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New Sauber fails crash test
Autosport reports that Sauber has suffered a setback in its
pre-season preparations after its 2004 car failed a side
impact test before Christmas. The C23, which has
already passed the much tougher roll-hoop test, will need to
be strengthened and resubmitted for the test before it will
be allowed to compete in the 2004 campaign. The new test is
scheduled for later this month. The side-impact
test proved a headache for McLaren last season when its
much-hyped MP4-18 failed it at least twice before a decision
was taken for the car not to race.
12/31/03
Briatore cleared in corruption
case
Autosport reports that Flavio Briatore has been cleared of any
illegal activity in a corruption investigation in Italy that
named 76 prominent figures. The judge leading the
investigation in Potenza, Geraldina Romaniello, confirmed
before Christmas that Briatore’s activities were no longer
under the spotlight of the Italian courts. Speaking about
the case, she said: “Related to the Disclosure of Business
Secrets by Flavio Briatore, there is no evidence that Mr
Briatore has in any way instigated the public officers who
had originally revealed this information.”
12/31/03
Earnhardt and Stewart to drive
in Rolex 24
Howard-Boss Motorsports and Crawford Race Cars announced today
that veteran road racer Andy Wallace will team with NASCAR
stars Tony Stewart and Dale Earnhardt Jr. for the Rolex 24
At Daytona in the No. 2 Crawford DP03 Daytona Prototype.
"This is an exciting time for all of us at Howard-Boss
Motorsports," Rick Howard stated. We have set our standards
high with the new DP03 Daytona Prototype car. Our unique
blend of driving talent with Andy Wallace, Tony Stewart and
Dale Earnhardt Jr. makes this event even more exciting, not
only for our team, but for the fans of the Grand American
Rolex Sports Car Series. Our expectations are also high for
our teammates in the No. 4 Boss Snowplow Dave Brule-owned
car. The results of our recent test session at the
Homestead-Miami Speedway are very encouraging and we're
really looking forward to the Rolex 24 At Daytona." "From
the manufacturer point of view, I'm elated to have three
DP03 Daytona Prototype cars competing in the Rolex 24,"
commented Max Crawford, owner of Crawford Race Cars. "I'm
also pleased to be associated with such a stellar list of
drivers who I'm sure will do an outstanding job."
12/31/03
Ferrari team ready for Rolex 24
tests
JMB Racing USA Team Ferrari will participate in pre-season
testing at Daytona International Speedway this weekend in
preparation for the season-opening 42nd Anniversary of the
Rolex 24 At Daytona. JMB Racing USA Team Ferrari will enter
one Ferrari 360 Modena in the GT class. The drivers' lineup
for JMB Racing USA Team Ferrari #11 at the Rolex 24 tests
this week at Daytona includes Iradj Alexander from
Switzerland and Diego Alessi and Miss Eddi Gay, both from
Italy.
"It feels good to go racing again with Ferrari. Daytona is
one of the great racetracks in the world and one of our
goals since we started JMB Racing USA has always been to win
the fame 24-hour race," declared team co-owner Ludovico
Manfredi. "2003 marked the first full season of racing in
The United States for JMB Racing USA Team Ferrari. We are in
the process of finalizing our American program for the 2004.
Right now we are entered in the 2004 Rolex 24 at Daytona
with one Ferrari 360 Modena in the GT class. Ferrari has
been part of JMB Racing's program since 1998 and we
certainly would like to continue our American program with
the legendary marque that will celebrate 50 years of doing
business in The United States this year. We are still
working on our driver's lineup for the Rolex 24 at Daytona
and should be able to announce more details on the drivers'
lineup for the Rolex 24 and our racing program later on this
January."
At the eve of the 2004 season, JMB Racing is a leading,
globally active and independent organization, competing with
Ferrari cars in the most prestigious GT series in Europe and
North America. Since its inception in 1995 JMB Racing Team
Ferrari has won 13 titles, among which were three FIA Sports
Car World Cups in 1998-1999-2000 with the Ferrari 333 SP and
one title as FIA N-GT World Champion in 2001 with the
Ferrari 360 Modena.
12/31/03
CART bankruptcy hearing update
- Signed Court Order2nd UPDATE We
promised to bring you the full court order signed by Judge
Otte yesterday. Click here
(758 KB PDF format) 12/30/03 - As it turns out, today's
proceedings were very positive. See story on home page. 12/30/03
- Judge Frank Otte held a preliminary hearing on December 19 for the
CART bankruptcy filing and set today to hear from all involved
parties. Today, CART's lawyers and OWRS lawyers asked the judge
to settle the bankruptcy filing as soon as possible. They were
hoping for a decision today, they did not get it.
Lawyers representing two race tracks: Road America in
Elkhart Lake, WI and ISC for California Speedway in Fontana,
CA. as well as several concerned stockholders voiced their
objections. Road America because they felt their
contract with CART was not transferable and ISC because they
felt CART should return the 2003 sanction fee after the race
was cancelled due to the wildfires.
The teams, owners, drivers, promoters, tracks all need time
to prepare for 2004 but the judge did not make a decision
today, probably because of the objections raised, i.e. this
was not a clear cut case. January 28, 2004 has been
set as the date that Judge Otte will give his decision.
OWRS attorneys stated that the final date to allow the Champ
Car Series and the Atlantic Series to continue is February
13, 2004.
12/31/03
Ecclestone says London as
dangerous as Bahrain
Reports emerged last week saying that the British Foreign
Office had been informed of the possibility of a terrorist
attack for the Bahrain GP. However, a spokesperson for the
Bahrain International Circuit denied that they'd received
any direct threat. He also said: "The threat that we face is
similar to any grand prix anywhere in the world." Bernie
Ecclestone agrees - "Many of us live in London which is
constantly under threat from terrorists, but it doesn't stop
us going around the place every day. I don't think it will
be any more dangerous to race at Bahrain than in a lot of
places we go to."
12/31/03
Red Bull drivers to attend the Sauber Petronas
Formula 1 team launch
The winners of the 2003 Red Bull Driver Search, who are now the
American members of the international Red Bull Junior Team, will be
traveling to Salzburg, Austria next week for the launch of the Red
Bull-sponsored Sauber Petronas Formula 1 Team. On January 12, the new
Sauber Petronas C23 race car will be presented to a host of
international media at Hangar-7, home of the Flying Bulls, the new
spectacular aircraft museum at the Salzburg airport.
The launch will serve as a glimpse into the future for these young
drivers, who are striving to attain a seat with a Formula 1 team. One
of their colleagues, Christian Klien of Austria, recently was picked
up by Jaguar Racing to compete for the 2004 Formula 1 World
Championship, making him the first Red Bull Junior Team driver to
achieve this feat.
While in Salzburg, the Junior Team drivers, Dominique Claessens, Colin
Fleming, Matt Jaskol and Scott Speed, will spend a week at Red Bull’s
performance diagnostics and athlete training center preparing for the
demanding season that lies ahead. The head of the program, Danny
Sullivan, will be in Salzburg surveying the drivers’ progress.
Key members of the American racing and karting media will also be
attending the Sauber Petronas launch and visiting the driver training
facility. This is an unparalleled opportunity for the media to be
educated about Formula 1 and witness Red Bull’s commitment to the
Driver Search program and their dedication to assisting young American
drivers advance their professional racing careers.
The 2004 Red Bull Driver Search program aims to discover and support
the "diamond in the rough," lacking the knowledge and contacts needed
to embark on a career in racing, as well as talented young drivers
already in racing. The long-term goal is to have a steady group of
three to six American drivers racing in Europe, groomed to break into
Formula 1 and compete for the World Championship.
12/31/03
French pay off 2003 debt
The FFSA (French Federation of Motorsports) has confirmed that via an
official statement that the Burgundy region government, home to the
Magny-Cours venue, has, through the sporting company of Nevers
Magny-Cours, and in accordance with the financial provisions taken by
the General Council of the Nievre, processed the last payment
regarding the 2003 event, clearing the way for next year’s race to go
ahead. But will they pay the additional monies for an 18th race
in 2004?
12/31/03
23 car needs a driver
Bill Davis Racing [BDR] crew chief Phillipe Lopez has two new cars
ready for the second week of Daytona testing, which starts Jan. 13,
and two additional cars for the Las Vegas test on Jan. 26. The only
piece missing from the #23 car puzzle is a driver; sources say BDR has
a sponsor lined up. Former Davis pilot Dave Blaney is on the short
list, as is Johnny Benson. If a driver isn't enlisted this week,
expect Kenny Wallace to test the car.
Yahoo Sports/Sporting News
12/31/03
Dick Brooks injured in plane crash
According to this AP story,
Former NASCAR Rookie of the Year Dick Brooks was in a plane crash, the
Federal Aviation Administration said Tuesday. The exact nature of
Brooks' injuries were not immediately known. Brooks, 61, was taxiing a
plane down the runway at his farm Sunday when a wheel caught in the
grass and turned the plane over, his friend, Joe Whisenant, told the
(Spartanburg) Herald-Journal. Brooks was taken to a hospital, and
daughter Stacy Jackson told the newspaper doctors will keep him under
observation for a few days.
CART bankruptcy hearing updateUPDATE As it turns out, today's
proceedings were very positive. See story on home page. 12/30/03
- Judge Frank Otte held a preliminary hearing on December 19 for the
CART bankruptcy filing and set today to hear from all involved
parties. Today, CART's lawyers and OWRS lawyers asked the judge
to settle the bankruptcy filing as soon as possible. They were
hoping for a decision today, they did not get it.
Lawyers representing two race tracks: Road America in
Elkhart Lake, WI and ISC for California Speedway in Fontana,
CA. as well as several concerned stockholders voiced their
objections. Road America because they felt their
contract with CART was not transferable and ISC because they
felt CART should return the 2003 sanction fee after the race
was cancelled due to the wildfires.
The teams, owners, drivers, promoters, tracks all need time
to prepare for 2004 but the judge did not make a decision
today, probably because of the objections raised, i.e. this
was not a clear cut case. January 28, 2004 has been
set as the date that Judge Otte will give his decision.
OWRS attorneys stated that the final date to allow the Champ
Car Series and the Atlantic Series to continue is February
13, 2004.
