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If
you can't beat them, copy them
Just to show you how far behind the Minardi team is, this article
talks about the fact they took a 2-year old Arrows car that Paul
Stoddart bought at a Arrows liquidation sale tested it head-to-head
against their latest Minardi. Without having any setup info for
the Arrows, the Arrows almost beat the Minardi first time out.
Now the Minardi team will go back and cannibalize what they can from
the 2-year old Arrows and apply it to their 2004 car. We don't know if
we should laugh or cry. Mark C.
9/16/03
Entire town built around Shanghai circuit
This Eastday.com
article talks about the entire auto industry that has been
built in conjunction with the F1 race track 1-hour from Shanghai.
At a press conference to update the town's development, the
city-backed Shanghai International Circuit Co Ltd said it has made
some small changes to the layout of its Formula One circuit in hopes
of one day hosting Grand Prix motorcycle racing. The sports governing
body, known by the French acronym FIM, asked that the track only
contain 14 turns instead of the planned 16. The circuit will, however,
still look like the Chinese character "shang'"(¨¦?). "FIM officials
have inspected the track and said they had no problem about the
design," said Wang Ying, deputy general manager of Shanghai
International Circuit. "We are still in the bidding process for
hosting the motorcycle racing." The 5.451-kilometer circuit is
expected to be completed by next March at a cost of US$244 million.
Shanghai will host China's first F1 Grand Prix on September 26 next
year. Read the article for the full story.
9/16/03
Tomas
Enge auditions for Panther Racing
Ex-F3000 driver Tomas Enge (right) from Czech Republic tested last Thursday at
Fontana for the Panther Racing team. He was up to speed, full
throttle, in three laps. He's the same Enge who's been driving
the Prodrive Ferrari in the ALMS the past two years and was on
the winning team in the GTS class in this year's 24 Hours of
Le Mans. Bruno Junqueira tested a G-Force car
for Newman Haas. Sebastien Bourdais ran a Champ Car for Newman
Haas. Also testing was Alex Barron, Gil de Ferran, Ryan
Hunter-Reay and Jimmy Vasser.
9/16/03
12 year-old Connecticut girl wins contest to design Winston Cup car
UPDATE Because Cope did not qualify
in Loudon, he agreed to run the paint scheme in Dover. “This is
just the right thing to do. I felt bad we missed the race at New
Hampshire but I really felt bad for Seneca. She came to the track
Sunday (at New Hampshire) and I know she and her family had a great
time but the whole deal was having her paint scheme on the race track.
So we’re going to fix the same car up, and take it to Dover - same
car, same design. This is not anything Friendly’s said I had to
do or anything like that. It’s something I felt like I had to do. For
some people, it’s easy to let things slide sometimes, I guess, and
just try to forget your obligations. As busy as the season gets, you
can get distracted pretty easily. But Seneca (Tedford) worked
hard, and she was really excited her car was going to be in a race.
Our contract doesn’t call for a ‘make-good’ for Friendly’s, and they
don’t expect it. But sometimes you have to go beyond a contract and
just do the right thing. In my mind, this is a ‘make-good’ for Seneca
Tedford, and for all of the kids who entered the contest. I owe them,
and I am going to try to pay them back by getting Seneca’s design on
the track at Dover this weekend.”
9/11/03 - Seneca Tedford admitted she had a little trouble sleeping Wednesday
night but she was more than ready to go this morning at Lebanon Middle
School. The excited 12-year-old was guest of honor for a visit
by NASCAR Winston Cup driver Derrike Cope and his #37 Friendly’s
Chevrolet. The car, the actual one that will run in Sunday’s Sylvania
300 at New Hampshire International Speedway Sunday, was unloaded and
shown to every student at the school. Seneca designed the car as
part of a coloring contest at Friendly’s Restaurants throughout the
eastern United States, one of thousands of entries. Her design – royal
blue covered with ice cream cones – will run in Sunday’s NASCAR race.
“Yeah,
it was pretty exciting. I could hardly believe it when they told me I
had won,” Seneca said Thursday morning, while showing off the car.
Every student at Lebanon Middle School had the chance to see the car,
meet Cope and participate in a Friendly’s Ice Cream party at the front
of the school. “Hey, she did a great job with her design,
and she deserved to show it off,” said Cope, a two-time NASCAR Winston
Cup race winner who includes the prestigious Daytona 500 among his
major victories.
Cope and his Friendly’s Chevrolet team helped Seneca do just that. The
team’s huge transporter arrived at the school early Thursday morning.
The team unloaded the Friendly’s Chevrolet and moved it to the front
of the school. The design included a “Designed by: Seneca Tedford”
logo on each side of the car. Hundreds of children from the
school flocked around the car and Cope, asking questions and offering
advice. “The car is cool but the ice cream is better,” admitted
one seventh-grader. Another offered a marketing idea to Cope for
Friendly’s. “Why don’t you just smother the car in ice cream and then
people could come up and grab a handful when they want it?”
Seneca has already received $100 worth of Derrike Cope gear as part of
her prize package.
9/16/03
F1 week on Wind Tunnel
In preparation for its LIVE three-day coverage of the United
States Grand Prix, SPEED Channel will feature "F1 Week" on Wind Tunnel
with Dave Despain. Confirmed guests for the week include:
* Monday (Sept. 22) -- Jaguar Formula One driver Mark Webber, who
turned heads with his Minardi ride last year, earning a jump to Jaguar
in 2003, will join Dave LIVE from New York City.
* Wednesday (Sept. 24) -- Williams F1 driver Juan Pablo Montoya,
locked in a three-way battle for this year's World Championship will
be Wednesday's guest. After winning the CART championship and the Indy
500 here in the states, Montoya took his skills to Formula One in 2001
and immediately drew raves for his aggressive and exciting driving
style. He has since proven to be one of the sport's best and most
popular drivers. Montoya will join us from Indianapolis Raceway Park
(Note: due to scheduling issues, Montoya's interview will be taped
earlier in the day).
* Thursday (Sept. 25) -- Wind Tunnel's F1 Week continues to roll as
McLaren F1 driver David Coulthard, a 13-time Grand Prix winner will be
Dave's guest. Coulthard has been a Formula One driver since 1994 and a
McLaren mainstay for the last 8 years. He already has reached an
agreement with the team to return next season. David will join us from
Indianapolis as he prepares for the US Grand Prix.
Guests for the remainder of this week include NHRA team owner Darrell
Gwynn (Wednesday) and IRL driver/owner Michael Andretti (Thursday).
Send your e-mail questions to
windtunnel@speedtv.com or call 1-866-W-TUNNEL to be a part of the
live call-in portions of the show.
9/16/03
Indy 500 mechanic Joe Granatelli dies
Joe Granatelli, Andy Granatelli’s older brother who helped
fabricate the famed turbine race car that nearly won the 1967
Indianapolis 500, died Sept. 13 in Woodland Hills, Calif. He was 84.
Joe and youngest Granatelli brother Vince were involved with their
flamboyant brother from the time they first purchased a gas station
together in Chicago and then first brought a race car to the
Indianapolis Motor Speedway in 1946.
Joe Granatelli was the chief mechanic on the Novis when Andy became
involved at Indianapolis as a car owner and head of STP Corp. The
elder Granatelli was listed as the entrant for Hotel Tropicana Spl.
that Bobby Unser drove as a rookie in 1963.
Over the winter of 1966-67, Andy Granatelli decided to build a radical
new race car powered by a turbine engine. There was a rule for such an
engine in the USAC book at the time. Joe and Vince built the car in
their West Coast shop at Paxton Products that the three brothers had
purchased in 1958.
Parnelli Jones, 1963 Indianapolis 500 champion, was hired to drive the
car. In the 1967 Indianapolis 500, Jones led 171 laps, but a $6
bearing burned out on Lap 197. The car coasted to a halt. Joe Leonard,
Graham Hill and Art Pollard drove turbine-powered Lotus cars in 1968
and experienced similar misfortunes.
USAC then changed the turbine air inlet rules for 1969 and the “Whoosh
Mobile” became a museum piece.
Joe Granatelli, who was with Andy at the Speedway through 1973 when
Gordon Johncock won in an STP car, tested often at the Bonneville Salt
Flats. He set a record of 198.9 mph in a straight-line run with the
Studebaker Avanti. Granatelli also convinced Carroll Shelby to install
one of the Paxton supercharger kits in his famed Cobras of the
mid-1960s.
Granatelli served as president of Paxton Products for many years. It
was sold two weeks before his death.
Survivors include: wife, Audrey; son, J.R.; daughter, Andrea; brothers
Andy and Vince, and four grandchildren.
Cards may be sent to Audrey Granatelli at: 4531 Westchester Drive,
Woodland Hills, CA 91364.
9/16/03
CART stock watch
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Volume of
365,600 shares.
NYSE UP 118.53 or 1.25% on Volume of 1.67B shares.
NASDAQ UP 41.56 or 2.25%
S&P 500 UP 14.51 or 1.43%
courtesy of C3I.AndersonGroupe – Chicago www.andersongroupe.com
9/16/03
Ralf amused by reports he may
miss USGP
"I am very amused to hear and read these rumors about
who will be taking my place for the final two races," said
Schumacher on his website. "I can only say this: it will just
remain speculation. I'm doing everything to be really fit
again and of course assume that I'll be in Indianapolis.
Everything else is rubbish."
9/16/03
Dale Jr. to run 24 Hours
Daytona Dale Earnhardt Jr. will run in next
year's Daytona 24 hour with the Freisinger Porsche team.
Earnhardt Jr., who made his debut in the sportscar classic in
a factory Chevrolet Corvette in 2001, has agreed to a deal to
race the German team's lead 911 GT3-RS in the Florida event
next February. Freisinger team leader Stephane Ortelli will
join him in the car. Team boss Manfred Freisinger said, "We
have a mutual friend who contacted us about Dale. Everything
has been agreed and the deal will be signed this week. "Autoweek
9/16/03
More trouble for Brian Rose
Former Trucks Series driver Brian Rose is facing criminal
charges again after a traffic stop Wednesday, according to a
Bowling Green Police Department report. Police said they
stopped Rose, 23, after he was seen driving erratically on
U.S. 31-W By-Pass. The officer reportedly smelled alcohol and
marijuana inside the vehicle. Rose was chewing on something
and the officer ordered him to spit it out. The "chaw"ť as
Rose described it, was marijuana, according to the report.
After searching Rose and his SUV, the officer found marijuana
in Rose's underwear and a handgun concealed in a Crown Royal
bag. The vehicle also had expired tags. Rose was charged with
carrying a concealed weapon, possession of marijuana,
tampering with evidence, expired registration and DUI. He was
released from the Warren County Regional Jail on Thursday
after posting a $10,000 cash bond. Rose began facing a series
of problems in August 2002 after he lost his racing
sponsorship; a month later his family's home burned to the
ground from an undetermined cause; in April he was suspended
indefinitely by NASCAR; in July he was charged with
first-degree alcohol intoxication, second offense, possession
of marijuana, first-degree prescription in improper container,
second-degree possession of an illegal substance of an
unspecified origin and first-degree promoting contraband.
Those charges have been sent to a grand jury.
Bowling Green Daily News
9/16/03
Daytona race moves to night
Building on the popularity of exciting nighttime races, the
fifth annual Florida Dodge Dealers 250 NASCAR Craftsman Truck
Series race will run for the first time under the lights at
historic Daytona International Speedway. The kickoff race for
the Craftsman Truck Series will go green on Friday night, Feb.
13. The Florida Dodge Dealers 250 is traditionally scheduled
during Speedweeks on Friday during the daytime, two days
before the most prestigious race on the NASCAR circuit and the
most watched motorsports event - the Daytona 500. The
inaugural nighttime running of the Florida Dodge Dealers 250
at the "World Center of Racing" will be televised live on
SPEED Channel in prime time. The Florida Dodge Dealers 250
becomes the second race during Speedweeks to move to nighttime
in the last two years. During Speedweeks 2003, the Budweiser
Shootout was moved to night and televised in prime time on FOX
Sports, which registered its largest rating for a prime time
motorsports event - a 5.5 rating, equal to almost six million
households. The Speedway lighting system was first utilized
for stock cars in 1998 for the Pepsi 400. Besides the Pepsi
400 and the Budweiser Shootout, other races at the Speedway
that are held under the lights include: · The Winn-Dixie 250
Presented by PepsiCo NASCAR Busch Series race (July 2, 2004) ·
The Rolex 24 At Daytona (Jan. 31-Feb. 1, 2004) · Paul Revere
250 Rolex Sports Car Series race (July 1, 2004). Tickets for
the inaugural nighttime running of the Florida Dodge Dealers
250 and other Speedweeks 2004 events, including the Daytona
500, are available online at
www.daytonainternationalspeedway.com or by calling
1-800-PITSHOP. DIS PR
9/16/03
Marc Gene to focus on F1
The Spanish driver Marc Gene will no longer participate
in the Superfund World Series by Nissan races, and he will be
concentrating only in his activity as a test and reserve
driver in Formula One. During the current Season he's been
trying to harmonize his task as a test driver in the
BMW.WilliamsF1 team with his presence in the Superfund World
Series by Nissan within the Spanish squad Adrian Campos
Motorsport, the team that saw him became the winner of the
Formula Nissan Series in 1998.
Adrian Campos understands and supports the decision taken by
the Spanish driver: "I'm sure that Marc could fight for the
podium in this Series if he would not had spent so much effort
and time in Formula One. Being the single test driver in
WilliamsF1 has left him with very few opportunities to test
with us. Sometimes he even arrived to the track the same
Saturday, directly for the Qualifying Sessions."
Marc Gene: "Working with all the members of the Team Adrian
Campos Motorsport has been a fantastic experience. Thanks to
them I have stepped at the top of the podium and to keep
enjoying competition. I'm glad that I decided to enter in the
World Series because I do believe that the experience that I
have achieved benefit the result I took recently in the last
G.P. in Monza."
It has been a great satisfaction for the Adrian Campos
Motorsport Team to count with a driver with such a
professional and personal value as Marc Gene. Team Adrian
Campos Motorsport, Superfund World Series by Nissan
9/16/03
How do NASCAR teams pick their
pit stall?KYLE PETTY, Driver, #45 Georgia-Pacific/Brawny Dodge “There
is actually no real strategy for a driver as to what pit stall
he wants. I guess anything with an opening in front of you or
behind you is going to be the best. You want something that is
going to give you a direct shot into or out of the pit stall.
