can't thank the Hendrick organization enough for
giving me the kind of support I need to be successful." After
finishing second at Darlington (S.C.) Raceway in his most recent Busch
Series event, Busch will next compete on the circuit at Dover (Del.)
International Speedway on Sept. 20, followed by starts at Memphis
(Tenn.) Motorsports Park on Oct. 18, Atlanta Motor Speedway on Oct. 25
and North Carolina Speedway on Nov. 8. He will also enter two
additional ARCA races this season, at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway
on Sept. 27 and Lowe's Motor Speedway on Oct. 9.
Hendrick Racing
9/3/03
McMurray tops Lowes testing NASCAR Winston Cup Rookie
of the Year contender Jamie McMurray topped the unofficial speed
charts in day one of a two-day testing session on Tuesday at Lowe’s
Motor Speedway. Last October at this very track, Jamie McMurray
went from unknown to history maker, becoming the fastest driver to
score their first career Winston Cup victory since 1963, winning the
UAW-GM Quality 500 in just his second career start, driving in relief
for injured driver Sterling Marlin. More....
by Pete McCole
9/3/03
More on push-to-passUPDATE Another reader responds, How soon we
forget. For years, Champ Cars had what what was referred to as the "Candy Button",
a "Push to Pass" as it were, with a limited number of "plays" per race. The
drivers loved it and so did we fans. Since the engine manufacturers limited the
number of "plays" or times the button could be used, it put the powerplant at its
highest level of output for a brief moment before it detonated, saving it for the
race, yet allowing the driver the added strategic interplay as mandatory pit
windows have today. Now that the spec Cosworth has proven its power and
reliability, (hard to remember the last time one "let go") it without question has
the strength to withstand such an implementation. The sooner the better. Gone will
be all complaints of "aero push" and fast cars stuck behind "mobile chicanes"
limiting overtaking. With all of the dumbing down and pandering to the lowest
common denominator rife in racing these days (common template!) Champ Car could
well set itself apart from the rest by regaining this device, creating true high
spirited competition unmatched by any other series. As an addendum, I personally
don't care what kind of Dog and Pony show CART puts on on Saturday night, as long
as it puts fans in the stands, and cars on the track on Sunday. Isn't that what
the broadcasters and sponsors want? Having team owners as series owners smacks of
the same old nepotism and infighting we've suffered through for the last ten
years, but maybe Gentilozzi et al are the right kind of owners, on the same page
with one common goal. I don't know for sure, but one thing I do know, if CART
folds, there will be no fun in the world left. By the way, I've received two
newsletters from California Speedway, both of which have NO mention of CART, Champ
Car or when the event will be. A very small one liner refers you to the website
hidden near the return address of the letter. Looks like the "Oval Cartel" is fast
at work killing the CART 500 and systematically shooting themselves in the foot at
the same time. I'll sure miss it. I'm near to a complete boycott of any ISC event
no matter how good. Thanks again for the great website and stellar coverage.
George N. Ponnay III, Newport Beach CA9/1/03 - A reader writes,
Dear AR1, I've been listening to the ranting and raving for a push-to-pass button
and I can't fathom the idiocy. This idea is like making a video game out of car
racing. What next? Lasers to shoot the guy ahead of you out of the way? Random oil
slicks appearing on the track? The best way is for Bridgestone to make a softer
compound tire that barely lasts the duration of a pit window. That will separate
the smooth drivers from the aggressive drivers. Drivers that are hard on their
tires will pass cars at the beginning of a stint. The smooth drivers will pass
drivers at the end of a stint. Combined with no traction control, this appears to
be the best solution. Can that video game idea and come up with an idea for real
racing. Terence Fischer, Northfield, New Jersey. Dear Terence, I've
listened to all those arguments about how the push-to-pass button may be
artificial and I offer these thoughts for you to consider - 1) Champ Car drivers
had a push-to-pass button for years yet none of the fans came forward to complain.
Now all of a sudden because this idea involves a bit more HP so the driver can
actually make the pass, some folks are coming out of the woodwork up in arms. The
fact of the matter is that parades have fans running for the exit door and the TV
channel changer. 2) If you bothered to watch lap times yesterday you would have
seen some drivers running over a second faster than the guy in front of him,
sometimes two seconds, only to get up to his rear wing and follow him all the way
to the checkered because he could not pass. If those drivers had the button,
they could have disposed of the moving chicane in front of them and moved forward
to the next guy. Instead everyone had to endure another two-hour parade. 3)
We must not lose focus of the fact that the real show must be the race, not
qualifying. Today many races are won on Saturday, not Sunday, which does
absolutely zero for CART's TV ratings. Many of the people sitting in the
grandstands are NOT hardcore fans such as yourself. If they don't have
something to stand up and cheer about (yes, fans do cheer passing but nod off
watching parades) they are not coming back nor watching the next race on TV.
Many times you have just one chance to win over a new customer, and CART isn't
going to do that with a follow-the-leader snooze fest. 4) The button, although
really nothing new, just a better implementation this time, is no more artificial
that a slingshot on an oval. I don't see fans standing up and booing a
slingshot pass because it is artificial, i.e. takes zero driver skill
5) The idea of using softer tires instead would lead to an abundance of tire
marbles all over the track, meaning a single groove and zero passing, which is
exactly what we don't want. 6) The push-to-pass button will give the driver a
limited number of opportunities to pass, and it won't guarantee a pass. It
will add another element of suspense (how many pushes does an opponent have left)
and strategy (when and where should a driver use his pushes) to the races. Mark C.
AutoRacing1 is an independent internet online publication and is not affiliated with, sponsored by, or endorsed by CART Inc., NASCAR, FIA, FedEx, Winston, or any other series sponsor. This material may not be published, broadcast, or redistributed without permission. User agreement & disclaimer
Biela
sets fast test time at Mazda Raceway
Seeking his third consecutive American Le Mans Series win at
Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, Frank Biela started the quest on a positive
note Friday by setting the fast time of the day in an unofficial test
session for Sunday's Fry's Electronics Sports Car Championships event.
Biela, driving the Infineon Team Joest Audi R8 that he will share with
Marco Werner, turned a lap of 1:16.593 on the 2.238-mile circuit. The
lap was the fastest overall among the 35 cars that recorded times in
the session as well as the leading time in the LMP 900 class.
Much
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