12/30/03
7th
Annual Barber-Champ Car Karting Scholarship Runoff This
Weekend The Skip Barber Racing star search
system that over the past seven years has unearthed and then
rewarded such talents as Ryan Hunter-Reay, Michael Valiante
and A.J. Allmendinger gets under way again this week. The
Barber-Champ Car Karting Scholarship Runoff -- the annual
judged competition that rewards the most young talented
karters with more than $130,000 in racing cash -- will be
held this Sunday and Monday, January 4 and 5, at Sebring
International Raceway.
This year, 35 of the best young karters from the United
States and Canada will each spend the bulk of two days in a
Formula Dodge R/T 2000, in both test and race conditions, in
hopes of making an impression on a panel of judges in order
to earn one of six scholarships to compete in the 2004
Formula Dodge National Championship Presented by RACER, the
Official National Amateur Championship of Champ Car. The
majority of the drivers in the Barber-Champ Car Karting
Scholarship Runoff come from the ranks of the World Karting
Association (WKA) and the Champ Car Stars of Tomorrow
series. One karter will be awarded a full season of FDNC --
$38,150 -- while five more will each earn 50 percent
($19,075) of the entry fee.
"We truly feel there is no better opportunity for the
serious young karter than the Skip Barber system, if the
desire is to get into open-wheel racing's topmost ranks,"
says FDNC Managing Director Divina Galica. The equal-car
premise behind every Skip Barber auto racing championship,
the coaching, the huge amounts of seat time, the furious
competition, the simple stark value of our racing -- all
that has been attracting the best karters for a number of
years." Galica noted that there is no minimum age for
drivers to compete in FDNC or the four Regional Formula
Dodge championships, provided they pass muster with Skip
Barber's chief instructors.
The judging panel is comprised of noted coaches and drivers
such as Galica, Kelly Collins, Jim Pace, Barry Waddell,
Gregg Borland, Jason Holehouse and R.B. Steiwing, as well as
a former karter who took advantage of the Skip Barber system
before it was officially formalized -- Bryan Herta. Known
for his strong and active advocacy of North American
karting, Herta joins the karting scholarship panel for the
first time. In prior years, he's judged the Big Scholarship
runoff, where the most promising drivers in FDNC are
rewarded with significant scholarship money to race in the
Champ Car-sanctioned Barber Dodge Pro Series.
Note: For a complete list of the 2004 Barber-Champ Car
Karting Scholarship Runoff candidates, please go to
www.skipbarber.com.
12/30/03 Team USA
Americans Display Great Promise
in First New Zealand Test Three talented
young American racers enjoyed a very promising first test
session today in preparation for the forthcoming six-race
Talley’s New Zealand International Formula Ford Series. Joe
D’Agostino, 18, from Plantation, Fla., Charlie Kimball, 18,
from Camarillo, Calif., and Ryan Millen, 19, from Newport
Beach, Calif., put the trio of Team USA Scholarship-entered
Stealth/Van Diemens through their paces at Ruapuna Park
Raceway and left local team owner John Crawford astounded by
their speed and attitude.
"I’m really impressed -- extremely impressed," declared
Crawford, himself a former New Zealand Formula Ford Champion
whose Canterbury Motor Racing School team will oversee the
preparation of the Americans’ cars. "The boys settled in
very quickly and were on the pace right away. They’ll be a
force to be reckoned with, that’s for sure."
In very warm weather and far from ideal track conditions,
D’Agostino turned the fastest lap of the day at 1m30.2s, an
average speed of 85.31 mph, which is within a half-second of
the lap record for the 2.14-mile (3.44 kms) track. Kimball
also turned some very competitive times during the hotter
afternoon period, while Millen was equally impressive
despite getting started a little bit later and ending his
day early due to an engine problem.
"It was a really good first day of testing," said D’Agostino.
"The team did a good job and it was great to start working
with our engineer, Andy Neale [also a leading Formula Ford
contender in the early 1990s who later worked as a chief
mechanic with 1997 Formula 1 World Champion Jacques
Villeneuve and the BAR Honda team]. We all got along very
well and were able to compare data and learn from each
other."
"It took me a little time to reacclimate myself with a
carbureted engine," added Kimball, who finished third in
this year’s Formula Ford 2000 Zetec Championship in the U.S.
and more recently placed third in the British Formula Ford
Zetec Winter Series. "It has a big flat spot compared to the
fuel-injected motors I’m used to, but I’m getting there.
It’s good that I can sit down tonight and think about
things, then get ready for our next test tomorrow morning.
"This is a great track," continued Kimball. "It’s really
technical and it’s got a little of everything – some long,
sweeping corners, some fast tight stuff and some tight,
twisty hairpin corners. There’s a little bit of elevation
change too; just enough to make it interesting."
Said Millen, who won last year’s New Zealand South Island
Formula Ford Championship, "I didn’t get much time in the
car and we still have an older-spec engine in it right now.
All things considered, it was good to get back in the car,
and I’m looking forward to getting some more miles
tomorrow."
The Americans will test again for half a day at Ruapuna
tomorrow, then enjoy the New Year celebrations before going
on to test at Levels Raceway, Timaru, on Saturday. The first
two races of the International series will take place at
Timaru on January 11, with subsequent events at
Invercargill’s Teretonga Park Raceway (for the prestigious
New Zealand Grand Prix) on January 18 and then a return to
Ruapuna for the final two races on January 25.
India hopeful of landing 2007
F1 race This Reuters
article says, India's chance of hosting a Formula
One race by 2007 was "pretty good," a senior official
involved in the project said on Tuesday. A team of
Indian officials are scheduled to meet Formula One supremo
Bernie Ecclestone around the middle of January to bring the
event to the southern city of Hyderabad. P.V.Rao, who
will lead the team, said: "Discussions are going on and we
have to discuss a lot of issues. "But we are most
hopeful. Our chances look pretty good. "We are aiming
for a race in 2007." A preliminary meeting was held
with Ecclestone earlier this month, Rao added.
Hyderabad, an information technology hub and the capital of
the southern state of Andhra Pradesh, has been the
front-runner to host a Formula One race after Ecclestone
showed interest in taking the sport to India, Asia's third
largest economy. The Andhra Pradesh government has pledged
to provide land to build a track besides a new airport.
12/30/03
Latest Formula One News ItemsUPDATE: Added 3 new items
Purex renews with Dreyer and
Reinbold team
With their eyes firmly centered on their team's preparation
for the upcoming 2004 Indy Racing League season, Dreyer &
Reinbold Racing announces the return of Purex Detergents as
the co-primary sponsor of the team's #24 entry for the sixth
consecutive year. Team co-owner and driver Robbie Buhl will
again ride with a Dallara/Chevrolet/ Firestone package for
the 2004 season. Dreyer & Reinbold Racing and Purex have
enjoyed one of the longest and most prosperous sponsor
relationships in the IRL. According to team co-owner Dennis
Reinbold, the continuation of the productive business
relationship with Purex is a key to Dreyer & Reinbold
Racing's growth plans. As a business, it is important for us
to continue to grow our sponsor relationships each year,
Reinbold said. .Since the end of last season, the primary
objective of our team has been to focus on improving the
funding level and competitiveness of the #24 car. Our
renewed support from Purex has allowed us to attain our
corporate goals and places us in a better position than ever
before to compete for wins in the IndyCar Series. We made a
commitment to Chevy, our sponsors, and team members to
solidify the position of the 24 car before considering the
possibility of running a second car at DRR. We are now
in a position to explore running two cars in 2004 if the
circumstances provide a good fit for us. Purex
has been recognized by many business and motorsport experts
as one of the leaders in sponsorship activation. For
Purex, the relationship with Dreyer & Reinbold Racing and
the Indy Racing League has helped support the brand's
incredible growth as the detergent industry's value sector
leader. Dreyer & Reinbold Racing and the IndyCar Series have
been excellent business partners for the past five years,.
said Todd Gatzulis, Director of Marketing. Laundry
Care for the Dial Corporation. As we embark on our
sixth consecutive year as a sponsor, I am very proud of the
consistent growth that Purex, DRR, and the IndyCar Series
have demonstrated and look forward to a successful 2004 on
and off the track.
12/30/03 Formula BMW
Matt
Champagne getting early 2004 start
Matt Champagne (www.mattchampagne.com),
Canada's top ranking shifter kart pilot and 2003 Bridgestone
F2000 Series presented by Formula Car Magazine winner will
attend the BMW USA Scholarship Qualifying/Licensing Course
in Valencia, Spain. Matt was one of 24 drivers selected from
all the qualified applicants to the program.
"Never sitting back and waiting for things to happen, after
learning of the Formula BMW opportunity, I made plans to
apply for the training course in Spain." states Champagne.
"I am excited about being one of the 24 drivers selected to
be part of this amazing program. The Formula BMW program is
an excellent way to start the 2004 season," continues the 19
year-old student on winter break from Brock University,
where he is studying Sports Management.
In selecting drivers for the run-off, BMW USA looked at a
number of parameters, which included, but were not limited
to: Previous competition experience, Success in racing,
Presentation
"Formula
BMW USA will provide the young entry-level racer,
particularly from the kart racing ranks, the opportunity to
experience all the demands of professional motorsport," said
Tom Purves, CEO of BMW of North America, LLC. "This is an
exciting way to develop promising drivers by showcasing
their talents and preparing them to compete in the higher
ranks of international motorsports.
Each of the candidates will be eligible for scholarship
support from BMW of North America, which includes a
$40,000.00 US contribution and BMW training and support for
the 2004 racing season. As part of the total Formula BMW USA
program, drivers will participate in the Motorsport
Professional training program. The BMW USA
Qualifying/Licensing Course will take place from January 6th
to 8th, 2004.
The program will be run on the Circuit de la Communitat
which is located in Valencia on the eastern coast of Spain
approximately 2.5 hours from Barcelona and 4 hours from the
capitol city of Madrid. The circuit is the headquarters of
the Formula BMW Racing Center, a school dedicated to the
development of racing talent in single-seater racing cars.
"We have a number of great opportunities to evaluate for
2004,"comments Champagne. "As much as I have enjoyed the
many accomplishments of the 2003 season, I can't wait for
next year to get underway and look forward to my
participation in the Formula BMW North America Series."