You see a lot of guys who get to pick their pit stall first go
to where there are openings. It doesn’t really matter where
they are, just as long as there is an opening. The
worst thing that can happen to you on pit road is being
blocked in. That’s what costs teams the most time on pit road.
It’s why you see a lot of the pole winners pick the first
stall, or one with an opening. It gets you out without the
potential of being blocked in.” EDDIE JONES,
General Manager, #49 BAM Racing Dodge: “When
picking your pit, the very first thing you want is to be able
to get into and out of your pit as easily as possible. An
opening in front of you or an opening behind you, that’s your
first choice. Given the choice, take the one closer to one end
or the other of pit road. You continue with the process until
you eliminate all the openings, and that includes the very
first pit coming in and the very first pit going out.
From that point, you change your strategy. Now you
start picking a pit depending upon who you can pit beside.
Some drivers do a better job of entering or exiting the pits.
You use that knowledge to pick your pit. You also know some
teams have a history of falling out early, and pitting beside
them is usually a good thing because it will leave you an
opening in and out. The better you qualify, the more
you are going to try to pick something at the first turn end
of pit road. Because of the pit road speeds, you want to be
able to go all the way down pit road without having to stop,
if you can. If you have that very last pit, the one at the end
of pit road closest to the first turn, you don’t have to worry
about the drag race to the end of the pits. You are already
there. And you don’t have to worry about other cars going in
and coming out of their pits, because you are already past
them.” STEVEN LANE, Crew Chief, #45 Georgia-Pacific/Brawny
Dodge: “It all depends on the track as to what pit
stall I am looking to pick. If it’s a short track, I want the
last stall on the pit road. I want to be the first one off pit
road on a short track. If it’s a big track, I want to be right
behind the start/finish line. It’s all about timing and
avoiding getting caught a lap down on pit road. The short
tracks, you want to get back on the track as quickly as
possible. The best way to do that is to be closest to the
track, and that would be the last pit stall. It avoids you
being blocked in, and it gets you back to racing on the track
a lot faster. A bigger track, you have to think things
through a little more. I like to be right before the
start/finish line in case a caution comes out while I am on
pit road. If Kyle (Petty) is coming down pit road, or if I am
in the process of pitting, and a caution comes out I want to
drop the jack and just go feet to cross the finish line,
hopefully before the leader does. You don’t want to lose a lap
while pitting, and pitting near the start/finish line on most
tracks is going to help your chances of that not happening.”
GARY PUTNAM, Crew Chief, #43 Cheerios/Betty Crocker
Dodge: "Picking a pit stall isn’t too
complicated, but I like to look for three things when picking
a stall before a race. The first, I like to get an opening.
Any opening, front or behind, is going to be to your
advantage. You don’t want to be blocked in and it’s an easier
shot in or out of your pit stall. The second is to be
near Turn One or to be near the start/finish line. I like to
be near Turn One because you have an open shot right off pit
road and there is no one blocking you out. The start/finish
line pit stall is good because you get to complete your lap on
pit road. It protects you in case the caution comes out while
you’re on pit road. The last thing I like to look for
is to see where the timing of pit road speed starts. I like to
be near the beginning of that or the end of that. I want to
have Christian (Fittipaldi) to be able to spend the less
amount of time actually driving the pit road speed. The faster
I can get him in or out of pit road speed the better. Any
stall close to where the pit road speed starts or ends is good
because you can get back up to speed quicker or shoot in the
pits faster.”
9/16/03
Canadian politicians to meet in last
ditch effort to save race UPDATE This Canadian Press
article gives an update on the meeting. Health Minister Anne
McLellan says she has no intention of exempting Montreal's Grand Prix
auto race from the federal ban on tobacco advertising. McLellan
dismissed Monday reports that the federal cabinet may reconsider its
law banning tobacco logos at sports and cultural events in order to
keep the lucrative race in Montreal. ``Health Canada has no intention
of changing the legislation,'' McLellan said outside the Commons.
``We've been through this, we've been clear.''........Cauchon said he
was waiting to hear the results of a meeting with race teams that took
place over the weekend. ``I believe there is still a chance to have an
unbranded race if all those people get together and put pressure on
(Formula One boss Bernie) Ecclestone,'' said Cauchon. ``I am aware of
the impact of the Grand Prix not only for the Montreal region but for
Quebec and Canada. I will do all I can to make sure we keep the
event.''.......Anti-smoking activists say that such indirect
advertising has an impact on young people, and are urging that the ban
be maintained. ``Formula One is the biggest single media vehicle for
tobacco advertising in the world,'' said Francis Thompson of the
Non-Smokers' Rights Association. ``The public health case for banning
tobacco advertising in general, and this kind of sponsorship in
particular, is very strong.'' 9/15/03 - Quebec's federal ministers met on Monday to discuss the
economic and political implications of losing the Canadian Grand Prix,
and may ask the government to reconsider its stance on tobacco
advertising. One option facing the Quebec government is to temporarily
suspend the tobacco legislation. However, Premier Jean Charest
conceded last week that his government cannot agree on the issue as
some ministers feel they would be giving into blackmail from F1 if
they did. Bernie Ecclestone has already told Canada that if it wants
to host a race, F1 will have to be granted a permanent exemption from
the law. If not, there won't be any race. "No, not at all," Ecclestone
told The Globe And Mail when asked if he would reconsider his stance.
"Canada is out now, and it would mean that we would have to rearrange
the schedule (even if the law is changed before the deadline), so we'd
have to take a look at it anyway."
PlanetF1.com
Motocross star to race in Porsche Cup
at USGP
Motocross superstar Travis Pastrana will drive one of the two
guest cars in the Porsche Michelin Supercup races Sept. 27-28 during
the United States Grand Prix at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway,
series and Speedway officials announced Sept. 15. [Editor's note: more
on this story on this week's Pit Pass
show with John Hammer]
Pastrana, from Annapolis, Md., will race the No. 1 Porsche 911 GT3 car
fielded by the Porsche AG team. The Porsche Michelin Supercup series,
the world’s fastest single-marque sports car series, will support the
United States Grand Prix Formula One race for the fourth consecutive
year on the 2.605-mile road course at Indianapolis.
Pastrana, 19, is one of the most exciting and diversified off-road
riders in the world, excelling in both motocross racing and extreme
motocross competitions.
He won the AMA Eastern Region Supercross title in 2001 with five
victories in seven races and also recorded three podium finishes in
the 250cc AMA Supercross series in 2002 with Team SoBe Suzuki before
being sidelined by surgery. Pastrana turned pro in 2000 and won the
AMA Chevy Trucks 125cc motocross championship with five victories.
Pastrana also won gold medals in the freestyle motocross competition
at the Gravity Games in 1999, 2001 and 2002 and in the X Games in
1999, 2000 and 2001. Pastrana finished runner-up in the freestyle
motocross competition Sept. 14 at the Gravity Games in Cleveland,
hampered by a hard crash at the end of his first run.
As an amateur, Pastrana won the AMA national motocross championship in
the 125cc and 250cc classes in 1999. He drew national headlines in
1999 when he jumped his bike into San Francisco Bay during the
freestyle motocross competition at the X Games.
Pastrana has competed in a very limited schedule of events in 2003 for
Team SoBe Suzuki due to injuries suffered in racing, training and in a
traffic accident. Yet he still remains one of the most popular riders
in the world, with his own action figure, a DVD of highlights and a
bobblehead doll. Pastrana also has appeared on countless mainstream
and sports television programs during his career, ranging from “The
Tonight Show with Jay Leno” to “Real TV.”
Porsche Michelin Supercup races are scheduled for 4 p.m. (EST)
Saturday, Sept. 27 and 10:40 a.m. (EST) Sunday, Sept. 28.
9/16/03
RuSPORT still on the fence between CART or IRL
Official word from the RuSPORT team today on their plans for
2004: "We are planning a one car effort in either the IRL or CART. We
have not determined if it will be a full or partial season yet. We
will be continuing our Toyota Atlantic team as well." Although
our "other" inside sources say they are going to run a Champ Car
effort, many people have written to ask why RuSPORT owner CARL Russo's
name was not included in any of the recent press releases put out by
Open Wheel Racing Series LLC. We can only speculate that it was
because he has chosen to take a backseat role in Open Wheel and not
that he's decided to jump ship to the IRL as some of our readers have
feared. We have updated our
2004 CART Silly Season Page to
reflect the fact that a 2nd car for RuSPORT is pure speculation at
this point.
9/15/03
Irvine speaks on Ferrari's protest
"Fingers have been pointed at Ferrari for questioning the
legality of the tread width of Michelin tires after the Hungarian race
but why not?" Eddie Irvine told The Sun. "It's the team's
job to do everything in their power - and the rules - to win the
Championship, even if their latest attempts were desperate. Obviously
they were trying to destabilize Williams and McLaren and all teams do
it. Ferrari's latest ploy was worth a shot but they seem to
forget the reason Michelin are so good is nothing to do with the
amount of tread on the track but the compound of their tire."
9/15/03
Jeff Green to drive #43, Fittipaldi #44
at Dover
Jeff Green in the #43 at Dover; Fittipaldi in the #44: Jeff Green, who
has wheeled cars this year for Richard Childress and Dale Earnhardt
Inc., will drive the #43 Cheerios/Betty Crocker Dodge of Petty
Enterprises for this race. Christian Fittipaldi, who normally drives
the #43 Cheerios/Betty Crocker Dodge, will drive the #44 Bugles Dodge
this weekend for the MBNA America 400 Cup race at the one-mile Dover
(Del.) International Speedway. "There isn't any doubt Jeff Green can
drive a race car, and he can drive it well," said Kyle Petty, CEO of
Petty Enterprises. "Having the opportunity to have him behind the
wheel of the #43 this week is great for Petty Enterprises, for General
Mills and for our entire program. Jeff will do a super job for us."
Williams Company PR
9/15/03
Move afoot to overturn Greg Moore
lawsuit dismissal
This Sports canada.com
article says that Greg Moore's wrongful death lawsuit will be
back in a U.S. court later this year or early 2004. Lawyers
representing Moore's estate filed an appeal earlier this summer
arguing the wrongful death lawsuit resulting from the Maple Ridge,
B.C., driver's fatal crash in 1999 should not have been dismissed. The
brief, filed with the Riverside, Calif., County Court of Appeals,
names Championship Auto Racing Teams and California Speedway Corp. as
defendants. The appeal is an attempt to overturn an October 2002
decision by a lower court to dismiss the suit. Moore, 24, died when
his car crashed into a wall on the second turn during the Marlboro 500
at California Speedway, in Fontana, Calif. Lawyers representing the
Moore estate maintain the death was caused because when the car left
the course, it crossed an elevated access road, skidded on grass in
the track's infield and slammed into a concrete wall that was void of
any energy-absorbing material. The 60-page brief argues the earlier
judgment to dismiss the case suffered from "every procedural defect
imaginable." Lawyers representing CART and the speedway did not
immediately return calls. Ric Moore, Greg's father, refused comment
when contacted by The Canadian Press. The wrongful death suit does not
specify damages being sought. Prior to his death Moore had signed a
three-year, $12-million US contract with Penske Racing. A three-judge
panel will hear the appeal either late this year or early in 2004,
then make a ruling. If the ruling is upheld the Moore estate has other
avenues of appeal, including the California Supreme Court.
9/15/03
Sand sculptures mark launch of 13th Lexmark Indy 300
The 2003 Lexmark Indy 300 on the Gold Coast is expected to
attract more than 300,000 people, Premier Peter Beattie announced at
the official launch of the Lexmark Indy 300 at Broadbeach recently.
Mr Beattie and the Deputy Premier, Treasurer, and Sports Minister
Terry Mackenroth officially launched this year's event by unveiling a
sand sculpture and announcing that the V8 Supercars will be a headline
act at the Lexmark Indy 300 for at least another three years.
The sand sculpture was developed by world champion Dennis Massoud and
depicted a Champ Car and V8 Supercar cutting through the ocean. It was
entitled 'Lexmark Indy 300 emerges from the Heatwaves'. Mr
Beattie praised organizers for trying something different with the
launch by securing a world champion sand sculptor to carve out an Indy
masterpiece. "Indy is all about color, speed, excitement and
performance. This sculpture has all of those ingredients and will be a
wonderful showpiece at Broadbeach Mall right through the event."
Massoud, Australia's only full-time professional sand sculptor, won
the World Sand Sculpting Championships in Denmark in June.
9/15/03
Scheckter & Dixon test TMS
Close finishes in Indy Racing League IndyCar Series events at
Texas Motor Speedway are a trademark. Target Chip Ganassi Racing
teammates Scott Dixon and Tomas Scheckter spent Monday testing at
Texas Motor Speedway looking for an advantage that may put either in
victory lane on "Championship Sunday," October 12, in the Chevy 500k.
The drivers of the Target Panoz G Force/Toyotas have been at the
forefront of the IRL IndyCar Series this year. Three-time winner Dixon
is currently in second place in the IndyCar Series standings, just 12
points behind pacesetter Helio Castroneves. Scheckter, the polesitter
for June's Bombardier 500k at Texas, is still seeking his first 2003
IndyCar Series win despite leading seven races. "The next two circuits
(California and Texas) are fairly similar, we are trying to find the
best combination for low drag," said Dixon. "It worked out better for
us to test here today than in California last week. We are trying
different variations of wings and aero items. We are looking for that
little bit extra. It's going to be a tough end of the year,"
continued Dixon. "I can't wait to come back here to Texas. It is going
to be exciting." "There are many things that we can learn testing,"
said Scheckter. "The next two tracks (California and Texas), although
they are different in the way they are shaped, there are a lot of
similarities. There are certain tests you do with the race car that
equivocate to Texas and California. Believe me, if we could stay here
three or four days testing, we would learn something every single
day."
9/15/03
CART stock watch
In NYSE trading today MPH closed
UNCHANGED at $0.69 p/shr on Volume of 288,800 shares.
Low/High of Session: $0.69/$0.71
Multiple trades in excess of 40,000 shares.
NYSE DOWN 22.74 or 0.24% on Volume of 1.35B shares.
NASDAQ DOWN 9.33 or 0.47%
S&P 500 DOWN 3.82 or 0.32%
courtesy of C3I.AndersonGroupe – Chicago www.andersongroupe.com
9/15/03
F3000
Horner predicts Bell can be
F3000 champ in 2004
Arden team boss Christian Horner is confident that
American Townsend Bell can compete for the F3000 crown next
season. "Townsend can be content with an impressive
rookie season," said Horner. "With the benefit of continuity
over the winter, I'm sure he will be a title contender next
season."