12/30/03
Michael Shank names drivers for
2004
Michael Shank Racing (MSR) announced that it has finalized its
driver lineup for the 2004 Grand American Rolex Sports Car
Series' season-opening Rolex 24 At Daytona, to be run
January 29 - February 1 at Daytona International Speedway in
Daytona Beach, Fla. Piloting MSR's No. 6 Toyota-powered
Doran JE-4 Daytona Prototype in North America's premier
sports car racing event will be Americans Brent Martini,
Cort Wagner and Kelly Collins (substitute driver), Great
Britain's Mike Newton and Brazil's Thomas Erdos. Sponsoring
the efforts of Martini, Wagner and Collins will be Rx.com,
with Dedicated Micros, NetVu and TransVu providing support
for Newton and Erdos. Martini and Wagner teamed together to
win the 2003 Grand American Rolex Sports Car Series' GT
class championship, while Collins has driven factory backed
Corvettes in the American LeMans Series (ALMS) for the past
several seasons. Newton and Erdos competed in the FIA GT
Championship as teammates in 2003 driving a Saleen S7R.
Erdos captured the British GT championship in 2002.
12/30/03
Ferrari fines its employees
Michael Schumacher recently told F1 Racing Magazine
that the Ferrari team is so determined to excel that
everything runs perfectly and precisely that they even
charge their team members who are late for technical
briefings. The fine is ten Euros for every minute the person
is late. Even Schumacher, who won his sixth World
title in 2003 and his fourth with Ferrari, has to pay into
the kitty. "Absolutely," he answered when asked if he
too had to abide by the rule. "Of course! But I'm not the
biggest contributor to the scheme." Explaining the
logic behind the kitty he said: "Every part of an F1 car has
to be perfect, and to achieve that level of excellence, it's
first things first - like being on time."
12/30/03
Mario Andretti's mother dies
Rina Andretti, the mother of auto racing great Mario Andretti,
died at a personal care home on Monday. She was 90. After
immigrating from Italy in the 1950s, Andretti settled with
her family in Nazareth, Pa., where she raised twin sons and
a daughter. Family and friends said she supported her son
Mario's career choice. Mario's brother, Aldo Andretti, was
seriously injured in a 1959 crash and retired from racing 10
years later. "She understood our passion. She would
always defend us," said Mario, who retired from the CART
series in 1994 after winning 67 Champ Car poles, 52 races
and four championships. He won the 1969 Indianapolis 500,
the Daytona 500 in '67 and the Formula One championship in
1978. Born in Montona, Italy, in 1913, Rina Andretti
and her family spent seven years in an Italian refugee camp
before coming to the United States. Rina Andretti is
survived by three children, 12 grandchildren and 19
great-grandchildren. Funeral services and a mass are
scheduled for Friday. Mario's father died about a year
ago. Our condolences go out to the Andretti family.
AP contributed to this story
12/30/03
DEI ready to start testing
The roar of engines will once again permeate the air around the
2.5-mile superspeedway when Pre-Season Thunder 2004 starts Monday,
January 5 and goes through Wednesday, Jan. 7. It will be the first,
ever, session under the new name of the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series and
the No. 8 Budweiser team out of DEI will be one to watch.
For the past few weeks, or more, they've been preparing for their test
session set by virtue of owner’s points finishes from 2003. With Dale
Earnhardt, Jr. finishing third and Michael Waltrip 15th, they will
take part in the first session set up for the odd-finishing teams.
Tony Eury, Sr, crew chief, talked about the upcoming test and what he
and the team are looking to accomplish.
“We’re taking down two cars for this test,” Tony, Sr. said. “We’re
taking one car for the Budweiser Shootout and the other we are looking
to make our primary car for the Daytona 500. We’ll have three days to
get those cars dialed in.
“With the new rules package from NASCAR, the raised spoiler is
supposed to slow the cars down from the speeds that they were going.
But, like any other team, we’re going to see just how fast we can go.”
Dale Earnhardt, Jr. and the Budweiser team roll into Daytona as the
defending champions of the Shootout. The race is for any NEXTEL Cup
team that earned a Bud Pole Award in 2003 or is a past winner of the
exhibition race. Without a Bud Pole last year, which was the first
time that's happened in three years, Dale Jr. is entered in the race
via the past winner’s rule.
“When we won that race last year, it set a tone for the entire
Speedweeks for our team,” Tony, Sr. said. “We went on to earn an
outside pole for the Daytona 500, won our Twin 125 and led a bunch of
laps (22) in the 500.
“This year, we’re going back to do the same thing but the only
difference is we want to win it all and bring back that Daytona 500
trophy.” Excerpts from
DEI Insider
12/30/03
F1 teams go all-out to promote China race, Tung shunned UPDATE: The F1 teams are all
doing whatever they can this winter to try and capture the attention
of the Chinese ahead of the Shanghai Grand Prix next September.
Renault and BAR brought drivers to tour China and meet with
prospective sponsors and government dignitaries; Ferrari had their own
“Schumacher” marketing blitz; Toyota and Sauber cars can be seen in
many high-profile corporate marketing campaigns throughout the
country; and McLaren handed out marketing proposals to so many Chinese
companies the rumor was that they distributed them by throwing them
out of the corporate jet as they flew over Beijing and Shanghai.
The
Williams F1 team has pinned some of their Chinese marketing hopes on
Dutchman Ho Pin Tung. Tung, who has already had a much publicized test
drive in the Williams F1 car, is set to compete in F3000 next year,
that is, if he can come up with the money. To acquire the funds for
F3000, the Dutch citizen of Chinese dissent, who was born and raised
in the Netherlands, has decided to let as many people as possible know
that although he is a foreigner in China, he’s still Chinese. On his
recent Williams sponsored tour of China, while wearing Williams’
colors, Tung marketed himself as being on a quest to become China’s
first F1 driver. Unfortunately for Williams and Tung, Yu Zhi Fei, the
General Manager of the Shanghai Circuit, threw water on that dream
with his comments this week to “Shanghai Youth” newspaper.
“Ho Pin Tung called me recently and asked for a meeting to see if I
would be willing to fund his efforts to become China’s first F-1
driver. Deciding not to meet with him was difficult for me, and it
wasn’t difficult just because of the money. I have already provided
significant financial support to two Chinese in their driver training
programs overseas – but what made the decision difficult concerning
Tung Ho-Ping is his nationality. As everyone knows, Tung is not a
Chinese citizen; he is a citizen of the Netherlands, so how could I
support him? Only Chinese drivers can be successfully marketed. This
is only a joke, but if he is ready to give up his Dutch citizenship, I
will reconsider.”
Yu Zhi Fei went on to say that even if Tung is the closest Chinese
driver to reaching F1, in the end, from a pure marketing standpoint,
his citizenship will be a problem. Only drivers who can be completely
integrated into the Chinese motorsports environment will be able to
attract the Chinese fans’ attention, and ultimately, generate the
marketing dollars necessary to make it to F1. Unfortunately for Tung, he might be forced to make it to F1 the hard way – prove himself
on the track. 12/11/03 - But is he really
Chinese? According to this Dutch
website, Ho Pin Tung was born and raised in Holland...which
makes him Dutch. This
link is a newspaper article from his website. The fact he was
Dutch born is openly admitted. It even says he isn't a Chinese
citizen, but he would move to China and apply to be a Chinese citizen
if that's what F1 wants or needs.
12/30/03
CART goes to court today
CART will seek court approval for its sale today in federal court in
Indianapolis. Their goal is to have the court approve the
bankruptcy of the operating company (Michigan Company) and the sale of
the holding company (Delaware Company) to Open Wheel Racing Series LLC
(OWRS). Two motions were approved December 16th in the initial
hearing in Championship Auto Racing Team's Chapter 11 bankruptcy
filing at the Birch Bayh Federal Building and Courthouse. CART
was allowed to pay ordinary business expenses to employees and was
given until Jan. 30 to prepare bankruptcy schedules. A hearing
was set for today at which time CART will ask the court to approve
procedures for sale of the company. CART's board of directors has
already voted to sell the company to the Open Wheel Racing Series
group.
12/30/03 F-3000
Heylen
signs with Astromega
Next season, Jan Heylen
will participate in the International F3000 Championship at the wheel
of one of the cars of the Astromega Team under the watchful eye of
Mercedes Motorsport. As the winner of the Formula Ford Festival
in 2002, Jan Heylen was selected as an F3 junior by Mercedes
Motorsport for 2 seasons. In spite of the somewhat less than bright
results in the F3 Euroseries, the sports directors of "the brand with
the star" wanted to prepare Jan with a few tests for the coming season
but also allowed him to practice with a F3000. After these tests, Jan
indicated his preference for the F3000 single-seater that would be
renamed F2 in 2005. This name change is being done to make it clear
that it is the real waiting room for F1. The matter was settled
and the contract was signed. In 2004, Jan Heylen will line up for the
International F3000 championship with the Belgian Team Astromega in
the footsteps of Fernando Alonso, Justin Wilson and others. It's
only just over a year since he was racing in Formula Ford, losing the
title to teammate Westley Barber, but winning the prestigious Brands
Hatch Formula Ford Festival. This year the Belgian has been racing in
the new F3 Euroseries, which was created out of the German F3
championship. But the year turned to disaster with the poor-performing
Kolles team. Tenth place at Pau was his best of the year, and Heylen
was offered a move to Mucke Motorsport for 2004, replacing Christian
Klien. However, he decided he would prefer to race in F3000. Now 23,
Heylen first tested a Formula 3000 car in 2002, when he tested for
Astromega at Hockenheim. On that occasion he was nearly two seconds a
lap faster than the more experienced Tony Schmidt and Alex Sperafico.
12/29/03
2004 French GP all but dead
This grandprix.com article
says that most of France is on holiday at the moment and there is
virtually no hope of the Federation Francaise du Sport Automobile
being able to get the problems surrounding the French Grand Prix
sorted out before the FIA deadline of January 1. The FFSA announced
before Christmas that it had the money needed to do a deal with
Formula One Administration but then the regional council of Burgundy
blocked the planned 2004 budget and this will not be discussed again
until January 2 at the earliest, the day after the FIA deadline. Even
if that problem can be solved the FFSA must still get the agreement of
the 10 Formula 1 teams for them to take part in what would be an 18th
race in the Formula 1 World Championship. The only hope is that Bernie
Ecclestone will be able to convince the teams to take as part of the
settlement currently being discussed over the future of Formula 1.