9/15/03
F3000 Champ seeks F1 ride
Newly crowned F3000 champion Bjorn Wirdheim has pledged
to focus his attention on finding a Formula 1 seat for next
season. The Swede tested for the Jordan team at Monza
recently, and is due to run for them in the Friday morning
test session in the next race at Indianapolis. Wirdheim is
also scheduled to test for BAR this month as they look for a
possible replacement for Jacques Villeneuve. "This
season has been unbelievable and I would like to take this
opportunity to thank the whole Arden team who have done a
fantastic job over the past two seasons," said Wirdheim. "I
would however like to dedicate this win to Anna Lindh who
tragically lost her life this week. I will now focus all my
efforts on securing an F1 seat for next year." Arden boss
Christian Horner said: "In the two years that Bjorn has
driven for the team he has been a pleasure to work with and
must be one of the most successful drivers to compete in
F3000. He has been truly outstanding this season finishing
nine out of 10 races in either first or second position. He
has a great future ahead of him and is totally deserving of a
race seat in F1 next year."
9/15/03
Mixed views on young France in
NASCAR garage
This Winston-Salem Journal
article talks about some of the perceived many
weaknesses of Brian France, NASCAR's new Chairman and CEO, the
NASCAR garage.
9/15/03
New NASCAR Chief on Wind Tunnel
tonight
New NASCAR CEO Brian France will be the featured guest on
SPEED Channel's Wind Tunnel with Dave Despain tonight at 9
p.m. ET ... Other guests this week include Darrell Gwynn
(Wednesday) and Michael Andretti (Thursday) ...
9/15/03
Seen at Monza UPDATE According to this
New Zealand newspaper
article, Scott Dixon will stay in the IRL in 2004 because it's
not until 2005 that F1 seats will open up. 9/14/03 - Former CART driver and current IRL driver Scott Dixon
is wandering the pit lane at Monza with manager Stefan
Johansson. Dixon has F1 aspirations and Johansson is
trying to arrange a test drive for him.
9/15/03 F3000
Wirdheim wins, Bell spins in MonzaUPDATE We have added a more
complete report
of the Monza F3000 race. 9/13/03 - Townsend Bell finished his rookie FIA F3000 season with a
disappointing retirement at Monza after being pushed off the road on
the third lap. However, there was some joy for the Arden team as Bjorn
Wirdheim scored his third victory of the season.
Townsend started the race from seventh on the grid and held his own on
a frantic first lap that saw several drivers taking to the grass. He
was still seventh when he was hit by Durango driver Raffaele Giammaria
on the way into the high speed Parabolica turn. Townsend spun off and
hit the tire barrier, while the Italian returned to the pits to retire
with accident damage.
“It was pretty messy at the first chicane, and it looked like there
was going to be contact, so I short cutted it,” said Townsend. “Then I
kind of settled in, but we were really getting killed on the
straights. We changed gearing and it was a mistake, because we just
could not stay with the guys in front of us, and I was getting
attacked from behind big time.
“But going into Parabolica Giammaria started making a run up the
inside, but he wasn’t even close to being alongside us. It was kind of
a desperate move so early in the race, and it slammed me big time and
I did a big 360 in the gravel and hit the barrier. I thought I was
going to go upside down for a second, because at the speed it can
catch in the gravel and flip you. It was a bummer. He should have
waited until the next corner and he might have had a lot better
chance.”
Wirdheim dropped to third at the start but passed Patrick Friesacher
at the second chicane and then took leader Giorgio Pantano on lap 33.
Bjorn was already leading comfortably when Pantano, his only real
challenger, retired with an electronic problem. Bjorn was the last
serious contender to make his mandatory pit stop and maintained a
comfortable lead to the flag.
The result means that he has won or finished second in every race
except the Nurburgring, where he was involved in a first lap incident.
There was some concern after the race when the car was found to be
missing one of the wheel clips which has to be replaced after the pit
stop. However video evidence showed that it had fallen off leaving the
pits and the team had made a genuine attempt to fit it and gained no
advantage. He will test for BAR at Jerez next week, and is also due to
have another run with Jordan.
Townsend finishes the season in ninth place in the FIA standings,
having scored 17 points, but he was frustrated to end the season off
the road.
“I always look forward to a little time off, but it’s been a nice,
solid season. I’ve learned all the circuits and I think we’ve
accomplished a lot of what we set out to do in terms of establishing
ourselves in Europe, and getting some interest from the right kind of
people, so I’m reasonably happy with the way things have gone. I just
want to build from here and continue to improve.”
Arden team boss Christian Horner has been impressed by Bell’s rookie
year: “He can view it as a positive year. He’s learned enormously and
he’s shown good pace throughout the year, and he’s been unfortunate in
some of the races. But I think he’s marked himself out as a serious
contender for next year, and with some testing over the winter and the
continuity with the team I’m sure you’ll see him right there next
year.” Results
1. B Wirdheim…44m01.863s
2. P Friesacher…44m10.379s
3. R Sperafico…44m11.895s
4. V Liuzzi…44m38.884s
5. J Van Hooydonk…44m39.972s
6. T Schmidt…44m40.787s
7. J Janis…44m41.044s
8. E Toccacelo…44m42.844s
Ret: T Bell – 2 laps
Monza was fastest F1 race ever
Sunday’s Italian Grand Prix WAS the fastest F1 race of all time.
Michael Schumacher’s average speed over the course of the 53-lap race
was 154.74mph, beating the previous record of 151.6mph. That milestone
dates back to the 1971 Italian GP, which was won by BRM’s Peter Gethin.
9/15/03
Mario Andretti says....
RPM2Night ran a special on Mario Andretti's world driving
championship that was clinched 25 years ago this weekend. They showed
video of Mario's pass of Gilles Villeneuve at Monza that we described
below. Part of the special was a live interview with
Mario. Q. Who's the greatest talent in racing right
now? Mario: Juan Montoya. Q: Out of all of
the series you raced in and races you won, what was the toughest
challenge to your skills? Mario: CART for sure. The
diversity of tracks is the ultimate challenge.
9/14/03
Da Matta impresses at Monza, where past
CART champions have excelled 2nd UPDATE This article
by Robin Miller on CART.com is a nice tribute to Mario Andretti's
World Championship and discusses the same Monza race we talked about
below. It gives a bit more detail on how Mario passed Gilles
Villeneuve. 9/12/03 - We are reminded that
two other CART champions have done well at Monza in the past in F1
cars. Michael Andretti had his one and only F1 podium finish at
Monza, but was then immediately fired by the McLaren team after a
disastrous season driving alongside Ayrton Senna. He never got a fair
shake, but to the outside world Michael Andretti's firing was well
deserved, especially when his replacement, Mika Hakkinen put the car
on pole the very next race. His great father Mario, also had
some great outings at Monza. Two come to mind. In 1977 he
made a memorable pass around the outside of the Parabolica to pass
Jody Scheckter for the lead and went on to trounce the competition in
his Lotus 78 to win the Italian GP and fulfill a childhood dream.
The following year in 1978, he and the late great Gilles Villeneuve had one
of the best battles of all-time in F1. With Mario on
The great Gilles
Villeneuve gets the jump on Mario Andretti at Monza in 1978. It was
to be one of the epic battles in F1 history, with Mario coming out on top.
pole in his
Lotus 79, 2nd place starter Gilles got the jump in his Ferrari at the
start (actually he jumped the start big time) and the two ran
nose-to-tail the entire way. With six laps to go in the race, Mario outbraked Gilles going into the Parabolica and they ran Mario-Gilles
1-2 to the finish, or so they thought. Both were penalized for
jumping the start and the win was handed to Niki Lauda who was miles
behind the leading duo. Because the history books will never
show the battle as that for the win, it never got the recognition it
deserved. The death of Mario's teammate Ronnie Peterson at the
start of the race that year also cast a shadow on the epic battle.
Two of the world's greatest drivers ever, hammer-and-tong from start
to end....a race I'll never forget. Mark Cipolloni 9/12/03
- Last year's CART champion, and F1 rookie Cristiano da
Matta impressed the F1 Paddock and the Toyota team by taking
4th place on the provisional grid for Sunday's Italian GP at
Monza. "I am very happy with my qualifying time," said
da Matta. "Since the first few laps this morning we have been
more confident than we were at the test last week. I want to
thank the engineers, who have all done a good job over the
weekend to study the data from last week and to make the car
stronger. It makes a difference to have driven the
three days last week, because I have not had to spend time
learning the track this morning and I have been able to get a
good feeling with the car. Fourth place is certainly a good
way to start the weekend." Another CART champion and F1
title contender, Juan Montoya, sits on pole position so far.
9/14/03
Patrick Racing auditions new rookies,
Hunter-Reay tests Fontana UPDATE
We have added a photo of Robbie Kerr (fooling around with a devious
smile), a former British F3 champion. Here is a related
article on Kerr's Champ Car test. Also, Jimmy Vasser
tested on Thursday and Hunter-Reay on Friday at Fontana.
Previously it was reported that only Hunter-Reay tested. 9/12/03 - The short course at Sebring International
Raceway, site of CART Champ Car's Spring Training in 2003, saw Patrick
Racing and Fernandez Racing turning laps on Tuesday and Wednesday,
while American Spirit Team Johansson headed for California Speedway in
Fontana.
Patrick Racing tested a pair of rookies on the short course over the
two days, putting Porsche Supercup driver Pierre Kaffer and British F3
pilot Robbie Kerr in its Ford-Cosworth/Lola/Bridgestone. Oriol Servia,
who is currently sixth in the Champ Car points, was on hand to help
establish a baseline for the car prior to the rookie test.
"Both drivers did a good job considering that they had no experience
in these cars and with this much power," said Patrick Racing General
Manager Jim McGee. "We're pleased with the job they both did and they
both ran fairly competitive times."
American Spirit tested on the two-mile California Speedway oval in
preparation for the 2003 season finale November 2nd, with rookie Ryan
Hunter-Reay running the team's Ford-Cosworth/Reynard/Bridgestone.
"After all of the road and street courses we've been running, you have
to come out to the ovals and recalibrate yourself," Hunter-Reay said.
"I feel like I've done that now. It's amazing because the tiniest
changes you make on the car here can really be felt on the track. I
think we have a chance to do well here in November." CART
9/14/03
Cope
lands sponsor for 2004
Former Daytona 500 winner Derrike Cope has seen the realization of a
years-long dream come to fruition. The two-time NASCAR Winston Cup
race winner, who put his own team together two years ago, will have
primary sponsorship from Paramount Hospitality Management LLC (PHM)
for the 2004 season. "This is something we have been working on since
late last year,” said Cope, who owns Quest Motor Racing, which will
field the #37 PHM Chevrolet. Since we started this race team a couple
of years ago we have been working hard to get a solid, quality primary
sponsor,” Cope said. “Paramount Hospitality Management LLC is on board
for the full 2004 season, but has also given us leeway for additional
sponsorship and cross-promotional opportunities. For Quest Motor
Racing, this is a great, great day." Paramount Hospitality Management
LLC is a South San Francisco-based international corporation which
owns or manages 56 lodging properties in the United States, and is one
of the top hospitality, lodging and resort consulting companies in the
world with over 200 hotel clients. “PHM is an established company that
is growing rapidly,” said David Lane, corporate president. “To have
the opportunity to work as a sponsorship partner with Derrike Cope and
Quest Motor Racing, also established names that are growing within
their industry, is a tremendous opportunity. We are very excited to be
a part of Derrike’s future and the success we know he and his race
team are going to enjoy.” PHM will utilize sponsorship of the car for
branding, not only of its current activities and logo but also a
unique new reservations product that will become available in 2004.
“This is the beginning of what we hope will be a long-term
relationship,” Lane said. “All of us at PHM have a tremendous amount
of respect for Derrike, not just as a driver but as a great person as
well. He will be a wonderful representative of the quality we offer
our customers and clients in the hospitality industry.”
9/14/03 ASCAR
Collins wins at EuroSpeedway for 3rd
straight
Ben Collins (right) won his third Days of Thunder race in a row and his
fourth win of the season after a gripping opening race at the two-mile
tri-oval at EuroSpeedway Lausitz, near Dresden. (Please credit
photo www.gforceimages.co.uk)
At the flag Collins finished 1.3 seconds ahead of White and McKellar
Jr, with Swan, Mickel and Proctor rounding out the top six. Collins
major threat in the championship, Michael Vergers, could only finish
eleventh after going a lap down after a drive through penalty for
speeding in the pitlane. The Dutchman had also suffered from
understeer in the first half of the race, and was never able to stay
with the leaders.
“It was cool,” said Collins after his victory. “I had to drive flat
out all the way, as there wasn’t much in it between me and the two
behind me, but once I had pulled clear I was able to control the
race.”
DAYS OF THUNDER ROUND 10 RESULT
1 Ben Collins TA Deuce Racing RML Chevrolet 50mins 47.194s
2 Colin White CWS Racing Chevrolet +1.3s
3 Ian McKellar Jr dsi AnyDoc/Torquespeed Chevrolet +2.0s
4 Anthony Swan LEGO Racers Deuce Racing RML Pontiac +2.5s
5 John Mickel Torquespeed/dsi AnyDoc Chevrolet +5.2s
6 Mark Proctor Fast-Tec Pontiac +7.0s
7 Oliver Playle Reebok/Torquespeed Chevrolet +10.8s
8 Kevin Clarke Intersport Racing Pontiac +11.8s
9 Roland Rehfeld Team HTML Pontiac +14.3s
10 Andrew Kirkaldy Acorn Racing with Xcel Motorsport Pontiac +30.7s
11 Michael Vergers Chicago Pneumatic Racing Pontiac +1 lap
12 Andy Smith CWS Racing Chevrolet +5 laps
13 John Steward Stewart Racing Ford +14 laps
14 Phil Weaver Team Catchpole Chevrolet +37 laps
15 Shaun Richardson Kidd-Richardson Racing Chevrolet +49 laps Fastest lap: Ben Collins (Lap 12) 49.026 secs
9/14/03
Papis
joins Brumos Porsche for Mt. Tremblant
"Mad Max" Papis is preparing to step back into a sports car next
week, when he will compete in the #59 Brumos Porsche Daytona Prototype
for the 6 Heures du Circuit Mont-Tremblant race. This is a Grand
American Rolex Sports Car Series sanctioned event on September 19-21
in Quebec, Canada.
On Monday, September 8th, Max was at Brumos Racing's shop in
Jacksonville for a seat fitting and to meet the engineers and team
members.
This will mark Papis' first Grand-Am race in the new Daytona Prototype
class. He competed earlier this season in the famous 24 Hours of
Daytona race, the season-opening Grand-Am race in February. Papis'
co-drivers for the Canadian endurance race will be Hurley Haywood and
J.C. France.
"Max has revived the tradition of the great 'all-arounders', racers
like Sterling Moss and Dan Gurney: brilliant drivers who can win any
kind of race in any kind of car," said Brumos Team Owner Bob
Snodgrass. "Naturally, we're very happy to have Max aboard for the 6
Heures de Circuit Mont-Tremblant. His presence in the team can do
nothing but further improve performance and boost team morale."
"This is a very exciting opportunity for me," said the 33-year-old
Italian. "Racing at a historic circuit like Mont-Tremblant, with a
renowned sports car team, Brumos Racing, and with endurance legend
Hurley Haywood as my co-driver is a perfect fit. When opportunities
like this present themselves to you, you accept them, because they are
special in your life."
9/14/03
Race dawns bright, sunny
Traditionally the F1 circus is greeted to sunny and pleasant
weather the second week in September in northern Italy and today is
nothing different. Race day has dawned with clear blue skies and
bright sunshine, although there is an early autumn chill in the air.
For the past few years, the championships had already been decided in
favor of Ferrari by the time the F1 circus came to Italy and a relaxed
atmosphere prevailed in the paddock. However, today there is tension
in the air, specifically in the top three teams still fighting for the
championship - Ferrari, BMW-WilliamsF1 and McLaren Mercedes.
The devout Italian fans are streaming through the gates of the Monza
circuit, which is hidden in a large park in Monza, Italy.
The tifosi as they're known, are already blowing their air horns
in support of their Ferrari team.
While all eyes are focused on the front row of today’s grid in Italy
where title rivals Michael Schumacher and Juan Pablo Montoya will line
up side by side, there is a third contender ready to pounce and claim
victory for himself, and that is none other than McLaren driver Kimi
Raikkonen.
"People are saying that I can use the lack of hype around me and be
like a silent assassin," Kimi said in the People. "No one is really
talking about me winning the championship. I am only two points away
from leading the championship again and I think that I can win. The
only thing that I can do is try and beat everyone else and do my best
and if that is not good enough then at least I know I put everything
into it. I never even expected to be challenging for the title at this
late stage. We knew the car was good, but not this good."
"It has always been my dream to win the world championship and have
the number one on my car. But it is too early to start talking about
which number I'm going to have next season because anything can
happen. I'll be going flat out in the next three races to win them
all, but I also have to think about consistency because finishing
second is better than pushing for first and crashing out."
It should be one heck of a race.
Good
media turnout for Miami
AutoRacing1.com has learned that the Grand Prix Americas
PR department has already approved over 400 media credentials
for the upcoming race. With all the controversy
surrounding last years off-again, on-again race, attendance
and media attention was a bit soft because marketing for the
race started late. The bad news is that it's very hot in
Miami right now. Last year the heat was unbearable, which held
attendance down. We will be shocked if the 2004 CART
schedule doesn't have Miami as the season finale in early
November. We really don't expect CART to be back at
Fontana given the lack of commitment for this year's race by
ISC. CART is already in the LA market at Long Beach.
Fontana isn't the most desirable of locations, though it was
the site of some great races.
9/13/03
Ralf Schumacher could miss USGP
Ralf Schumacher could miss the US Grand Prix at Indianapolis on
September 28, according to Williams team boss Frank Williams due to
injuries suffered in a Monza testing crash.
Williams, who will want to have Schumacher fit for the last two races
of the 2003 season, said: "I saw Ralf after qualifying and I said
'Ralf, you look like death, please go to bed by 5pm at the latest'.
"There is a concern he might not have recovered by Indianapolis. It is
frustrating but we will just have to live with it if it happens."
His brother, Michael Schumacher, believes that the Williams driver had
no choice other than to pull out of the race at Monza. The
34-year-old Ferrari race ace said: "I was quite surprised when I heard
the news because we were playing football together last Thursday and
he was feeling quite well. But this just shows how tough Formula
One is. When you get into an F1 car it is a different story and it has
completely different effects on you so I do understand his situation.
I have not spoken to Ralf yet although I did hear last night that he
was not feeling well. I think he has made the absolutely correct
decision. When you have had an accident like he has had then you
need a certain time to recover."
9/13/03
Blaney spins and hits wall
Dave Blaney, driver of the No. 77 Jasper Engines Taurus, spun and hit
the wall during Saturday morning's first practice session. Blaney, who
was in the process of making his first lap on the track, will be
forced to a backup car after sustaining damage to the nose of his
car. DAVE BLANEY - No. 77 Jasper Engines Taurus - "I hit
something and I'm gonna say it was oil because it felt slicker than
water. The car just shot around on me. I had just come out of the pits
and wasn't even up to speed yet, but I know everybody else came out of
the pits and went through there, so I don't know. It definitely just
shot around too quick like there was oil, but there was something on
the track. That, combined with cold tires, made me spin around. There
was still something there from the 32 wrecking. Whether he ran through
it as well or left it down, I don't know." THE CAR WAS HURT ENOUGH TO
MAKE YOU GO TO A BACKUP. "Yeah, I think it was just quicker for them
to go to a backup and make sure we get some practice this next time.
It wasn't really hurt that bad at all, but just enough."
9/13/03
Montoya has Schumacher's number
It's becoming clearer by the day that former CART champion Juan
Montoya is the next Michael Schumacher. The Colombian appears to
be the only driver in the F1 paddock who can pass Schumacher on a
regular basis the past couple of years. And every time he does,
he appears to fluster Schumacher so much he forces the German into a
mistake, clearly having won the battle of head games. During a
battle of who's faster this morning in practice he blew past
Schumacher's Ferrari on the front straight at Monza and led him into
turn 1. However, Schumacher missed his braking point and ran
over the curbs and some safety cones. Some consider Montoya
arrogant and not afraid of anyone. He's certainly not afraid of
Schumacher and whenever he gets the chance he shows the German driver
who's better. Mark C.
9/13/03
Montoya fastest in Saturday AM practice
#3
POS DRIVER NATIONALITY ENTRANT TIRE
TIME
1. JUAN PABLO MONTOYA Colombia Williams-BMW M 1:21.468
2. MICHAEL SCHUMACHER Germany Ferrari B 1:21.586
3. KIMI RAIKKONEN Finland McLaren-Mercedes M 1:22.091
4. RUBENS BARRICHELLO Brazil Ferrari B 1:22.108
5. DAVID COULTHARD Britain McLaren-Mercedes M 1:22.194
6. MARC GENE Spain Williams-BMW M 1:22.271
7. OLIVIER PANIS France Toyota M 1:22.321
8. JARNO TRULLI Italy Renault M 1:22.333
9. JENSON BUTTON Britain BAR-Honda B 1:22.378
10. FERNANDO ALONSO Spain Renault M 1:22.399
11. JACQUES VILLENEUVE Canada BAR-Honda B 1:22.906
12. CRISTIANO DA MATTA Brazil Toyota M 1:23.195
13. MARK WEBBER Australia Jaguar-Cosworth M 1:23.294
14. HEINZ-HARALD FRENTZEN Germany Sauber-Petronas B 1:23.461
15. NICK HEIDFELD Germany Sauber-Petronas B 1:23.846
16. JUSTIN WILSON Britain Jaguar-Cosworth M 1:23.955
17. GIANCARLO FISICHELLA Italy Jordan-Ford B 1:24.688
18. JOS VERSTAPPEN Netherlands Minardi-Cosworth B 1:25.749
19. NICOLAS KIESA Denmark Minardi-Cosworth B 1:25.870
20. ZSOLT BAUMGARTNER Hungary Jordan-Ford B 1:25.916
9/13/03
Schumacher fastest in Saturday AM
practice #2
Position/Driver Team Fastest Lap
1 Michael Schumacher Ferrari 1m21.623s
2 Rubens Barrichello Ferrari 1m22.146s
3 David Coulthard McLaren 1m22.552s
4 Jenson Button BAR 1m22.642s
5 Juan Pablo Montoya Williams 1m22.646s
6 Marc Gene Williams 1m22.685s
7 Kimi Raikkonen McLaren 1m22.718s
8 Fernando Alonso Renault 1m22.731s
9 Jarno Trulli Renault 1m22.735s
10 Jacques Villeneuve BAR 1m23.120s
11 Cristiano da Matta Toyota 1m23.312s
12 Heinz-Harald Frentzen Sauber 1m23.572s
13 Justin Wilson Jaguar 1m23.955s
14 Nick Heidfeld Sauber 1m24.134s
15 Mark Webber Jaguar 1m24.454s
16 Giancarlo Fisichella Jordan 1m25.194s
17 Nicolas Kiesa Minardi 1m25.870s
18 Jos Verstappen Minardi 1m25.934s
19 Zsolt Baumgartner Jordan 1m26.295s
20 Olivier Panis Toyota
Dizzy Ralf pulls out of Italian GP
Ralf Schumacher has pulled out of the Italian Grand Prix and
will be replaced, as of Saturday, by BMW-Williams' tester Marc Gene.
The 28-year-old German barrel-rolled his FW25 in private testing last
week but was cleared to race by FIA doctor Sid Watkins in a Thursday
medical check.
But still suffering from headaches and dizziness, Schumacher informed
his team that he did not feel well enough to contest final qualifying
or the race.
Marc Gene, a Spaniard, last raced in Formula One three years ago in a
back-of-the-grid Minardi but clocks up regular (testing) miles in the
Williams car.
Ralf's qualifying time on Friday at Monza was disallowed because he
locked up the brakes and went straight-on at a chicane.
'My lap was compromised by a mistake I made just before the chicane,'
he said. 'I simply braked too late and went straight on, which was my
fault.'
9/12/03
Earnhardt to re-sign with DEI
Dale Earnhardt Jr. is scheduled to sit down with car owner Teresa
Earnhardt next week and Dale Jr. expects he'll have a contract worked
out with DEI. The only reason he says he has yet to sign a contract is
that he and Teresa haven't had time to do so. Dale Jr. says there are
no disagreements, it's just they need about four solid hours to get it
done and both are so busy they haven't had the time, not a minute to
do it. Earnhardt Jr. says, "When me and Teresa have our meeting we'll
definitely have a clear, direct path once we're finished. Me and her
really work well together and when we sit down and we're hashing out
something we always have been able to come to a decision very easily.
She's a classic businesswoman, she does a great job making those
decisions and telling you and showing you certain reasons for this and
certain reasons for that, and she's very compromising too. I don't
have any doubt in my mind that I'll be able to walk out of there very
satisfied with my end of the deal."
PRN's Garage Pass Radio Show
9/12/03 World Rally
Colin
McRae loses World Rally ride
Citroen Sport announced that Colin McRae will not drive for them
in 2004, having opted to keep Carlos Sainz. Citroen were left with a
choice between either McRae or Sainz, following changes to regulations
that mean only two cars entered per manufacturer will be eligible to
score points next year. Three cars were fielded by the French
team this season, with Sebastien Loeb racing alongside McRae and Sainz.
Loeb was re-signed back in July, which meant only one seat remained
following alterations to the format of the WRC. Guy Frequelin,
Citroen's team boss, told BBC Sport Online: "This has been one of the
most difficult decisions I have ever had to make in my career.
"The qualities of one or the other were never in doubt. In an ideal
world, we would want to be able to keep both of them."
9/12/03
Indy
Legends to race at TMS
Jim McElreath climbs into one of the Thunder Roadsters that will
be used for the October 12 Firestone Heroes of Indy race at Texas
Motor Speedway. Fellow Texans and Indy 500 veterans Lloyd Ruby
(center) and Johnny Rutherford look on. Ten of the greatest drivers in
Indianapolis 500 history will compete prior to the Chevy 500k IRL
IndyCar Series season finale. Psst, someone tell Jim the car is
pointed in the wrong direction. (Image courtesy of Texas Motor
Speedway)
9/12/03
Portland race remains in limbo
This Portland Oregonian
article talks about the status of the CART race in Portland
under the prospective new owners of CART. Here are some
excerpts: A pessimist would say it's over. There is no chance -- not a
prayer -- that the Champ Cars are coming back to Portland. The
G.I. Joe's 200 is dead. After 20 years. But Mike Nealy, the Portland
race's co-promoter, sees millions of fans, a rich tradition, $160
million in economic benefits and a race track that ranks among the
most accessible and most beautiful in the world. And he asks, "Why
don't we rally around this thing and try to resurrect it as opposed to
burying it?"
If there is a series, Nealy said, there will be a race in June. In
Portland. And there is the rub. Will Championship Auto Racing Teams,
awash in red ink, be merged into the rival Indy Racing League, remain
a separate body or simply be put out of its misery? "I fully expect
the race will be back," Nealy said this week, just hours before CART
accepted a purchase offer of 56 cents a share from a group headed by
Champ Car team owner Gerald Forsythe.
"I have been reassured by a number of different people in CART that
Portland is very much on their radar screen," Nealy said, "and we've
actually been talking about TV dates."
But the city erred, according to former race chairman Bill Hildick,
when it announced a verbal agreement with CART for 2004 through 2006
but didn't get anything in writing.
"There are so many unknowns from Portland's point of view," said
Hildick, who was race director for 15 years. "Somebody made a huge
mistake in not signing so at least they would be on the books as
having a (2004) date."
"But we have not had any indications from CART they are not coming
back in June," Wigginton said. "It seems like (the sale announcement)
can't be anything but a positive thing. CART was running out of money.
Something had to change. I really am encouraged for the future now."
"You need a very, very strong leadership group to revitalize CART,"
Hildick said, "and I don't see it. Team owners trying to run
sanctioning bodies doesn't work. I'm among those who feel the future
of open-wheel racing in this country has to be under one sanctioning
body."
Nealy pointed to the next event on the CART schedule, the Sept. 28
race in Miami, and said it could be a blueprint for future races.
The Grand Prix Americas presented by Sportsbook.com features racing on
Friday, a KID ROCK concert Friday night, racing on Saturday followed
by an Elton John concert, then racing on Sunday. Fans can get a
reserved seat for the John concert and a general admission ticket for
the Champ Car event for $89. It's called MotoRock.