Ecclestone will obviously gain if there is a French GP but having to
pay the teams $2m apiece is not something he will be keen on doing.
The French have already said that they have no intention of paying any
money to the teams. In the circumstances it is hard to see how any
deal is going to be possible.
12/29/03
Tobacco net tightens
This grandprix.com article
says that although there has been little happening in racing circles
during the Christmas holidays, the anti-tobacco forces continue to
tighten the net on tobacco advertising, with three more countries
committing themselves to the World Health Organization's Framework
Convention on Tobacco Control. Admittedly, the signatures of Slovakia,
Bulgaria and Burkina Faso may not be of any particular importance but
they bring to 83 the number of countries now committed to the treaty.
They are also adding to the pressure which exists for the United
States of America to become a signatory to the agreement. At the
moment the treaty is being reviewed by various US agencies and after
that is completed President George W. Bush will have to decide whether
to sign it and send it on to the Senate for ratification. There is
much argument as to whether or not the treaty would conflict with the
US Bill of Rights, the first amendment of which states that "Congress
shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or
prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of
speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to
assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances".
12/29/03
Odds to win the 2004 Nextel Cup
Early Las Vegas odds to win the 2004 Nextel Cup are out: Odds-Name
3/1-RYAN NEWMAN
4/1-JEFF GORDON
4/1-DALE EARNHARDT, JR.
7/1-TONY STEWART
7/1-JIMMIE JOHNSON
8/1-KURT BUSCH
10/1-KEVIN HARVICK
12/1-MATT KENSETH
18/1-BOBBY LABONTE
20/1-RUSTY WALLACE
25/1-MARK MARTIN
30/1-JAMIE McMURRAY
35/1-MICHAEL WALTRIP
35/1-DALE JARRETT
40/1-JEREMY MAYFIELD
40/1-JEFF BURTON
50/1-STERLING MARLIN
50/1-ELLIOTT SADLER
60/1-GREG BIFFLE
75/1-ROBBY GORDON
75/1-RICKY RUDD
75/1-KASEY KAHNE
75/1-TERRY LABONTE
100/1-WARD BURTON
100/1-JOHNNY SAUTER
100/1-BRIAN VICKERS
150/1-RICKY CRAVEN
150/1-CASEY MEARS
150/1-SCOTT RIGGS
150/1-SCOTT WIMMER
20/1-FIELD (ALL OTHERS)
LasVegas
Insider
12/29/03
India venue to be decided next
month
Hyderabad's fate as a Formula One venue would be decided
during the next round of talks between F-1 administrators
and a special negotiating team here on January 15-16.
"We have been negotiating with F-1 chief Bernie Ecclestone
and the next round of talks are scheduled for January 15-16
during which the entire issue could be settled," according a
source in the negotiating team. "The talks would be
held between F-1 administration, legal, media and technical
groups including McKinsey and Company. Media and television
rights are expected to take a prominent place in course of
the negotiations," the source said.
F-1 organizers sent a draft agreement which covered the
legal and infrastructure part of the project, he said and
expressed confidence that Hyderabad would be the chosen
venue for one permanent leg of F-1 racing starting 2007.
"This arrangement will continue for a period of seven
years," he added. "Ecclestone has given the
assurance that the Indian leg would start in 2007 and we are
confident of completing the task well in time."
12/29/03
NASCAR reality show infiltrates
Spike TV
[Editor's Note: Just when CART thought it might get out
from under NASCAR's domination by moving to CBS and Spike
TV, here comes NASCAR. They are everywhere] The
most unique television show in motorsports premieres
Saturday morning, January 3, on Spike TV. “The Reality
Of Speed,” a weekly national television program, will run at
10:30 a.m. Eastern time (9:30 a.m. Central) every Saturday
morning beginning January 3 on Spike TV. The show will
follow Holigan Racing and its NASCAR Busch Grand National
and Holigan Walters Racing AMA Motocross teams throughout
the 2004 season, following the lives of drivers, riders and
members of both teams as they prepare to compete on the
grueling circuits.
The day-to-day efforts behind both teams will be featured,
the first time such an attempt has been made in motorsports.
Holigan Racing’s Team Enzyte with driver David Starr will
run 15 NASCAR Busch Grand National races this year, while
the motocross team will run the full 16-event AMA Supercross
schedule and the full 12-event AMA Outdoor Nationals
schedule.
“This show is an opportunity for race fans to see everything
that goes on behind the scenes at a race team, everything
that is done to get the cars and people ready and prepared,”
said Michael Holigan, owner of Holigan Racing and the star
of his own nationally-syndicated television show on home
building.
“The basis of the entire program is showing people the
intricacies of stock car and motorcycle racing, and doing so
in an entertaining fashion. I’d say we’ve squarely hit the
mark with ‘The Reality of Speed’ on Spike TV,” Holigan
added.
Lifekey Healthcare, Inc. is sponsoring the Busch team
through its brand of Enzyte, a once-a-day tablet for natural
male enhancement. “We are proud to break ground with this
exciting new series on Spike TV, and bring a new sponsor
into NASCAR,” Holigan said.
Holigan Racing LP is a newly-formed motorsports team created
by Holigan, a former NASCAR Winston Cup team sponsor. Spike
TV, the first network for men, is available in 86 million
homes and is a division of MTV networks.
Enzyte is the non-prescription, once-a-day tablet for
natural male enhancement. Its proprietary blend of natural
ingredients enables men to reach their full potential,
achieving stronger, fuller, better quality erections. As
part of a man’s daily regiment, Enzyte is not situation
specific, promoting spontaneity. Enzyte is a brand of
Lifekey Health Care, Inc. (www.enzyte.com; 1-800-ENZYTE)
12/29/03
Larry Carter named Crew Chief
for Wallace
Larry Carter, a 14-year veteran in NASCAR racing’s highest
level of competition, has joined Penske Racing South as crew
chief for driver Rusty Wallace and his Miller Lite Dodge
racing team.
“We’re extremely excited to have Larry join us as our new
crew chief,” said Wallace, the 1989 Winston Cup (now Nextel
Cup) champion and 54-race winner. “Larry brings an abundance
of talent and experience to our program and he is a perfect
fit to accompany the qualified staff we already have in
place. We can’t wait to get the ball rolling in 2004.”
Carter comes to Penske Racing South from BACE Motorsports,
where he served as crew chief for rookie driver Tony Raines
during the 2003 NASCAR season.
“This is a great opportunity and I am certainly thrilled to
have the chance to work with such a successful organization
as Penske Racing and a champion-caliber driver like Rusty
Wallace,” said Carter. “This is a top-notch team with great
people and ample resources. I am delighted that they have
the confidence in me to lead their team and I’m really
looking forward to this new challenge.”
12/29/03
Sauber to launch live on the internet
The Sauber Petronas team will unveil their new 2004 car, the C23 at
Hangar-7 at the Salzburg Airport on Monday, the 12th of January 2004.
The presentation of their new challenger will be broadcasted live on
the Internet. Peter Sauber and his drivers Giancarlo Fisichella and
Felipe Massa will be presenting the new car which will be followed by
a show that will include a live performance by The Sugababes. Fans can
see the show at 17:30 GMT, on either
www.redbull.com or the team’s official website,
www.sauber-petronas.com.
12/29/03
Don't forget other talent says Button
British American Racing driver Jenson Button has reacted to all the
hoopla surrounding McLaren driver Kimi Raikkonen and Renault’s up and
coming young Spanish star, Fernando Alonso, who are constantly being
referred to as F1 champions of the future. "Some people
are lucky when they come into F1. They are in the right place at the
right time," Button told the BBC. "Kimi, for example. He had a good
first year, but nothing staggering. Then in his second year he's in a
McLaren. What a step. They say a lot about Kimi and Alonso especially
and they forget a lot of the other talent in Formula One. What about
Juan Pablo? They don't even mention him much and he's been the main
title rival with Michael Schumacher. Webber's done a good job this
year as well, so there's a lot of talent there. For me
it's been a little bit more difficult, but I think the way I've done
it is probably the best way," he explained. "I've experienced so much
in Formula One. I've hardened up quite a lot after being at Renault.
And I've got a lot of experience of working with different people, and
different teammates."
12/29/03
Webber and Jaguar putting Michelins to
test "The big phase we're working on is trying to understand
what our tires are going through. It sounds pretty straightforward but
it's not," Webber told jaguar-racing.com. "Michelin are doing an
amazing job for us and all the other Michelin teams but we need to
understand what we're putting the tire through a little more so we can
make them behave better during a grand prix. That's one of the
big things - and to understand our vehicle dynamics, push forward with
the engine side, especially with the one engine per weekend
regulations, and work on aerodynamics. Those things are big, deep
programs that will take months."
Danny
Sullivan gets first taste of new Ferrari
Barron Connor Racing have tested the first of their two Ferrari’s 575
GTC at Ferrari’s own test track in Italy last Tuesday. Both John Bosch
(NL) and Danny Sullivan (USA) drove the new car at the Pista di
Fiorano next to the Ferrari factory in Maranello.
PHOTO (by Mark Koense) John Bosch (right) and
Danny Sullivan with the new Barron Connor Racing Ferrari 575 GTC at
the Pista di Fiorano, Ferrari’s own test track.
“Conditions were just perfect”, John Bosch explains. “It was cold, but
dry and sunny, and the car ran without any problems. This was quite a
special moment, to be honest, to see the car for the first time and
then drive it at Fiorano… It was shaken down on Friday before the test
and both Danny and I did quite some laps on Tuesday. The support from
Ferrari and the people that have built the car was fantastic.
Everybody was there to make sure all went well. The car was remarkably
easy to drive. Of course this was just the first test, but all felt
well and to see the quality of the car and how it has been built,
really is very encouraging. This is the first of the two Ferrari’s 575
GTC that we will enter in the Sebring 12 Hours, the Le Mans 24 Hours
and the Le Mans Endurance Series this year. We are nicely on schedule.
We are now finalizing our pre-season testing program, while the second
car will be ready in time for Sebring. We are a new team, but I
believe we have brought together a lot of expertise and experience. As
for drivers, interest is high and we are talking to many people at the
moment.”
Danny Sullivan was equally pleased with the test: “To go to Maranello
and to experience the ambiance was so incredible. Of course you know
of the magic that is Ferrari, but to see, feel and be a small part of
it is something else. I always felt that the 312 PB was the coolest
racing car ever, so to now drive a new Ferrari at their own test track
was like a dream come true. Being there was really moving and made me
feel like a kid again. The car was fantastic. We just turned it on and
it ran all day without any trouble. The potential is definitely there
and I feel that we have the right car for what promises to be the most
competitive class in sportscar racing.” The official launch of
the team will be staged prior to the team leaving for Sebring.
12/28/03
Richards warns to lay off Button
BAR boss David Richards has warned Williams to keep their hands off
star driver Jenson Button. Button, who started his F1 career with
Williams back in 2000, has been linked with a return to the team as a
replacement for Juan Pablo Montoya.
He told the Sunday Mirror: “It's a compliment to Jenson and
also to us that there is so much speculation about Williams and other
teams wanting him.
“It shows what an exceptional driver Jenson is and proves our judgment
was sound. We could see his capabilities all along and now everyone
else can.
"We signed Jenson because we were convinced he had the potential to
become world champion and we're committed to giving him that
opportunity.
“We genuinely believe we can achieve that. I am certain you will see a
significant improvement in our performance next year and then we
expect to be challenging the familiar contenders in 2005.
"Jenson is going nowhere because he has no reason to leave. He can
realize his ambitions with us."
12/28/03
Minardi has money for 2004
After paying out millions of dollars from his own fortune, Australian
Formula One team owner Paul Stoddart has just banked $13.0 million
from its two new drivers. Minardi confirmed that Hungarian Zsolt
Baumgartner would be its second driver, just 10 days after first
naming Italian Gianmaria (Gimme) Bruni. Both are 22 – Bruni is an F1
rookie and Baumgartner has driven just two GPs, when he briefly
replaced injured Briton Ralph Firman this year. Bruni's backers, a
group of Italian businesses, are believed to have paid $5.0 million
for him to break into F1, while Baumgartner reportedly has $8.0
million – half of it from a Hungarian Government keen to keep its
flagging round of the world championship in Budapest. Along with an
estimated $18.5 million from F1's pool of television rights money,
that should guarantee Minardi sees out another season since typically
their annual budget is in the $30 million range. Add to that
sponsorship on the car and the low-budget team might actually turn a
profit in 2004.
12/28/03
Schumacher 2nd behind Tiger for best
paid athleteUPDATE Michael Schumacher
has disputed these figures saying that journalists need to 'check
their sources'. "My salary is a long way from the estimates that get
published. I'm from a modest background and I do have values,"
Schumacher said. 12/26/03 - These numbers include salary and all other forms of income, like
advertising.
1. Tiger Woods (Golf): $100 million
2. Michael Schumacher (Auto Racing): $62
million
3. David Beckham (Soccer/Football):
$35.2 million
.
.
11. Ralf Schumacher (Auto Racing) $20.9
million
12/28/03
F1 launch dates
BMW Williams FW26: January 5 (Valencia)
Sauber-Petronas C23: January 12 (Salzburg)
Toyota TF104: January 17 (Cologne)
Jaguar R5: January 18 (Barcelona)
Renault R24: January 29 (Palermo)
Ferrari: January 26 (rumored date)
BAR: February
Jordan: Febraury
Minardi: February
12/28/03
Top-10 NASCAR stories of 2003
The Charlotte Observer's Top 10 NASCAR stories of 2003 were: 1. As the smoke clears, who's Next(el)? Freed from
tobacco advertising restrictions placed on RJR, NASCAR will be able to
market the Nextel Cup Series to a broader base of consumers. Despite
the limitations it had to deal with, however, RJR's contributions to
the sport are unquestionable. Nextel officials have kept a low-profile
so far, choosing to let the final Winston Cup season play out, but
that is about to change in a very big way. In other words, now
it's Nextel's call. 2. OK, son, it's your turn to take the wheel
NASCAR founder William H.G. France turned over the helm to his son,
Bill France Jr., in 1972 just after R.J. Reynolds became the title
sponsor of the top series. So there is a symmetry to the transition
taking place after Bill Jr. announced in September that his son,
Brian, had been named chairman and chief executive officer of the
family business. 3. If it's Labor Day, this must be Fontana The
2004 phase of realignment takes a race away from North Carolina
Speedway in Rockingham and, more jarringly to NASCAR traditionalists,
moves the Southern 500 off Labor Day weekend in Darlington, where it
has been since 1950. Now, Fontana, Calif., gets the Labor Day weekend
race and the Southern 500 moves to November into Rockingham's former
date. 4. The Young and the Relentless The average age of
a Winston Cup race winner in 2003 was 32, the lowest since 1968 and
3.5 years lower than the average age just two seasons ago. The top
seven drivers in the final standings were all 32 or younger, and
drivers older than 35 won only nine of the 36 races in Cup. 5. Points, counterpoints If it were already a done
deal, the plan to establish a 10-race postseason to determine a Cup
series champion would be higher on this list. As it stands, though,
it's still just an idea. But it's one that seems to have momentum.
6. Hats off to the points champion Matt Kenseth
won just one Cup race in 2003, but his consistency carried the day as
he raced his way to a 90-point margin over Jimmie Johnson in the final
standings. 7. Top series takes safety precautions
Steel-and-foam energy reducing barriers were installed at Richmond,
New Hampshire and Homestead in 2003, and NASCAR president Mike Helton
says the goal is to have them up at all tracks where they're
recommended by the beginning of the 2005 season. NASCAR also
eliminated the practice of racing back to the yellow flag, but
instituted a controversial policy to give a lap back to one driver on
each yellow. 8. Sponsorship troubles While Nextel signed
a huge title sponsorship deal and Sunoco was signed to replace the 76
brand as the sport's official fuel supplier, not all of the news was
good on the sponsorship front. Roush Racing's No. 99 Fords,
driven by Jeff Burton, have no primary sponsor for 2004, and Dale
Earnhardt Inc. is trimming its Cup fleet from three to two full-time
teams. Other teams are struggling, too, but when Roush and DEI have
trouble landing sponsors, there's a problem. 9. Tempering some of those emotions Jimmy
Spencer's post race punch of Kurt Busch at Michigan in August was the
most notorious incident in which driver demeanor and behavior emerged
as an issue. The photo of an enraged Kevin Harvick standing on
the hood of Ricky Rudd's car following the September race at Richmond
is one of the season's enduring images. 10. Some veterans are not going quietly While the
sport's younger drivers tried to hog the spotlight, veterans Terry
Labonte and Bill Elliott showed they still have some fight left in
them. Both worked their way into the top 10 in the final standings and
both won races in the Carolinas. Labonte was just shy of his 47th
birthday when he got a victory in the Southern 500 at Darlington and
Elliott had turned 48 by the time he won at Rockingham in the season's
next-to-last race, and he would have backed that win up with another
victory at Homestead the next week had it not been for a flat tire on
the final lap.
12/28/03
Anti-Smoking group now pressuring TV to not show F1
Anti-smoking group, ASH, says RTÉ TV in Ireland should stop showing
Formula One racing on television until its use as a vehicle to
advertise tobacco is stopped. The direct advertisement of
cigarettes has been banned worldwide, with the exception of Auto
Racing sponsorship. ASH Ireland says it’s unacceptable that RTÉ
is allowing cigarette ads to be shown, virtually one every second, to
young Irish people. The group’s professor, Luke Clancy, is
telling the national broadcaster to reconsider its decision: “They
have to care enough about the health of the people not to show them
these images which we know lead children to smoke. "This is the
last vestige of the industry as regards advertising and they’re
pouring money into it. "RTE are, disappointingly, playing their
game for them”. With F1 trying to pressure governments to allow
tobacco brands on race cars through 2006, the anti-tobacco groups now
have F1 on their radar screen and they are fighting back.
12/27/03
St. Pete adds Festival of Speed
This MSNBC
article says, An outdoor luxury auto display that was
originally intended as a sideshow for the city's annual street race in
late February is now being expanded to become the main event. RPM
Registry Inc. has scheduled its first-ever St. Petersburg Festival of
Speed for Feb. 21-22 in Vinoy Park, featuring a variety of high-end
cars, boats and motorcycles. The exhibit is free to the public, though
a limited-admission Saturday evening reception also is planned at the
city's Museum of Fine Arts. David Raber, president of Tampa-based RPM,
said the show would go on despite the cancellation of the Grand Prix
of St. Petersburg race that same weekend. The second-annual race was
postponed earlier this month after efforts to sell the race's
sanctioning body hit a snag...........Another Festival of Speed could
be held to coincide with the rescheduled race, depending on the
success of the inaugural event, Raber said. The first festival will
feature more than 100 rare and exotic cars, along with luxury boats
and motorcycles. A glass display will be inside the museum
commemorating Rolls Royce's 100th anniversary, he said. Ferrari,
Lamborghini, Maserati, Mercedes-Benz, Aston Martin, Jaguar and Porsche
are among other automakers to be represented. Harley-Davidson and
Ducati motorcycles will also be part of the mix, as will boats by
Donzi and Sonic. The Festival of Speed will help St. Petersburg fill a
perceived void in its downtown event schedule after the indefinite
postponement of next year's CART race, Raber said. Dimmitt Luxury
Motorcars has signed on as the event's primary sponsor, and other
local businesses are being sought to participate, he said. "It is
expanding so quickly that it's filling up that vacuum," Raber said.
"St. Petersburg is absolutely throwing us the keys."
12/27/03
2004 Standing Start Lights This web
page
explains how the 2004 F1 starting lights will work. With CART
talking about giving standing starts a try in 2004 we see no reason
why CART should not use the same exact starting light procedures.
While implementing such a system may be cost prohibitive for CART at
this time we can see a low-cost system being implemented for now, with
a more sophisticated in-track asphalt embedded jump-start detection
system implemented when they can afford it. The most expensive
part of the F1 system is the technology used to determine if a driver
jumped the start and involves detection sensors embedded in the track.