"I'm excited by the concept; it's pretty cool," said Nealy, who once
promoted the likes of Alice Cooper and Grand Funk Railroad when he
lived in Detroit. "We probably could do only one night of a major
concert, but that would be a very strong objective. We'd like to do
something Saturday night on the inside of the racetrack."
Is he dreaming?
"The story has yet to play out," Hildick said.
9/12/03
Fernández tests Sebring
Adrian Fernandez is in the midst of his best season as an
owner/driver in the CART Champ Car World Series, standing seventh in
the points with a win in Portland to his credit. The veteran ran
nearly 200 miles on the short course at Sebring and was pleased with
his team's progress. "It was a very positive test. We ran a lot of
miles and we went through a lot of the things we needed to do. We
learned a lot of good things," Fernandez said. CART
9/12/03
Miami Pit & Paddock suites sold
out For the second year in a row, the
Pit and Paddock Suites have all been sold, announced Chuck M.
Martinez, president and general manager, Grand Prix Americas.
Corporate clients who wish to entertain can still purchase
Bayfront Suites or a table at The Club presented by The
Collection. “The fact that we have sold out our Paddock and
Pit suites solidifies our view that the Grand Prix Americas is
a great vehicle to entertain clients,” said Martinez. Bayfront
Suites are still available at $22,500 plus catering and The
Club presented by The Collection, is available at $6,000 for a
reserved table or $500 per ticket. For more information on
suites or The Club presented by The Collection you can call
305.373.3333.
9/12/03
CART stock watch Another big
volume day for MPH shares
Price $0.64 @ market close
Change +$0.02
Volume 603,400 shares
Trades 190
Day Low $0.63
Day High $0.70
52 Week Low $0.60
52 Week High $5.28
9/12/03
Brawn under fire as tire row
reignites
This UK Independent
article says, After Juan Pablo Montoya's BMW Williams
just beat the two Ferraris of Rubens Barrichello and Michael
Schumacher to the fastest qualifying lap at Monza, the teams'
technical directors went head-to-head off the track as well.
Schumacher might have complained that being the championship
leader (just barely) and therefore the first man to run made
him everyone else's track cleaner, but the real heat came when
his technical supremo Ross Brawn came under fire, in company
with rivals Patrick Head, of Williams, Ron Dennis, of McLaren
and Flavio Briatore, of Renault, to justify Ferrari's role in
the Michelin tire argument. The organizers should have sold
tickets to that instead.
Ferrari maintained that, when worn, Michelin's front tires
exceed the regulation width, even though they complied with it
when they were new. They sought clarification from the FIA,
the sport's ruling body. Head, Dennis and Briatore, as
Michelin runners, all remain adamant that the French tire
company's products have always been in compliance with the
regulations at all times and that they would never knowingly
contravene them; they were at a loss to explain why the same
basic type of tire had been passed without demur for the past
38 races, and had suddenly been deemed worthy of change.
9/12/03
2004 CART opener in St. Pete on
CBS This St. Petersburg Times
article says, enthusiasm is picking up for CART's
season opener in St. Petersburg, FL. as news spreads that the
race will be nationally televised by CBS. Word of the
CBS telecast "is slowly getting out," he said. "People are
realizing this has not only a regional factor to it ... but
national and international."
9/12/03
Another good news article for
St. Pete race This St. Petersburg Times
article says, A bailout of the troubled Championship
Auto Racing Teams circuit is giving a high-octane boost to the
first race on CART's 2004 season: the Grand Prix of St.
Petersburg. CART is the sanctioning body for the St.
Petersburg race, not an organizer, financial backer or
promoter of the event. For months the organizers of the race
have sought to reassure potential sponsors that the second
annual event could go on even if CART fizzled.
Nonetheless, race organizers were elated to learn late
Wednesday that a group of investors called Open Wheel Racing
Series have agreed to buy CART, ensuring that its 2004 season
will go on. Open Wheel includes several racing team owners who
are big investors in CART. Grand Prix spokeswoman Lisa Brock
said the deal is a plus in sponsor negotiations because it
takes off the table the issue of who will sanction St.
Petersburg's race. "I think this will have a direct positive
impact" on increasing sponsorships, added Tim Ramsberger,
general manager of the Grand Prix, which is slated to wind its
way through the streets of downtown in February.
Despite CART's uncertain future, Ramsberger said he is anxious
to sit down with CART's new management team to talk about
charting the St. Petersburg race in 2005 and beyond. St.
Petersburg Mayor Rick Baker said he was relieved. Like
Ramsberger, he added, "I have remained confident in the race
because of the support of (promoter) Dover Motorsports. They
really are the key . . . They're the financial backer."
Open Wheel Racing Series is buying CART for about $8-million,
or 56 cents a share. That's far short of the company's recent
market value, but the ailing auto racing company said it had
little choice. It considered liquidating the company but
determined there would be less left for shareholders after
paying debts than there would be through Open Wheel's buyout,
CART said in a statement.
The deal may take up to three months to close, and some
minority shareholders already have vowed to oppose it. Plus,
Open Wheel can back out of the purchase without consequences
by Sept. 18 if its due diligence turns up any problems. CART
chief financial officer Thomas Carter called the agreement
"very, very good news" for the Grand Prix of St. Petersburg.
"St. Petersburg is a very important event for us," he added.
"It opens our season."
The inaugural race in St. Petersburg held seven months ago was
heralded by local leaders as popular but not profitable.
Organizers lost about $1.3-million, with the shortfall blamed
in part on the lack of a title sponsor. Ramsberger plans to
announce new sponsorships at the end of the month. Organizers
are in talks with some potential title sponsors. The Grand
Prix manager said he has widened the net for potential
backers, contacting companies on both sides of the bay and as
far away as Sarasota. A slow economy makes the battle for
dollars tough.
9/12/03
CART sale good news for St.
Pete race This Tampa Bay Tribune
article says, CART's pending sale to a group of
investors still has to clear major obstacles, but news of an
agreement was well received at Grand Prix of St. Petersburg
headquarters Thursday. The second Grand Prix of St. Petersburg
is scheduled for Feb. 20-22. The event is again supposed to
feature CART's high-powered Champ Cars. With CART's future in
doubt, the race has created little buzz. The pending sale
could create local momentum. ``We view it as a very positive
development in terms of where CART is going in 2004,'' GPSP
General Manager Tim Ramsberger said. ``We look forward to
sitting down with the [new ownership] to talk specifics about
the series, especially as they apply to St. Petersburg.'' CART
agreed Wednesday to sell its stock for $0.56 per share to Open
Wheel Racing Series LLC, headed by team owners Gerald
Forsythe, Kevin Kalkhoven and Paul Gentilozzi. But Open Wheel
can back out of the buyout through next Thursday if it
determines the transaction is inadvisable. And the sale must
be approved by a majority of ``non-interested`` stockholders.
Forsythe is CART's leading shareholder with 22.9 percent
ownership, and he has agreed to contribute his shares to Open
Wheel rather than exchange them for cash. He'll face some
resistance in completing the transaction. Jon Vannini, CART's
No. 2 shareholder, is reportedly furious over the transaction
fire-sale stock price. CART stock has traded for as much as
$5.28 within the past year. ``In my judgment, this buyout
proposal is pure fantasy,'' Vannini was quoted as saying on
AutoRacing1.com. ``I simply don't see the majority of
shareholders voting in favor of this deal. I know I won't.''
.......Encouraging for the GPSP is that Open Wheel is made up
of people who care about racing and want to continue with
CART's mix of street courses, road courses and ovals. Also
encouraging is that the event is operated by Dover
Motorsports, a stable and competent company. If CART goes
under, Dover could secure another racing series. If Open Wheel
completes the buyout, it may pair CART races with prominent
concert acts. Jamie Rose of Motorock is one of Open Wheel's
investors.
9/12/03 F3000
Wirdheim wins pole at Monza Newly crowned
F3000 champion Bjorn Wirdheim will start from pole for
tomorrow's F3000 finale. Townsend Bell will start the final
race of his rookie FIA F3000 from seventh place on the grid,
while teammate and champion Bjorn Wirdheim is on pole position
once again. The Arden team is hoping to end the season on a
high, as for the second time the F3000 runners experience
compulsory pit stops. Bell was satisfied with his performance
on his first sight of the Italian circuit, and was
frustratingly close to the cars in front. He was also the
quickest F3000 rookie, helped by the fact that local star
Tonio Liuzzi spun off, and had to settle for a lowly 12th.
“It’s not too bad really,” said Townsend. “We’re a tenth from
fourth place, but Bjorn and Giorgio Pantano are just way up
there. Clearly we’ve got some things to learn. But I expect
that. I’ve never been around this place, and there’s a lot to
cram in. I did the best I could, and we’re right there with
guys that have been here plenty of times and run at the front
in this series. “I’m not too disappointed, especially now that
pit stops have mixed things up, and anything can happen
tomorrow. We’re just looking for a good strong race, and try
to finish the season on a high, scoring points.”
Although comprised mainly of straights and chicanes, Monza is
not an easy track to adapt to, as Townsend found out. “I think
it’s a little more difficult than it looks, just in the sense
that it’s hard to see some of the corners as you approach,
because there’s so much shade from the trees, there are leaves
on the track, and there’s a bit
of a mirage effect with the sun going down. It looks like
water almost, so it’s a little hard to reference it. But I’m
reasonably happy, there’s nothing to be ashamed of.”
Meanwhile Wirdheim is keen to finish his F3000 career with a
win at the venue where he scored his maiden victory last
season. “This is the race after Monaco that I really want to
win this year,” said the Swede, “because I had a good result
last year. And now I’m in a good position to manage that. On
the last set of tires it seemed like we had a fuel pressure
problem and the engine was not running well, so I decided to
stop early, so that means we have two sets of really good
tires for the race.”
On Thursday night Townsend and Bjorn joined the rest of the
F3000 circus at an awards ceremony named in honor of Gonzalo
Rodriguez, the F3000 ace who was killed in a Champ Car crash
at Laguna Seca in 1999. Juan Pablo Montoya and Cristiano da
Matta were among the prize presenters, while former Olympic
hero Ed Moses was another star guest. Qualifying Times
1. B Wirdheim…1m38.457s
2. G Pantano…1m38.672s
3. R Sperafico…1m39.381s
4. P Friesacher…1m39.752s
5. E Toccacelo...1m39.782s
6. J Van Hooydonk…1m39.834s
7. T Bell…1m39.864s
8. R Giammaria…1m39.881s
9. C Montanari…1m39.908s
10. T Schmidt…1m39.924s
9/12/03
Escape Hatch close to being
finalized
Gary Nelson was in his Concord, N.C., office Thursday putting
the finishing touches on a technical bulletin which will allow
competitors to use a roof escape hatch. "My goal is to get
this bulletin out by the first of next week," Nelson said.
"This will be optional this year, at least, that's the
direction we're headed." The first use of the hatch in
competition will likely be the EA Sports 500 at Talladega,
scheduled Sept. 28. Nelson, NASCAR's managing director of
competition, said the hatch design passed two critical tests
over the last two weeks. Nelson and his engineering staff at
NASCAR's Research and Development Center have spent a year
designing and testing the hatch. A stock car outfitted with
the escape door was crash-tested at the University of Nebraska
two weeks ago and the hatch retained its integrity. "The car
flipped six times and the escape door worked just fine after
the car came to a stop," Nelson said. The final test was
performed by driver Michael Waltrip and his #15 NAPA/Coca
Cola/RitzKlaussner Chevy during a two-day tire test at Daytona
International Speedway earlier this week. "We wanted to do a
high-speed track test and see if the aerodynamic forces caused
it to flutter or leak air into the car or anything like that,"
Nelson said. "The report we got back from the team was it was
steady. It didn't move at all. To me that was a key test."
Nelson said he was scheduled to meet with engineers at Dale
Earnhardt Inc. for a final debriefing to "make sure they
didn't find any negatives. In an early conversation with
them, they had no negatives," Nelson said. "They were all very
high on the design. We're getting very close." Waltrip, who
stands 6-foot-5, is one of the drivers eager to have an
alternative escape route from the cockpit of his car. This
will be the fifth major safety improvement introduced to
NASCAR competitors this season. Other safety measures include
the placement of a fire extinguisher near the fuel cell;
stronger tether supports on hood; an extra air deflector to
keep cars from going airborne; and the recent installation of
SAFER barriers at Richmond and New Hampshire.
Daytona Beach News Journal
9/12/03
Junqueira to make appearance in
Miami this weekend Champ Car star and South Florida
resident Bruno Junqueira (#1 PacifiCare Ford-Cosworth/Lola
Bridgestone) of Newman/Haas Racing will make an appearance
this Sunday, September 14th from 12:00 – 1:00 p.m. ET to meets
fans and sign autographs at the Bridgestone Tire and Service
Center located at 2250 SW 87th Avenue in Miami, Florida. The
most recent winner on the Bridgestone Presents The Champ Car
World Series Powered by Ford tour will be appear at the
service center along with Grand Prix Americas racing
simulators and show cars. The Bridgestone-themed event will
run from 10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. in preparation for the second
annual Grand Prix Americas Presented by Sportsbook.com,
September 26-28 in downtown Miami’s Bayfront Park. Miami’s
WRTO Salsa 98.3 FM will also be onsite with the station’s
prize van providing giveaways on Sunday. Fans can also come in
and get free Friday vouchers at the service center which will
get them in to see all the Champ Car action during Friday’s
practice and provisional qualifying on the downtown Miami
street circuit. Junqueira leads the rest of the Champ Car
World Series drivers into Miami after his second straight
victory in Denver on August 31 where he spearheaded a one-two
finish for Newman/Haas Racing in the team’s 350th Champ Car
start. The Brazilian pilot remains just 18 points behind
championship points leader Paul Tracy (#3 Player’s/Forsythe
Ford-Cosworth/Lola/Bridgestone) of Player's/Forsythe Racing
with four rounds remaining. Call 1-888-248-7223 or (305)
373-3333 for ticket information to Grand Prix Americas
Presented by Sportsbook.com or log onto
www.miamirace.com or
www.champcarworldseries.com for more details.
9/12/03
Kneifel to attend FIA meetings CART Champ
Car Race Director Chris Kneifel was invited to attend meetings
of the FIA Circuits Commission by Commission President Roger
Peart and this week, in Paris, attended his first meeting,
where advances in safety, circuit building, rules and event
planning were discussed. Kneifel participates as the only
representative of a US-based series and brings not only his
perspective as Race Director of Champ Car but also his
experience as a championship race driver. More....