For the time being CART can simply work with the TV broadcaster to
set up 3 crane or overhead mounted cameras that provide video of the
start grid from different angles. In the video would be a
picture-in-picture view of the start lights. After the start a panel
of three judges can view the video to determine if it appeared a
driver jumped the start. If 2 of the 3 camera angles show a
driver jumped the start, he would be either given a stop-and-go
penalty, or be instructed to fall back in line the number of positions
he gained by jumping the start. Although a visual system is not
as accurate as F1's electronic detection system it is far less
expensive making it quite affordable for 2004. As far as the lights
themselves, it would be quite simple to erect two poles, one on each
side the track behind the barrier and elevated perhaps 20 feet.
There can
be a short cantilever arm with the light panel mounted on it so all
drivers can see them. The driver can look at whichever one they
prefer. In the illustration to the right we show how the lights can be
mounted at places like Montreal that have an existing overhead
structure across the track, but in the background you can see the type
of cantilever structure that can be erected to overhang from each side
of the track (flipped the other way of course). The track
promoter would be responsible for this one-time cost. A third option
is to erect a temporary cantilever support from a bucket-truck mounted
boom that can be driven away after the race concludes. In
conclusion, the start light system does not have to be cost
prohibitive and there is no reason for CART to use that as an excuse
to give standing starts lip service for 2004. Kevin Kalkhoven
stated we would see some fan-enhancing changes like push-to-pass and
standing starts in 2004. While we know Cosworth is working on
the push-to-pass button already, let's hope CART's technical staff is
working on this simple solution to standing starts so the fans can
enjoy at least a couple of standing start races in 2004. Mark
C.
12/27/03 ETCC
See Zanardi race tonight
Alex Zanardi will be featured on SPEED Channel tonight at 6:00PM EST
when he drives his first full race since losing his legs in a violent
crash in 2001 at EuroSpeedway. He returns to racing in the
European Touring Car Championship (ETCC) race at Monza, Italy driving
a BMW with special hand controls.
12/27/03
Jaguar won't drop their branding
Jaguar has signed Christian Klien to drive for them next year,
partnering Mark Webber. The Austrian is bringing with him a lucrative
sponsorship deal courtesy of Red Bull, which is believed to be around
$15 million. However, although Jaguar are obliged to display the
energy drink company's logo they won't be dropping their own Jaguar
branding in order to make space on their 2004 contender, the R5.
"The main reason for the F1 project is to expand the identity of the
Jaguar brand," Jaguar Managing Director David Pitchforth told
Motorsport News. There might be minor Red Bull branding on the
cars, but we would only get rid of the 'leaping cat' logo as a last
result."
12/27/03
Brawn predicts difficult year for
Montoya
With Juan Montoya having made an early announcement regarding his move
to McLaren in 2005, his final year at WilliamsF1 won't be the easiest
of years, predicts Ferrari's Ross Brawn.
Brawn, was interviewed by BBC Radio FiveLive, said, "It's a little
unfortunate. It's going to be a difficult year for Montoya and the
people around him," Brawn told FiveLive. "A lot will depend on how
competitive Williams are and the competition between their two
drivers.
"If Williams are extremely competitive and run away with the
championship Juan Pablo could get on well.” He continued. "But if it's
a tense championship and there's tension between the two drivers
[Montoya and Ralf Schumacher] it's hard to see the situation not
surfacing frequently."
"When Michael Schumacher announced he was leaving Benetton to join
Ferrari things were not so easy,” explained Ross. "You wonder where
his mind is - is his mind on the future, or on now? And you can't
build things because you're not building with him for the future."
A lot will depend on whether Ralf Schumacher also leaves the Williams
team. He wants more money than the team is willing to pay him
and talks have broken down. If both drivers are leaving,
Williams will have no choice but to treat both equally if it has any
chance of winning.
12/26/03
Three hour CART Stars broadcast
Wheel-to-wheel racing action that rivals any motor racing
series this year is featured this Sunday (Dec. 28) at 12
p.m. (EST) on the SPEED CHANNEL when the Snap-on Champ Car
Stars of Tomorrow presented by RACER karting tour is
highlighted in a three-hour segment of the top 2003 events.
"We are pleased to show some of the exciting Snap-on Stars
of Tomorrow racing to the viewers of the SPEED CHANNEL,"
said Bobby Rahal, a principal in the Stars program. "We
believe the fans who watch the SPEED CHANNEL this Sunday
will be very entertained by this spectacular competition.
They will get to watch some of North America's best young
racing talent battling wheel-to-wheel. The Stars series
produces some of the best racing on this continent. We
invite everyone to witness the next stars of North American
motorsports."
The first televised hour Sunday will be the competitive ICA
(100cc direct drive) division from the Stars' Western
Division at the Bridgestone Grand Prix at Infineon Raceway
in Sonoma, Calif. Canada's Kevin Glover, a 22-year-old
veteran, takes on California teenagers Joel Miller, Joshua
Harris and Andrew Alfonso as well as Ecuador's Sebastian
Andrade and New Jersey's Chris Giumarra.
The second hour (1 p.m. EST) features the ICC (125cc
shifter) category in the Bridgestone Grand Prix from July on
the popular Northern California track. Hard-charging ICC
veteran drivers such as Jason Bowles of Ontario, Calif.,
Brett Buckwalter of Novato, Calif., Jordy Vorrath of S.
Surrey, B.C., Canada and Tom Dyer of San Rafael, Calif., are
challenged by a contingent of teenagers led by Alan Sciuto
(age 15) of Orange, Calif., Lorenzo Mandarino (16) of
Burnaby, B.C., Canada, Nick Halen (17) of Carson City, Nev.,
Jake Thompson (17) of Calgary, Alta., Canada and 14-year-old
Graham Rahal of New Albany, Ohio, son of three-time Champ
Car champion Rahal.
The final hour (2 p.m. EST) of Stars of Tomorrow competition
on SPEED CHANNEL will highlight the Stars Karting
Championships from the state-of-the-art, newly constructed
Moran Raceway in Beaumont, Calif., recorded in November.
Highlights from the ICA and ICC divisions at the national
finale produced some of the most spirited racing seen in any
form of motorsports this year in North America.
12/26/03
***Reader Comment***IRL changes
questionable
A reader writes, Dear AutoRacing1.com, Some Holiday food for
thought:
When the IRL engine manufacturers make the changes that they
will need for this drop in size, there are numerous other
things that need to be changed. You don't just shorten the
crank or sleeve the cylinders, it requires balance
throughout the complete package.
The intake and exhaust runners in the heads will most
probably need to be changed, the injection, the exhaust
system, the valve timing, combustion chamber shape,
electronic system update, all these things are just what the
doctor ordered for the two big engine manufacturers who were
not happy with the success of the Chevworth and requested
the opportunity to make midyear changes but were denied by
the IRL management. They now have an open door to:
1. Spend all the money they can, and they will.
2. Make all the changes that they want, and they will.
3. Kick ass on Chevworth, and they might.
Next, I have heard some inane statements over the years
however, this beats them all. "To make the racing safer" we
will drop the engine size. Hogwash! All that will do
is make it easier to drive one of those S&#@ boxes. They run
most tracks flat out now, take away power / speed and
everyone will be flat all of the time. Open Wheel Restrictor
Plate Racing is inherently dangerous that is a known fact,
proven by the past history of injuries in the IRL.
What they have done in fact is make it more dangerous in all
areas except possibly for one. The stated 10 MPH slower just
may make a single car accident safer because of the angle of
impact that occurs at different speeds.
Take away the aero give them all the power they want and the
brave, talented guys will go fast and the rest will go home,
some in a bag. Passing will once again be something of an
everyday occurrence at a race.
The Tony Renna crash should be proof enough for the IRL that
it's time to enlist a group of the $250,000 a year team
engineers and go to work on NASCAR type release flaps for
the rear wing, floor and possibly the side pods. Heck, if
NASCAR (the slowest movers in racing) can see the light why
can't they?
Renna is not the cause of his last flight. The aero on the
car is. Once he spun and turned backwards the wing started
to "lift" the car and once the 200 MPH wind was able to get
fully under the floor it was a giant kite. To make much of
the reason for the accident Renna's fault is once again
Hogwash. If they think he is the only driver to make a
mistake that leads to an accident then they are less
intelligent than I ever imagined. Mordichai Rosen,
LA, California
12/26/03
Scenes from Bahrain
Work continues at a record pace on the construction of the
Bahrain International Circuit being built in the middle of a
desert. Here are some photos
of the construction and circuit visits by Jenson Button,
Bernie Ecclestone and others.
12/26/03
Earnhardt's burial place remains a
secret
This Charlotte Observer
article says, It's at the bottom of a hill, near the edge of a pond
where he liked to go fishing. He never had time to do enough fishing.
In the morning, light reflects off the water as the sun burns off the
dew. In the evening, there's shade from a tree he loved to sit against
and listen to the rare sounds of silence in a life that was
hammer-down, running wide open.
It was Dale Earnhardt's own private place, his refuge.
It is a perfect place to rest.
Perhaps it's not like that at all. Only the people who were closest to
the seven-time Winston Cup racing champion know the location of his
final resting place. If you knew him well enough to be taken there,
nobody has to tell you not to talk about what you saw.
That is as it should be.
In life, Earnhardt belonged to NASCAR and its fans.
More....
12/26/03
Man of The Year: NASCAR Dad
This Orange County Register
article says, He's got a number, in white, pasted somewhere on
the back of his car, an homage to his favorite racer and a
secret-handshake-style sign to others in the know.
His car, by the way, might actually be a car, not a truck or an SUV.
It might even be a non-Detroit brand.
He's got a bit more money in his pocket than the average American, and
his level of education is virtually average. Both characteristics
outpace his old image.
He does not run moonshine.
He's younger than you might think. He's likely to be white - no
surprise there - but it's no longer a given. He's still a he, but in
at least one context even that's only a 60-40 proposition.
He is NASCAR Dad.
And, a year from now, he might be the political yang to Soccer Mom's
yin.
He's not a person, of course; he's an idea, a huge swath of mythical
male voters (about 45 million, by most estimates) who happen to be
fans of NASCAR, one of the few TV sports more popular today than it
was five years ago.
And, like the equally mythical Soccer Mom, who swung elections in the
1990s, modern NASCAR Dad is a huge player where auto racing is hot and
voting is a big deal.
Bahrain GP taking terror threats
seriously
Bahrain International Circuit is taking all necessary precautionary
measures. The Bahrain International Circuit (BIC) has recently been
the focus of news that claims a possible threat to the Grand Prix
taking place next year. A BIC spokesperson said, Nobody is immune from
such claims and we must take all threats within the region of the
Middle East seriously. The Bahrain International Circuit did not
receive any direct threat. The threat that we face is similar to any
Grand Prix anywhere in the world. Bahrain recognizes that hosting a
Formula One event is like hosting any international games such as the
Olympics in terms of its profile. Accordingly, all precautionary
measures have been taken with the relevant authorities and these will
continue during the build-up to the event. Bahrain takes its national
security as a matter of paramount importance and is working very
closely with its regional and international allies to follow any
possible leads. All threats of this nature are taken seriously.
12/25/03 Reader Feedback
Dear AutoRacing1.com
It's certainly been a year of highs and lows for people like me. And
your Website took me both to the point of despair and gave me hope for
the future. This autumn I was to the point where I was contemplating
what I would do to fill the void if the series couldn't make the bell
for 2004. On the one hand, it wouldn't be all that difficult. I have
two sons under the age of 18 months -- one just 2 months -- that
occupy massive amounts of time. Beyond that, I am still a
stick-and-ball fan -- including world football, as well as Texas
Longhorn football. Still, it was going to be tough.
I suspect it's been a long hard slog for you, as well. First, from a
business point of view I suspect it was a bit disconcerting. Still,
what you have going for you on your site that others don't is that you
don't pull any punches, regardless of who is the target, and that has
become extremely rare in the coverage of the sport these days. It was
selective criticism that finally led me to let my Racer subscription
lapse. Yes, Haymarket heard from me, too, after they sent me a
subscription form for Indy Car racing. I let them know that I didn't
appreciate how the pub had changed, to where the only criticism was
poured on Champ Cars, while the devastation to man and machine in the
IRL was never even mentioned. It became a triumph for ad revenue over
editorial independence.
When I was in grad school in journalism and mass communications at the
Univ. of Wisconsin, one of the things I studied was how different
publications reacted to the Great Depression and World War II and how
that affected their long-term health. Some, like the New York Herald
and the New York Tribune, responded to the decline in advertising by
cutting back on their editorial product -- i.e., shrinking the news
hole and making the reduced number of ads account for a greater share
of every day's paper. The Times, on the other hand, maintained the
size of its news hole, despite the reduced ad revenues to support it.
And, as history has shown, it is the Times that thrived and the Herald
and Tribune that died. The lesson was that while it may appear to make
sense from a business point of view to abandon integrity for revenue,
in the long run it doesn't help because your readers eventually lose
faith in your product and choose one that is perceived as independent.
The analogy is that you have maintained the strategy of the Times and,
as a result, have survived. I'm not sure how well you've done, but
you're still there and you're still the primary -- accounting for
about 98% -- source of motorsports intelligence for me. And while some
people may not like what you have to say sometimes, the one thing they
can't do is criticize your integrity. For that I thank you greatly.
Hopefully, though, things are on the way back, and hopefully we will
all be happier about the state of motorsports in a couple of years.
In the meantime, have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year and keep
up the stellar work. Jim Allen
12/24/03 Renault Sport
Renault may launch new single seater
series in North America
As part of its international strategy, Renault Sport Technologies is
currently considering the possibility of appointing a race promoter
based on the American continent to organize a single-seater
championship in the United States and Canada. As designer and
constructor of competition cars, Renault Sport Technologies produces a
comprehensive range of single-seater cars engineered to develop
drivers' racing skills all the way up the ladder to Formula 1. This
modern range features the FR 1600 (112 bhp), the FR 2000 (180bhp) and
the FR V6 (370bhp). Thanks to a commitment to motor sport promotion
that dates back 35 years, Renault Sport has enabled a long list of
drivers to reach Formula 1 status and its promotional formulae are
currently organized in 22 countries across the world. Renault Sport
Technologies will take its decision within the next few weeks.
Renault Sport
12/24/03
Reutimann tests Toyota truck
All David Reutimann wanted for Christmas was two days to test
his Waltrip Racing Toyota truck for the first time, but
inclement weather limited him to half a day of lapping the
USA International Speedway track in Lakeland, FL on Monday.
Reutimann will drive full time in the NASCAR Truck series in
Toyota's first year. "The truck was great. It was running
fast," Reutimann said. "The only thing that got us was the
dadgum weather." Toyota, trying to compete quickly with
established Chevrolet and Ford teams, arranged a test Jan.
3-4 at Talladega, six weeks before regularly scheduled
sessions at Daytona International Speedway. "They're trying
to get the speedway program up, and we're a little behind,"
Reutimann said. "We would have been ready for Daytona, but
it'll be pushing it to be ready for Talladega." Team owner
Darrell Waltrip last week signed a sponsor for Reutimann's
truck, but no announcement was made. Waltrip saw Reutimann
drive for NEMCO Motorsports in the Busch series, but
Waltrip's brother, Michael, suggested he put him in a truck
for the first time. "I had talked to Michael and asked him
to give me some idea who I should be looking at, and he
immediately mentioned David," Darrell Waltrip said. "I
didn't know much about him, but I started checking into him
and I like him a lot. He's a hands-on guy, he doesn't mind
getting his hands dirty." And then there a couple of traits
Waltrip especially admires. "He comes from a racing family,"
he said. "And it always seems like those guys do well. Plus,
he's good-looking and young. I think he can help us, and we
can help him."
St Petersburg Times
12/24/03
CART gets some TV exposure
Just a quick note, last night I turned on the Discovery
Wings Channel and caught a program about air freight. It
profiled several stories showing the variety of what is
carried on air freight (particularly Fed Ex). One of the
stories profiled what had to be done to transport the Champ
Cars (and specifically Mark Blundell's Pac West car--the
program was probably from 3 years ago) from Indianapolis to
Surfers Paradise. Very good scenes of how the packing and
loading are handled and the logistics involved. It included
a few scenes of the race itself and how it only took the Pac
West crew 2 hours after the race to break down everything
and have it loaded on their pallets ready to be trucked to the
airport and loaded on the planes. Though a couple of years
out of date, it was nice exposure. There is a good chance
that it will rebroadcast a couple of times in the next week
or so. Check the Discovery Wings web site. Mike Weyhrich,
Orange, CA
12/24/03
Newey says not so fast
Despite the fast laps set by the new MP4-19, McLaren technical
director Adrian Newey has warned that at this stage people
need to keep things in perspective and not become too
complacent.
Speaking to the BBC, Newey stated: "Last year in
general we were on pace slightly behind Michael
[Schumacher's Ferrari] and Juan Pablo [Montoya's
Williams-BMW],” Newey told the BBC. “So obviously we have to
catch that up and cover whatever gains Ferrari and Williams
make with their new cars." The new car has already
shattered track records in early winter testing, however
these figures aren’t the be all and end all as far as Newey
is concerned.
"It's nice to be out and running. David and Pedro like the
car. But it's the usual problem. It's very difficult to
judge lap times because this is a good time of year to set
fast times - the conditions are right,” he explained.
“Compared with 17D, we've definitely made a step forwards,
but it is difficult to judge exactly how much. There
is one other factor that is just as necessary as speed, and
that is reliability. In 2003 we saw a high percentage of
cars finishing races and in the top few teams, especially
Ferrari, the reliability record was exemplary and that is
the standard McLaren need to rise to with the new MP4-19,
hence the early start to testing.
"We hope it will help," Newey said, "but the standard of
reliability last year in the top three teams was
outstanding. Both Ferrari and Williams were running new
cars, and they had a very high level of reliability. We've
got to rise to that level - reliability is so important,
especially with the new points system that was introduced in
2003."
12/24/03
Marco Andretti hopes CART & IRL
mend ways
According to this mcall.com
article, Michael Andretti didn't buy an IndyCar race
team for the expressed interest of one day giving his son a
job.
But that son, 16-year-old Marco, may be putting the pressure
on his dad before too long.
In fact, Michael said Wednesday, ''He's way ahead of me
already. I was still in go-karts when I was 16. I wasn't
allowed to race cars until I was 18.''
Marco got his first taste of car racing this year and won
eight of 14 starts en route to the championship in the Skip
Barber 2.0-Liter Formula Dodge Eastern Region
series...........''He learned a lot,'' Jeff Andretti said of
his nephew. ''His driving got better as the year went on. He
got even smarter. Then as points came into play, he started
to drive with the championship in mind. He matured very
well.''
Marco said he learned more about patience than anything else
this year. He has an aggressive driving style that is much
like his dad's, and he said, ''In our series, they have a
four-off rule, where if you get all four wheels off the
course, you have to do a stop-and-go. I did that a few
times. They have a contact rule as well, so if you even
touch another car, you have to come in. I'm looking forward
to the national series because I'll be able to drive even
harder.''
Michael Andretti was able to see Marco race only twice —
including the clincher. He said spotters in the corners were
amazed by some of the moves made by the teenager during the
race.
''He drives really aggressive, but smart,'' Michael said.
''He pushes as hard as he needs to. I was thoroughly
impressed. He's driving way beyond his years. He's very
mature. When he makes a mistake, he corrects it. When areas
need improvement, he works on it. Everybody who worked with
him was impressed.''
''Basically, he needed to learn wet driving because he
didn't have a whole lot of it,'' Jeff Andretti said. ''He
would try to force the issue too much. I had to calm him
down a little bit, and then he really got ahold of it. He
was very much an open book. When I told him something, he
didn't argue, but he tried to apply it.''
Marco's dad and his uncle, as well as Adam Andretti, the
younger son of Aldo Andretti, Mario's brother, have all been
through the Barber series. Jeff Andretti won the same
Eastern Region championship in his rookie season 20 years
ago, and Marco said he was happy to be able to match that
achievement.
Marco and his dad have mapped out a tentative strategy that
calls for the national Barber Dodge series next year, the
pro series in 2005, Toyota Atlantic in 2006 and then on to
Indy cars.