9/12/03
Ferrari dominates first Monza practice
session
Ferrari drew first blood in the crucial Italian Grand Prix at
Monza as Rubens Barrichello headed Michael Schumacher in a Ferrari
one-two in Friday AM practice. Barrichello set a fast time of
1m21.001s. Ferrari teammate Schumacher recovered after going off at
the Parabolica on his first flying lap to set the second fastest time
at 1m21.152s. Kimi Raikkonen was 3rd at 0.317secs back from
Barrichello and Juan Pablo Montoya, was fourth fastest in his
Williams-BMW.
Position/Driver Team Fastest Lap
1 Rubens Barrichello Ferrari 1m21.001s
2 Michael Schumacher Ferrari 1m21.152s
3 Kimi Raikkonen McLaren 1m21.318s
4 Juan Pablo Montoya Williams 1m21.556s
5 David Coulthard McLaren 1m21.675s
6 Cristiano da Matta Toyota 1m21.881s
7 Jenson Button BAR 1m21.913s
8 Fernando Alonso Renault 1m22.100s
9 Ralf Schumacher Williams 1m22.312s
10 Jarno Trulli Renault 1m22.335s
11 Mark Webber Jaguar 1m22.368s
12 Olivier Panis Toyota 1m22.584s
13 Nick Heidfeld Sauber 1m22.821s
14 Heinz-Harald Frentzen Sauber 1m22.929s
15 Jacques Villeneuve BAR 1m23.151s
16 Justin Wilson Jaguar 1m23.478s
17 Giancarlo Fisichella Jordan 1m23.794s
18 Jos Verstappen Minardi 1m24.652s
19 Zsolt Baumgartner Jordan 1m24.891s
20 Nicolas Kiesa Minardi 1m26.903s
9/12/03
Renault 1-2-3 in Friday testing at
Monza
Pos No Driver Team Time/Retired
1 7 Jarno Trulli Renault 1:22.083 *
2 8 Fernando Alonso Renault 1:22.507 *
3 34 Allan McNish Renault 1:22.533 *
4 14 Mark Webber Jaguar -Cosworth 1:23.191 *
5 15 Justin Wilson Jaguar -Cosworth 1:23.541 *
6 19 Jos Verstappen Minardi-Cosworth 1:23.999 *
7 11 Giancarlo Fisichella Jordan-Ford 1:24.026 *
8 39 Gianmaria Bruni Minardi-Cosworth 1:24.318 *
9 36 Zsolt Baumgartner Jordan-Ford 1:25.210 *
10 18 Nicolas Kiesa Minardi-Cosworth 1:26.296 *
* Provisional Results
ALMS gets highest TV rating in 2 years
The NBC Sports telecast of Sunday’s American Le Mans Series race
from Monterey, Calif., earned a final rating of 1.1, the highest-rated
network telecast for the series in two years, according to figures
released today by Nielsen Media Research, Inc. The telecast, which
aired from 4-6 p.m., earned a 3 share and was seen in more than 1.2
million households. The rating, which grew from the 0.9 overnight
figure announced Monday, represents a 64 percent increase from the
network telecast of the same event last year from Mazda Raceway Laguna
Seca.
“To achieve an audience such as that on the opening weekend of the NFL
season, and in today’s highly-competitive sports on television
environment, is very gratifying, and is a testimony to the quality of
our on-track and on-air product,” said Scott Atherton, President and
CEO of the American Le Mans Series.
“We are still a relatively new racing series,” said Atherton of the
ALMS, which started in 1999, “and it is also very encouraging that
network telecasts of American Le Mans Series races continue to
consistently attract audiences that are comparable to, and in this
case greater than, television audiences of some of the
more-established racing series in America. For our series to draw a
larger TV audience than the Indy Racing League on the same day is a
victory for our series, as well as our race teams, manufacturers and
sponsors.” The IRL race from Joliet, Ill., on the ABC network had a
final rating of 0.8/2 share.
The telecast from Laguna Seca was the third ALMS race this season
televised by NBC Sports and the fourth time this season that the
series has appeared on network television. CBS televised a race from
Road Atlanta in June. ALMS events have been appearing on NBC Sports
since the inaugural year of the series. The final two races of the
2003 season will be televised by SPEED Channel, including the Grand
Prix Americas in Miami on Sept. 27 and the season-ending Petit Le Mans
at Road Atlanta on Oct. 18. “We are fortunate to have three prominent
and respected television outlets such as NBC Sports, CBS and SPEED
Channel associated with our series,” said Atherton. “Television has
played a major role in the growth our series has experienced and is a
major part of our plans for the future.” ALMS
9/11/03
AR1 accused of trying to kill
CART deal UPDATE A final word on this
issue since some feel we have not told Open Wheel Racing Series (OWRS)
side of the story as thoroughly as perhaps we have portrayed Mr.
Vannini's side. Because of SEC requirements, the principals of OWRS
have always said to us, "Sorry we can't comment now. Someday,
when we can, we will be glad to tell you the whole story." In
fact that is what Paul Gentilozzi said to me in Denver. It's
because of their inability to speak about the topic in public, for
fear of affecting the stock price and having the SEC come down hard on
them, that has restricted our ability to tell their full side of the
story. When they can talk freely about it, we'll be glad to
report it. Mark C.9/11/03 - Statement from AutoRacing1.com President: We have
received several e-mails from readers accusing us of trying to
undermine the deal between CART and Open Wheel Racing Series
LLC because we have questioned whether the deal has any chance
of being approved by the shareholders. Let us assure
everyone that we, like most of you, hope that CART can be sold
to Open Wheel Racing Series LLC and have a bright future. If
CART fails it will leave a terrible void in American
motorsports, and cost a lot of people their jobs.
However, we feel just publishing a press release put out by
CART on the agreement is not why most of you subscribe to AR1.
We do our best to analyze the data and present both views and
all possible scenarios with regard to any situation. If
we raise questions about whether a deal has merit, it is
because as journalists we have a duty to dig deep into an
issue so everyone involved can form their own opinion after
hearing all the facts (at least all that we can find or
relevant opinions we can render), and not be blindsided by
something unforeseen later on. We have been accused of
being owned by Jon Vannini, which is completely incorrect.
He is quoted on AR1 because he happens to be CART's 2nd
largest shareholder and what he thinks or says is newsworthy
in our opinion. You must also know that because of SEC
requirements, the principals involved with OWRS have not been able to
say much to the media, hence we have been unable to get their full
side of the story. What we are NOT, is CART's PR Department
or their mouthpiece. That's Adam Saal's (and his staff)
job. Mark Cipolloni
9/11/03
CART stock watch 2nd UPDATE MPH
closed down today at $0.62 on a heavy volume of 2,305,100
shares traded. It was down 29.55% from an opening of
$0.87. Low for the day was 0.60. So who bought all
the shares? Did a major player increase their position?
9/11/03 - Very heavy trading volume of CART MPH shares
today with over $2 million shares traded already at 3:20 PM
EST. Stock is down 0.26 to $0.62. 9/11/03
Last Trade 1:49 PM ET - Sep 11, 2003
Price $0.67
Change $0.21 Down
Volume 1,178,600
Trades 238
Day Low $0.60
Day High $0.87
52 Week Low $0.83
52 Week High $5.28
9/11/03
Ralph Firman NOT cleared to
drive
British Formula 1 rookie Ralph Firman has failed his
medical and will not compete in the Italian Grand Prix for
Jordan-Ford as he had hoped. The team has yet to reveal who
will replace him alongside Giancarlo Fisichella this weekend.
Firman was injured in a high-speed crash in practice for the
Hungarian Grand Prix last month, but was expected to recover
in time for the Italian race. He had a meeting with FIA
medical delegate Professor Sid Watkins in Monza when the
problem was discovered. "It's frustrating," said Firman. "I
feel absolutely fine, it's just like a little bit of vertigo
when you sit up quickly sometimes, but I've been training and
I have absolutely no problem driving a road car. Sid, however,
has said that with any hint of a balance problem I cannot
race. I have to respect that. When you think about driving a
race car at 200mph plus, especially at a place like Monza, I
could be a danger to myself and everyone else. "I am still 100
percent behind the team and determined to be in the car for
the final two races of the season."
9/11/03
Ralf Schumacher cleared to
drive
Ralf Schumacher has been given the go-ahead to take
part in the Italian Grand Prix following his heavy accident in
testing at the Monza circuit last week. Schumacher underwent a
brain scan and a series of tests in Salzburg before leaving
for Italy and is confident that he has no lasting ill effects
after the shunt, which was caused by suspension failure. “I
had headaches for a couple of days after the accident,” he
said, “but then I was able to start training fully and there
is no problem.”
9/11/03
Why Chevy engine not approved Doug Duchardt, GM's
new racing boss, said that NASCAR's decision not to legalize
the new R-99 engine for truck racing next season will put
Chevrolet teams at a disadvantage to newcomer Toyota. 'We want
to be on an equal footing when we race against Toyota, and the
thing we're most disappointed in is we think we'll be put at a
technical disadvantage right off the bat, and we're not comfortable
with that and don't like it,' Duchardt said. Duchardt said he
doesn't know why NASCAR is barring the R-99, an engine under
development since 1999. 'They were comfortable where we were
with the dimensions. But it was never officially approved for
competition. Jack Roush said we were, but he doesn't make that
decision.' GM resubmitted the R-99 a few weeks ago, in
machine-cast versions, to give NASCAR the opportunity to OK it
if Toyota's V-8 blows away the competition. Duchardt denied
the report that NASCAR's decision to kill the R-99 engine was
made when GM wouldn't agree to supply the engines to all truck
teams next season.
Winston Salem Journal
9/11/03
IRL TV ratings continue to
plummet, ALMS outdraws IRL 2nd UPDATE Score a
victory for the American LeMans Series. The race from Monterey
on NBC on Sunday from 4 - 6 p.m. scored a 1.1 final rating and
3 share, averaging 1,205,000 households, according to Nielsen
Media Research. The IRL race on ABC from Chicagoland from 2- 4
p.m. registered a final 0.8 rating and 2 share, averaging
831,000 households.
MotorsportsTV.com9/10/03 - We finally got the
final TV rating for the IRL's race at Nazareth, and it's lower than we
thought - a 0.6 with 517,000 households. That means the Nazareth
rating was down 54% over the previous year. We await the final rating
for Chicagoland tomorrow. 9/5/03 - Last year's IRL race from Nazareth received a 1.3 final
rating on ABC. This year's race was under a 0.8.
The TV Ratings report that AR1 has access to shows the top 18
rated sports shows for that week and the lowest listed was a
0.8 rating. Therefore, the Nazareth race received less
than that. Using a 0.7, for lack of a better number
right now, the ratings drop was at least 46%, perhaps higher.
To top it off, the race was attended by only 15,000
(estimated) meaning the sponsors didn't get a very big bang
for their buck for that event.
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) 0.6 (Down 54%)
Chicagoland (ABC) 0.8 (Down 27%)
9/11/03
CART balance sheet
This is related to other items below with regard to CART's
current net worth. Here is a link to
their latest published balance sheet. Note that in March
of this year their net tangible assets were $93.345 million. Now the bid is to buy the company for $8 million
less than 6 months later, meaning they would have burned
through $87 million in 5+ months. Note the rate of drop in
prior reports. This is why it is raising so many
questions and doubts. Mark C.
9/11/03
Tragic News ThatsRacin.com reports - The wife of
NASCAR driver [#88] Dale Jarrett's crew chief and her two
sisters were killed late Wednesday when a pickup struck their
limousine after they left the Fleetwood Mac concert. Tara
Howell Parker, 29, of Cornelieus, N.C., the wife of crew chief
Shawn Parker, died about 11:30 p.m. on Interstate 40 near
Vanstory Street, Greensboro police said. Other victims were
Megan Elizabeth Howell, 16, of Mr. Henry Road in Mocksville,
and Mysti Howell Poplin, 24, of Short Road in Mocksville,
said the Greensboro police report. One of the women is Parker's
stepsister and one is a half-sister, although investigators
didn't know which was which Thursday morning. The pickup
truck's driver, Jeffrey Niles McFayden, of 4107 Chateau Drive
in Greensboro, was charged with three counts of second-degree
murder driving while impaired, police stated. He was held in
the Guilford County jail. The 1998 Lincoln Town Car limousine
was stopped on I-40 west due to congestion from road
construction when it was hit by a 1998 Ford F-150 pickup truck
driven by McFayden, rupturing the limousine's gas tank and
causing it to explode, police said. The limousine's driver,
James Cannady, 42, of New Ellenton, S.C., escaped the flames.
A third car, a 1997 Ford Escort, also was struck in the
collision. The driver and passenger in that car were not
injured.
9/11/03
IRL testing at TMS
We are just one month away from the Sunday, Oct. 12
Chevy 500k - the final race of the Indy Racing League IndyCar
Series. Three teams have booked dates so far.
ALL TEST SESSIONS ARE CLOSED TO THE PUBLIC Monday, Sept. 15
Target Chip Ganassi Racing
Drivers scheduled to test include Scott Dixon who is second
in points and teammate Tomas Scheckter
Thursday, Sept. 25 and Friday,
Sept. 26
Andretti Green Racing
Andretti Green driver Bryan Herta will test. Tuesday, Sept. 30 and Wednesday, Oct. 1
Pennzoil Panther Racing
9/11/03
Vannini throws cold water on
buyout announcement UPDATE A reader writes,
Dear AR1, I saw the announcement of the $.56 per share deal.
As someone with a little experience with merger deals, I can
honestly say that I have never seen anything like this. It is
so mind-boggling I had to mention this to you in view of our
prior correspondence. This company has about $43 million in
net current assets (current assets minus current liabilities)
and no long-term debt based on its most recently published
balance sheet. To sell this company for about $8 million is
the most bizarre thing I have ever seen. Basically, the buyout
isn't costing OWRS a penny. They will just take a portion of
the money MPH has in the bank and pay it to the stockholders
and walk away with the company and its remaining cash. It will
be fascinating to read the proxy statement because I cannot
figure out how the board can possibly justify this. I find it
hard to believe that liquidation would not have produced more
money for the stockholders. No wonder the second largest
shareholder is irate. Name withheld by request
Dear No Name, Open Wheel has done its Due Diligence and feels
there are liabilities there, hidden or otherwise, that make it
worth only $0.56. But you like Vannini see the most
recently published balance sheet and the numbers just don't
add up. Hence why we feel for certain the shareholders will
either ask to liquidate or at least ask for an independent
appraisal to be done. And, as the agreement announced late
yesterday says, if more than 16% of the shares (shareholders)
ask for an appraisal, they can back out of the deal. Why would
they do that if there is nothing to hide? Like we
stated, there's more here than meets the eye.
Mark C.9/10/03 - CART announced today that
they negotiated a deal with Open Wheel Racing Series to buy
CART for $0.56 per share. AutoRacing1.com telephoned Jon
Vannini this evening to get his take on the press release.
Vannini told AutoRacing1.com, "In my judgment, this buyout
proposal is pure fantasy. I simply don't see the majority of
shareholders voting in favor of this deal. I know I certainly
won't. What's more, it seems highly unlikely to me that all,
or even most, of the conditions that they (OWRS) have placed
on this deal will be met." AR1's take - if we go to the
end of December before all the votes are counted (even the
press release says the deal won't be concluded until the end
of 2003, and we estimated it would take that long two days
ago), and the deal is not approved by a majority of the
shareholders, the deal is off, it will be too late for the
2004 season, and with no other buyers in the wings, it's
curtains for CART. The only savior may be Bernie
Ecclestone, and we really don't know if there's anything to
our speculation that Bernie will swoop in to save CART in the
11th hour when he can, i.e. when he gets out of his
non-compete clause with Kirch later this month. Why would OWRS
risk such a low bid knowing that the likelihood of it not
being accepted later this year would be higher? Is this
a stall tactic waiting for Bernie to be ready and able, or are
we reading too much into the situation? All the facts
and logic just don't appear to make sense. Mark C.
9/11/03
Da Matta looking for podium for
now
This AP
article talks about CART champion Cristiano da Matta's
first year in F1 and his hopes for the remainder of this
season and next. He's not expecting any wins before
2004, nor is Toyota, but for a 2-year old outfit, they are
holding their own.
9/11/03
****READER QUESTION****Where's
the 2004 CART schedule?
Dear AR1, I see that the IRL, NASCAR and now F1 have all
released their 2004 race schedules. As usual CART is
last. Are they asleep at the wheel? Tierrie
Reynolds, Tallahassee, FL. Dear Tierrie, How can
CART release its 2004 schedule when there's no guarantee there
will even be a 2004 season until December sometime when the
Open Wheel buyout is finalized? That's what's so
perplexing to us about the low bid Open Wheel has made for
CART. They are playing with fire. They may think it's
only worth $0.56 per share, but there are going to be a lot of
shareholders who will risk liquidating the company in the hope
of getting more money than to take the $0.56. What have
they got to lose? They have already lost just about
everything. A bid substantially higher would almost
ensure the shareholder vote would be a slam dunk to pass.
As it is now, it's almost a slam dunk to fail, so to release a
2004 schedule would be meaningless. If you were a race
promoter, would you be comfortable saying you were holding a
CART race in 2004 knowing there might not be a CART? If you're
a race fan, do you buy tickets or make travel plans for the
2004 season knowing the uncertainty? That's why we think
there's more than meets the eye here, and right now, we can
only speculate that perhaps Bernie Ecclestone is waiting in
the wings to announce a deal in late September/Early October
that will ensure everyone 2004 will happen (see our reasoning
on our Rumors page). Short of that, we simply don't see how
this thing is going to fly.....but let's hope we're wrong; but
hope we're right about Bernie or some other magical silver
bullet. Mark C.
9/11/03
Provisional 2004 F1 schedule
There are a few surprises in the provisional 2004 F1 schedule
released today. Bahrain takes Imola's old date, Imola
moves to June, Spa is back to its old date, and China is
earlier than expected. The USGP at Indy moves to June,
but there's no Canadian race to pair up with it to save
transportation costs, so moving it accomplishes almost
nothing. The final schedule will be released in October.
March 7 Australian GP, Melbourne;
March 21 Malaysian GP, Sepang;
April 4 Bahrain GP, Bahrain;
April 25 European GP, Nürburgring,
Germany;
May 9 Spanish GP, Barcelona;
May 23 Monaco GP, Monaco;
June 6 San Marino GP, Imola;
June 20 U.S. GP, Indianapolis.
July 4 British GP, Silverstone;
July 11 French GP, Magny-Cours;
July 25 German GP, Hockenheim;
August 15 Hungarian GP, Budapest;
August 29 Belgian GP,
Spa-Francorchamps;
September 12 Italian GP, Monza;
September 26 Chinese GP, Shanghai;
October 10 Japanese GP, Suzuka;
October 24 Brazilian GP, Sao
Paulo.
9/11/03
Yu-Gi-Oh!
means another new Petty Paint scheme Bringing the
excitement of Yu-Gi-Oh!, the popular animated TV show and
trading card game, to NASCAR, Cheerios/Betty Crocker Racing
has partnered with Petty Enterprises and 4Kids Entertainment
to create a special Yu-Gi-Oh! paint scheme for the No. 43
Dodge. The No. 43 Yu-Gi-Oh Cheerios Dodge is scheduled to race
at Talladega Superspeedway on Sept. 28.
"As the Yu-Gi-Oh! craze continues to sweep the nation,
Cheerios/Betty Crocker Racing is happy to be the first to
share its magic with race fans," said Laurie Greeno, vice
president of Motorsports at General Mills. "In addition to our
special paint scheme, General Mills has a great lineup of Yu-Gi-Oh!
products and promotions happening through the fall. From the
limited edition Yu-Gi-Oh! Cereal to special Fruit Gushers
fruit snacks and Go-GURT portable yogurt, Yu-Gi-Oh! lovers
will find their favorite characters and monsters everywhere."
"We're pleased to expand our relationship with General Mills
and team with Petty Enterprises," said Alfred R. Kahn,
chairman and CEO of 4Kids Entertainment. "The special paint
scheme on the No. 43 Dodge will enable Yu-Gi-Oh! to speed its
way onto the exciting NASCAR circuit and capture the attention
of thousands of racing fans."
The Yu-Gi-Oh! paint scheme, created by celebrated motorsports
designer Sam Bass, will look dramatically different than the
yellow and "Petty blue" paint scheme typically seen on the No.
43 Dodge. The special design features a blue background that
covers the entire car with the main character from Yu-Gi-Oh!,
Yami Yugi, and the well-known Yu-Gi-Oh! logo displayed
prominently on the hood. The rear quarter panel on the
driver's side features one of Yami Yugi's main Duel Monster
rivals, Kaiba, with the other rear quarter panel featuring
Yami Yugi himself. The back of the car features the phrase
known to Yu-Gi-Oh! enthusiasts nationwide, "Let's Duel!"
[Editor's Note: Petty Enterprises comes up with all
these neat paint schemes, but they're all show and no go.]
9/11/03
New NASCAR Canada TV deal
NASCAR has signed a new Canadian TV contract with
privately held broadcaster Craig Media. The two-year
deal will begin with live coverage of the 2004 Daytona 500 in
February, and will feature all of the NASCAR Nextel Cup Series
telecasts on NBC (2nd half of year). Craig Media will
broadcast the series in the provinces of Ontario, Alberta, and
Manitoba. Relationships with existing Canadian broadcast
partners will continue as NASCAR strives to reach a greater
audience within the country. Said Craig Media vice
president, programming, Michael Taylor: “NASCAR is the number
one rated motorsport in Canada, so we are pleased to add the
NBC network telecasts including the Daytona 500 to our already
high profile lineup of US network simulcast sports
programming, which includes ABC's Monday Night Football and
The World Series on Fox.”
9/11/03
Schumacher is a special driver
This VodaphoneRacing.com
article says, Michael Schumacher certainly makes the
difference behind the wheel of a Formula One contender, the German ace
not only managing to extract 100% out of his car, but his regularity
in doing this is exceptional, hence the secret to his success.
Michael’s driving is not rational, thought about or achieved by
thorough exercise. Just like several other drivers on the grid, it
comes naturally, a matter of instinct.
“Every driver is trying to find the limit,” he says. “Beyond that, it
is understeer, oversteer, loss of time and tire-degradation. It is
also the risk of flying off the track. At each turn, I go to the
limit, I feel it. That said, in order to find it exactly, I enter the
turn faster than what a priori seems possible. It is, for me, the only
way I can find out how far I can go.”
It is this, a resume of the Schumacher method: the difference that
takes place when entering the turn. But what about the exit? It is
helped and managed by the use of traction control. Yes, the world
champion brakes late, but he has a whole range of options to go along
with that: most of the time, he plays the accelerator and brakes
simultaneously. The Goal: slow down the car sufficiently, of course,
but most importantly stabilize it in order to gain speed. Limit the
transfer of longitudinal masse in order to benefit from the best
possible balance. That characteristic is unique: in fact, 18 of 20
drivers use the left foot to brake, but only Schumacher knows how to
make this such a sensitive stability control. Even to the point of
sometimes surprising his team.
“Pushing the envelope, that’s what makes this sport interesting,” he
continues. “The 2002 Suzuka qualifications are a good example of
exactly that. Achieving a good lap on that track will provide you with
an indescribable feeling. You have to excel yourself: at that moment
you feel … alive. Last season, I gave my maximum and, when I crossed
the line, the chronometer showed 1’32’’484 : that was 0.8” faster than
our simulations had indicated. That is the type of result that gives
you a kick.”
In order to achieve a result such as this, Michael needs a car that is
set-up to his liking. The most important thing for him is that his
F2003-GA is precise and efficient in the front.
“I can handle a slightly oversteering contender at the entrance of
the turn,” he explains. “In return I need to know that at the moment I
turn the wheels, the car will take to the trajectory that I want it
to, without drifting off.” More at
VodaphoneRacing.com
9/11/03
Beleaguered CART gets some good news This
RPM.ESPN.com article
talks about the CART buyout offer from Open Wheel Racing
Series LLC.
Most people view this step as a positive one, but there's still some
difficult hurdles to clear before the deal is consummated.
IRL Fontana weekend to feature CARA
event in infield
Race fans from around North America would pay some big money to
see Al Unser Jr. dressed as Elvis or Tony George as James Dean.
In a special charity event to benefit Special Olympics Southern
California and CARA Charities, the most popular stops on Route 66 will
be highlighted in the “Raceway Rendezvous” spectacular set on the
infield of the popular two-mile high-banked superspeedway as a kickoff
for the Toyota Indy 400 Weekend, the 15th race on the IRL IndyCar
Series.
Many of the top drivers and personalities in the IRL IndyCar Series
will take a page from the original “Route 66” television show in a
scene at Raceway Rendezvous that will include a spectacular food
spread – “Cruisine Down Route 66,” a silent auction, carnival games
and live entertainment.
Legendary drivers like Johnny Rutherford, Al Unser Sr., Rick Mears and
Michael Andretti will join many current IRL competitors in the charity
event that will be culinary delights from the teams’ and sponsors’
hospitality coaches that transform into restaurants from the cities on
the real Route 66.
Many of the drivers will participate in a variety of events including
“Which driver has enough air to blow the biggest bubble?”; “Which one
is cool as James Dean?”; “Which one has enough hip action to keep a
hula-hoop going?” and “How many people can they stuff into a Toyota
Echo?”
Live entertainment will come from Pioneer driver Kenny Brack and the
Subwoofers rock band. Brack brings his new band to Raceway Rendezvous
after releasing a live CD from the band’s Nashville Superspeedway
performance. The 12-song CD set is available to race fans with all
proceeds going to CARA Charities. In addition, driver Bryan Herta is
scheduled to appear with Brack and the Subwoofers at Raceway
Rendezvous.
Tickets for the new charity event are available at $100 each and can
be purchased by contacting Special Olympics Southern California at
(310) 215-8380, ext. 104, or CARA Charities at (317) 299-2277.
Reserved tables also are available at $1,000 for a table of ten and
sponsorship packages are included for the event. Tickets also will be
available at California Speedway the day of the event.
9/10/03
F1 experts to participate in special
CARA fan shop tour
Formula One Medical Director Professor Sid Watkins, M.D., and
SPEED Channel Formula One announcer Rick DeBruhl have been added with
former F-1 and Indy Car driver Eddie Cheever as guest speakers in the
Sept. 26 CARA Charities’ “Indy Shop Tour,” a special CARA Charities
racing event.
Open-wheel racing fans will have a unique opportunity on Friday, Sept.
26, during Indianapolis’ U.S. Grand Prix Week to visit two of the Indy
Car racing’s top teams headquarters – Pennzoil Panther Racing and
Target Chip Ganassi Racing. The two racing operations will open their
shops to a selected group of racing enthusiasts for a special tour
followed by presentations, cocktails and dinner as part of the “Indy
Shop Tour.”
Professor Watkins, the head of Formula One Safety and Medical for more
than two decades, is known worldwide as a racing expert in safety and
has written a book about his experiences, Triumph and Tragedy in
Formula One. Watkins will give his interesting perspective of Formula
One racing from behind the scenes.
DeBruhl, host of the 16-race Formula One Championship for the SPEED
Channel, is a veteran auto racing announcer who can explain how the
F-1 telecasts are translated to the United States viewers.
Cheever, the 1998 Indy 500 champion and veteran F-1 driver, will talk
about the differences in the two fastest forms of close-course
motorsports in the world.
“We are honored and delighted to have Professor Watkins and Rick
DeBruhl join Eddie as speakers for our annual Indy Shop Tour,” said
Mary Lou Bogner, national director for CARA Charities. “All three will
give a different view of Formula One racing and their presentations
will be an outstanding finish to a great evening for the fans.”
The popular event, hosted by ABC-TV and ESPN-TV’s Bob Jenkins, will
begin at 4:00 p.m. (EST) at the famed Columbia Club on Monument Circle
in downtown Indianapolis. Private buses will transport the guests to
the racing shops with special tours and question and answer periods.
The guests will return to the Columbia Club for a cocktail party,
buffet dinner and presentations by Cheever, Watkins and DeBruhl
Tickets for the special “Open Wheel Shop Tour” are now on sale at $150
per ticket and include the custom coach transportation, the shop
tours, the cocktail party and dinner and the special racing
presentation. Call CARA Charities at (317) 299-2277 or e-mail at
Carachar@aol.com for
reservations.
9/10/03
IRL weekly media teleconference
This week's guest on the weekly IRL media teleconference was
rookie Dan Wheldon and Roger Yasukawa. Transcript
9/10/03
Richmond rating down 8%
The Chevrolet Rock and Roll 400 from Richmond on Saturday night
finished eighth in the basic cable ratings last week, registering a
3.0 national rating (still awaiting cable rating), drawing 3,300,000
households, according to Nielsen Media Research. Last year's race
pulled in 3,611,000 households, yielding an 8% decline in this year's
ratings.
MotorsportsTV
9/10/03
Tony George denies any CART/IRL merger
talks
This Autoweek
article says, Tony George isn’t keen on responding to any Carl
Russo merger talks, mostly because George isn’t sure Russo is the one
who should be speaking for the Open Wheel Racing group trying to buy
CART. “I see that [the media] has anointed this guy this week and that
guy last week,” George told AutoWeek. “It was Kevin Kalkhoven one week
and [Paul] Gentilozzi another week, and they all seem to be saying
different things. If these are the guys coming together to possibly
acquire CART, it seems they all want to be spokesmen. I haven’t talked
to any of them individually or collectively.” George said he did not
meet with Russo at the IRL’s race at Kentucky in August, despite what
Russo indicated recently at CART’s race in Denver. Rather, Russo met
with IRL executives Ken Ungar and Brian Barnhart, but Ungar emphasized
that the subject was Russo’s interest in forming an IRL team, not
merging CART with the IRL. [Editor's Note: Carl Russo never said
that he had any talks with the IRL about a merger. What he said
was that we must find a way to get the sport back together again and
that his group's aim was to make CART strong again so there was no
doubt in the IRL's mind that CART was here to stay. At that
point Tony George would have to decide whether he wanted to continue a
long, drawn out war, or sit down at the table and talk. With
CART being so weak right now, there's no reason for Tony George to sit
down and talk. He probably figures it will die all by itself.
We could not help but notice Tony's statement that Open Wheel Racing
Series LLC (OWRS) appears to have no leader and spokesperson, instead
each appear to speak independently. This is of course cause of
great concern by many, that OWRS will be run by people with different
agendas, which was the criticism of CART for years. While they are
probably all on one page, outwardly it does not appear that way.
And the silence on the buyout has people thinking the worse. CART
really needs to be run by one chief, one dictator so-to-speak, with
one voice. We are not enamored with the prospect of team owners
owning CART, but what other choice is there right now? Where's
Bernie when CART needs him most?]
9/10/03
Formula One 'blackmailers' threaten
global tobacco treaty
Deborah Arnott, Director of the anti-tobacco campaigning group
ASH, said: "Formula One's grubby rulers are clearly determined
to see tobacco money continue to flow into their sport. "Glamour"
advertising of this kind encourages young people in particular to
smoke, and smoking kills. Apparently the FIA could not care less about
the misery the tobacco industry causes to millions all over the world.
We applaud the Canadian Government's resistance to the FIA's crude
blackmail attempts. We urge all countries, particularly those being
pressurized into hosting Formula One races, to ensure that tobacco
money is kept out of the sport and that effective advertising bans are
put in place as soon as possible. Under global and regional
agreements, tobacco sponsorship is being phased out and it is
therefore in the interests of all sports to sever their ties with the
tobacco barons at the earliest opportunity."
Tobacco.org
9/10/03
Turkey looking at August 2005
Turkey on Wednesday said they are planning for their
first F1 in August, 2005, in a ceremony attended by
government officials and Formula One supremo Bernie
Ecclestone. Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan
said "We are expecting substantial revenues from Formula One
for which we have allocated 27 million dollars" from a
state-run publicity fund, Erdogan told the gathering.
Even if two in a thousand of the 1.5 billion people watching
the race on television choose to come to Turkey for a
vacation, it would mean three million tourists," he added. In
late August, Turkey signed a seven-year contract to hold
Formula One races starting in 2005.
9/10/03
Rudd's
damaged #21 ready for New Hampshire
It didn’t take long for the Wood Brothers Racing team to
get a handle on the damage done to the #21-Motorcraft Ford
following Saturday night’s Rock and Roll 400. The damage,
while limited to small areas of the car, will require repair
in the body shop. TFR spoke with Len Wood Sunday afternoon and
learned that the hood and cowl needed to be replaced and that
the right, front fender needed repair before the car could be
prepared for the upcoming New Hampshire International Speedway
event. The damage, which Wood described as “no big deal,” was
incurred when team members from Kevin Harvick’s team decided
that the Motorcraft Ford would make a better doormat than race
car. “It didn’t need to happen,” said Wood, disappointment
clear in his voice, “What happened after the race didn't need
to happen.” Wood said the car was getting attention Sunday and
would go to the body shop Monday. He hoped to have it back in
the shop Tuesday morning so he could have it ready to leave
for the long trip to New Hampshire. Not letting the post-race
folly take away from his team’s accomplishment Wood remained
happy with the on-track results. “We were catching the leader
at the end of the race,” said Wood. “I ’m not saying we had
anything for him [Ryan Newman], but we were closing the
distance to him. We were coming on strong right there at the
end. That’s what’s more important.” After thinking a moment,
Wood added, “It's unfortunate. In this day and time there's
more expected from us than that. This is a major sport with
major TV coverage and we just don’t need to be doing stuff
like that.”
9/10/03 Industry News
Future DirecTV Boss Says
Company to Focus on DVRs, HDTV UPDATE A reader
responds, DVRs and HDTV have been around for years. DirecTV
have had them both for over three years, they are just now
combining them into a single box. I've watched every
CART race on my Tivo DVR for almost four years now. Nothing
new. Love skipping the commercials. Works great with my Time
Warner Cable (which has several HD channels by the way,
ABC-HD, CBS-HD, NBC-HD, PBS-HD, Discovery-HD, HBO-HD, and
Showtime-HD). FYI, anybody with a DVR that was not home
for the Road America race would have missed it. DVRs are not
aware of issues like lengthy rain delays. If a last-minute
problem causes a race to run later than its scheduled
timeslot, the DVR is unaware and will not record the actual
race. Mike St. Clair 9/10/03 - The potential future CEO of Hughes Electronics told a crowd
at Merrill Lynch's Media and Entertainment Conference that the
company and its DirecTV unit plan to be a leader in bringing
emerging technologies into the television space, including
Digital Video Recorders (DVRs) and HDTV.
Chase Carey, picked by News Corp. to lead Hughes and DirecTV
once the media giant completes its proposed takeover of the
businesses, told the conference audience Monday that DVRs will
be "a major part of the television household of tomorrow." He
added, "I have never seen a device which is as valued, even
worshipped, by every consumer who uses it." Cable
already has it with TiVO, ReplayTV, and UltimateTV.
Carey said DVR technology will help DirecTV compete with
cable. "The DVR is not just our answer to cable's
Video-On-Demand (VOD), but we believe it will become the true
VOD experience that allows for greater control of all content.
This article
explains how DVRs work.
"We expect to have the best DVR in the market and our global
scale provides the resources and expertise to achieve that
goal," Carey said. He added that in addition to typical DVR
functionality, such as rewind/replay and recording
capabilities, the service can also deliver DVR-tailored
content. What does this have to do with CART? CART
has already toyed with HDTV broadcasts, and many people who
saw the Road America HDTV broadcast saw it via HDNet on
DirecTV. The ability to record races in HDTV on DVRs in
the future (as HDTV becomes more mainstream) will enable race
fans to watch a race whenever they want, regardless of what
time zone the race is in.
9/10/03
Last one left turn out the
headlights
The Indy Star continues to play up how great the IRL is and
continues to predict CART's demise. This
article about Sam Hornish, says the IRL has not
yet delivered on its promise of an American-dominated,
grass-roots-driven all-oval series. The league has clearly
overtaken CART -- last one left, turn out the headlights --
but it's miles behind NASCAR, and it isn't likely to catch up
soon.. Mark C.
9/10/03
Karting titles on the line in
Canada
The Western Division Series of the 2003 Snap-on.com
Champ Car "Stars of Tomorrow" presented by RACER Magazine
national karting campaign comes to an exciting conclusion this
weekend (Sept. 12-14) when an outstanding field hit the CARTBC
track outside of Vancouver. Point championships will be
on the line in the two-race weekend on the excellent karting
facility.
The "Stars" Western series has seen a variety of talent
drivers - from wily veterans like Jason Bowles and Kevin
Glover to gifted teenagers like Alan Sciuto, Nick Halen and
Billy Scyphers III - in some of the finest wheel-to-wheel
action seen in any West Coast motorsports competition this
year.
The Western Canada competition marks the fourth and final
Stars of Tomorrow karting event for the Western Division this
year with the seventh and eighth main events of the region
definitely securing the coveted point titles. The top point
finishers also gain positions for the Stars of Tomorrow
national championships set for Nov. 1-2 at California Speedway
in Fontana, Calif., in conjunction with the California 500
Champ Car race.
This weekend's action will have six separate classes including
the international categories ICC (125cc Shifters) and ICA
(100cc direct drive). In addition, the other categories
include the Senior Class of Rotax (125cc Clutch), 80cc Junior
Shifter, Junior Super Can (100cc Clutch) and the Grand
Products Cadet class (for youngsters 8-12 years of age). A
special Junior ICC (100cc direct drive) exhibition race will
also be on the program.
"There are many titles still on the line this weekend," said
Bobby Rahal, president of the Stars of Tomorrow karting
series. "So we expected some pretty wild racing as the karters
go for wins, championship points and invitations to the
national championship at California Speedway in November. This
year's Stars racing has been as good as any motor racing in
this country. These drivers are the future of our sport and
they are learning quickly. Look at a driver like A.J.
Allmendinger. He was in karting two years ago and now he is
one of the hottest properties in open-wheel racing in North
America. We could be seeing the next A.J. this weekend."
9/10/03
Lamborghini returns to racing UPDATE Our sources tell us the
Lamborghini will be racing next year in ALMS with VICI racing. This
team is run by Ron Meixner out of Miami. In fact we hear he
will be the Lamborghini Racing Factory rep for the USA. 9/9/03
- Today at the IAA Frankfurt Motor Show, Lamborghini unveiled the
Murciélago R-GT, a new race car derived from its acclaimed super
sports car, the Lamborghini Murciélago. The Murciélago R-GT,
developed jointly with renowned race engineering company Reiter
Engineering in Germany, and parent company Audi’s sports division Audi
Sport, will offer Lamborghini clients a highly competitive car with
which to participate in global professional motorsport. Built to
the specification of FIA and ACO regulations, the R-GT will be
equipped with a Lamborghini air restricted 6 liter V12 engine,
developing a highly competitive power output. The drive train,
converted from the Murciélago permanent 4WD to RWD, as per the FIA/ACO
regulations, will sport a sequential gearbox. The total weight will be
contained within the relevant class specification of 1100 kg.
The Murciélago R-GT has been developed by the ‘House of the raging
bull’, as a result of increasing customer demand for a
high-specification Lamborghini race car at a competitive price. The R-GT
will be supported by the Lamborghini Customer Sports Program that
takes care not only of race car sales but will also offer trackside
assistance. The Murciélago R-GT will be eligible for entry in
national and international race events such as the European FIA GT
Championship and the American Le Mans Series, competing in the GT
category of these two major championships. Vehicles for customers will
be available by 2004 at a selling price below 500.000 Euro.
Following the official launch at the Frankfurt Motor Show, Reiter
Engineering will undertake a test and development program, entering a
Murciélago R-GT in the FIA GT races at Estoril, 5 October and at Monza
on October 19, 2003. Reiter Engineering plans to shakedown the first
car in late September and undertake a test session prior to the
Estoril race weekend. For this test and race program, the car will
be driven by professional drivers Peter Kox and Oliver Gavin.
Dr. Werner Mischke, Chairman and President of Automobili Lamborghini,
says of the Murciélago launch, “There is already substantial demand
for the Murciélago R-GT, from motorsport teams and drivers alike: we
anticipate this new race car becoming one of the special attractions
in GT motorsport. The presence of this new racing Lamborghini at
international sports car events will be a perfect opportunity to
showcase the competitive and performance advantages of the
Murciélago.” Prospective customers requiring further
information should e-mail
racinginfo@lamborghini.com, or contact Manfred Fitzgerald directly
at
manfred.fitzgerald@lamborghini.com.
Martin
to make 500th consecutive start
Mark Martin will make his 500th consecutive Winston Cup start
this week at Loudon. The run is the third longest current streak in
Winston Cup and the seventh longest of all-time.
Martin ran his first Winston Cup race in 1981, when he ran five races,
while winning two poles. The following year he ran a full season in
1982. Failing to find adequate sponsorship, Martin ran only a handful
of races from 1983-87, before hooking up with Jack Roush in 1988 to
form what would become one of the most successful teams in NASCAR.
MARK MARTIN ON HIS 500th CONSECUTIVE START
"I'm really thankful for what I have and the time that I've had and
the success that I've had. The fact that I've been able to do this,
actually says a lot about the people around me over the years that
worked really hard to make that possible. Jack (Roush) basically gave
me a second chance and the opportunity to pursue my dreams, and we
have been doing that ever since.
"It's (the steak) a pretty good accomplishment. It would be a lot
longer if I had stayed in from the beginning. I started in 1981 and
then ran a full season in 1982. I missed '83-87, but if I had kept a
job at that time I would have had a really large number. Still it has
been really rewarding and I've experienced so much.
"As far as the streak, I've been really fortunate about not having to
miss a race, or even need relief in that period of time. Thankfully
I've been able to drive my car every week since it all started.
"I've realized a dream and not a lot of people get to do that. Growing
up in Arkansas, NASCAR racing was the ultimate to me. To have had the
opportunity to drive on a competitive level and the good fortune to
have experienced a lot of success and win a lot of races, that is more
than I could have asked for.
TIME LINE ON THE STREAK
1st race - Daytona - February 14 1988 - Started 38, Finished 41,
President - Ronald Reagan
56th race-1st win - Rockingham - October 22, 1989 - Started 7th,
Finished 1st
100th race - Pocono June 16, 1991 Started: 1, Finished: 3, President -
George Bush
200th Race - Dover, September 18, 1994 Started: 4, Finished: 19
(Accident), President Clinton
300th Race -- Atlanta, November 16, 1997 Started: 9, Finished: 3,
President -Bill Clinton
400th race -- Homestead, November 12, 2000, Started: 11, Finished 3 ,
President - Bill Clinton
500th race - Loudon, September 13, 2003, President George W.
Bush
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