''Hopefully, the IRL and CART will have things sorted out by
then,'' Marco said. ''I'd love to drive for my dad, but I
don't want to end up on all ovals. A combined series would be the ultimate,
and I'd be totally fine with ovals, but I'd rather not. They
have three years to work it out." Marco Andretti is a kid in
a hurry.
12/24/03 Industry News
Ford takes back Visteon's burdens
According to this Detroit Free Press
article, Three and a half years after spinning off its parts
division as Visteon Corp., Ford Motor Co. took back responsibility for
$1.65 billion in the supplier's future retiree benefits -- and plans
to eventually reassign up to 20,000 highly paid workers from parts
plants to auto plants.
HIGHLIGHTS OF AGREEMENT
Ford is to assume $1.65 billion of Visteon's future retiree benefits.
Ford plants may get up to 20,000 reassigned Visteon workers.
Visteon is to pay Ford $150 million and take steeper price cuts for
the next four years.
Ford is to pay Visteon's bills 10 days earlier than it pays other
suppliers for two years.
Ford is to put $1 billion in pension funds, $6 billion in
retiree-benefit funds.
Ford's future salaried employees will have 401(k)-like
"defined-contribution" pension and health care savings plans.
"Visteon's weak performance has been symptomatic of its high cost
structure and reliance on one customer," said Martin King, who studies
auto suppliers for Standard & Poor's.
12/24/03
December 30th key date in CART
bankruptcy
According to this Autoweek
article, A federal bankruptcy court in Indianapolis is set to
review CART’s Chapter 11 bankruptcy plan at length on Dec. 30. That
plan includes the sale of most of CART’s assets—transporters, pace
cars, race engines, intellectual property and most of its race
contracts—to Open Wheel Racing Series LLC (0WRS). The court’s approval
would allow OWRS to operate the race series in 2004.
What about the stockholders?
CART’s bankruptcy plan, and its sale to OWRS, applies only to CART
Inc., the Indianapolis-based operational wing that actually stages
races. It does not involve Championship Auto Racing Teams, the
publicly owned parent company incorporated in the state of Delaware.
The distinction is crucial to OWRS’ buyout proposal, which surfaced
after OWRS withdrew its offer to buy the Delaware corporation for 56
cents a share.
OWRS, formed by CART team owners Paul Gentilozzi, Gerald Forsythe and
Kevin Kalkhoven, hopes to acquire the assets it needs to continue the
Champ Car World Series without assuming the baggage associated with
the parent company. But the question remains: Will there be anything
for the shareholders who have invested in CART for the better part of
a decade?
“The answer is, we believe so, but this is really a question that
you’d have to ask the board of [the public corporation],” said
Kalkhoven. Which is another way of saying it’s not OWRS’ problem, at
least for now.
Presumably, once bankruptcy proceedings are complete, CART’s board of
directors will begin liquidating the public company, and then
distribute the proceeds on a per-share basis. If there are any
proceeds.
CART the public company might liquidate with somewhere between $1
million and $6 million in the bank. If there is anything left after
obligations are settled, the balance could be distributed to existing
CART shareholders.
12/24/03
2004 Jaguar launch date set
Jaguar Racing will launch its 2004 challenger, the Jaguar R5, at the
Circuit de Catalunya (Barcelona), on Sunday 18th January. The launch
will begin with a press conference at 11:00AM (CET), followed by the
car's first appearance on track at approximately 12:30PM
12/24/03
Herbert glad to be away from F1 bs
Former F1 driver Johnny Herbert has admitted that he is glad to be out
of the F1 paddock and away from all the b*****it that it generates. "I
had my time, I started in 1981 and had ten years. I was not enjoying
it as much as I should have been," he told Sky Sport. "I now race
sports cars, Le Mans-type cars - there's not so much pressure and
b*****it - it's good. I came second at Le Mans after a great battle.
It's a great thing to be involved in," he said.
12/24/03
IRL
Renna report incomplete According to this rpm.espn.com
article, The Indy Racing League's 19-paragraph explanation of
Tony Renna's fatal accident didn't provide any definitive conclusions.
It leaned toward driver error but didn't totally rule out mechanical
failure in the crash that killed Renna last Oct. 22 at Indianapolis
Motor Speedway.
It pointed out how difficult the investigation was because of the lack
of eyewitnesses or video tape. It dissected the angles and velocity of
the car and the role of the Accident Data Recorder. It also paid
tribute to the IMS spectator debris fence.
But what it didn't mention was the dead gull-sized bird found lying on
the track in the entrance of Turn 3 -- where the 26-year-old driver
lost control at 227 mph.
A relative of Renna's, who asked not to be identified, told ESPN.com
of the discovery and questioned why it wasn't included in the IRL
press release.
"We didn't know if it played a role in the accident," replied John
Griffin, IRL vice president of public relations. "We also don't know
how long it was there.
"But Brian talked about unforeseen circumstances in his report."
12/24/03
AJ
always wanted to race in CART
Reigning CART Toyota Atlantic champion AJ Allmendinger has gone on
record that he only wanted to run in the Champ Car World Series next
year, despite the uncertainty surrounding the series and speculation
that the RuSPORT team may opt for the Indy Racing League instead.
Rumors are circulating that the Californian is already out testing a
RuSPORT Lola, so things appear more promising by the day.
“Since day one, I've said that my heart lies in open-wheel road
racing," he insisted in an interview with
www.cart.com, "Since
day one, when I was karting - and especially over the last three or
four seasons as I've gotten closer and been around the facilities and
the excitement there is at the races - there's no place I'd rather be
next season than in a Champ Car.
“Thank God for Forsythe and Kalkhoven and Gentilozzi, and everyone
who's working their butts off to make this happen. I don't want to be
anywhere else and I can't thank them enough for putting their butts on
the line to do what they're doing to make it happen. There would be a
lot of disappointed drivers out there if CART went away. To be honest,
I'd probably be one of the most disappointed because it's been a dream
that I've had. That's where I want to be.”
“My first goal was to move up to the top level - my goal is to make it
to the series and to win races and win championships, and that's what
I'm going to do," he said, "The first step is learning as much as
possible, and taking everything that I've learned - contending, then
race victories and championships.
“I don't think there's anybody in this world who's more excited about
next season than I am, because it's been a dream that I've worked so
hard for. It's a pleasure to be here and I'm going to show my
emotions. This is the most important thing in my life and it should be
like that for every race car driver. I can't thank Carl Russo and
RuSPORT enough for the opportunity they've given me this past season -
and [those] we're going to have for some years in the future.
“I'm going in with the same opinion as every year. Learn as much as
possible, finish every race, win a couple of races and see where it
goes. That's worked for me the past two seasons. I'll be honest, I'm
so thrilled about next season and very nervous too. After the last two
seasons, I don't want to lose. You get kind of used to winning. But we
know it's going to be a lot tougher.
“Nobody will ever put any more pressure on me than I do myself. As I
keep winning, I want to keep winning that much more because I hate
losing in anything I do. No matter what series I'm in, that's never
going to change.
“To be able to do what I've done over the past two seasons [is
something] I never thought I could live up to but, to be honest, now
it's given me so much confidence in myself that I can take any race
car that I get in and do that."
12/24/03
Unser Jr's son arrested on DUI, drug
charges This USA
Today
article says that the son of second-generation IndyCar star Al
Unser Jr. has been arrested on suspicion of driving while under the
influence and possession of methamphetamine. Al R. Unser, 21, was
arrested shortly after midnight Saturday at a checkpoint, according to
a Bernalillo County sheriff's report. He had dilated pupils and showed
other signs of impairment. Unser, in keeping with family tradition,
has been racing as part of the Skip Barber Dodge Pro Series. He
started karting when he was about 10 and moved up to the Skip Barber
race series when he was 17. Deputies conducted a field sobriety test
and arrested Unser on suspicion of driving while under the influence
of an intoxicating liquor or drug. According to the report, Unser
admitted to the officers that he had been using marijuana. Deputies
found a clear blue container with a green leafy substance that field
tested positive for methamphetamine and marijuana. Unser's attorney,
Timothy Padilla, said allegations that Unser was in possession of
methamphetamine are false. He said there was only a small amount of
marijuana in the container. Unser was given a blood test. The results
were pending. Unser was released from the Metropolitan Detention
Center after posting a $2,500 bond.
IRL statement on Renna accident As
a follow up to the Tony Renna release issued by the IRL last week, the
following is a statement from Brian Barnhart, the IRL’s senior vice
president, racing operations:
“The Indy Racing League® never mentioned driver error in its press
release that reviewed the Tony Renna accident and to see that
highlighted as probable cause has been very disappointing.
“As we noted in our original release, reviews of accidents are
critical for the future safety of all drivers. Unfortunately, it is
often impossible to pinpoint the exact cause of the accident. If there
was an obvious cause for the accident, that would be good because it
would help bring some closure for Tony’s family and friends.
“The important thing is for the IRL to continue to learn more about
what happens during these crashes so the results of future similar
crashes won’t have the same result as Tony’s.
“It is unfortunate that the Renna family has had to deal with this at
this time.”
12/23/03
Ralf says no Villeneuve at
Williams Villeneuve won't be returning to
Williams in 2005 when Montoya makes his way to McLaren,
leaving a seat open. Villeneuve made his F1 debut with
Williams in 1996 and won the Drivers' title the following
year with them. Ralf though, has said that these reports are
not even close to the truth. "There are many rumors about
the potential substitutes. Villeneuve? I can't believe
that's a real possibility," he told Gazzetta dello Sport.
12/23/03
Minardi confirms Zsolt As
expected, Minardi have confirmed that Zsolt Baumgartner will
drive for the team in 2004. Minardi boss Paul Stoddart
said: "We are very pleased that we have been able to
finalize Zsolt’s contract at this time. "I
believe he has considerable ability, and hopefully, the
nurturing environment within Minardi, which has helped to
launch the Formula 1 careers of so many talented young
drivers in recent years, will also allow him to develop and
hone his skills to the point where he firmly establishes his
credentials at the very top level of motor racing."
For me, Christmas has definitely come early this year. The
two races I did this past season made me more determined
than ever that I wanted to be in Formula 1. I have now
realized that dream, although I don’t think the reality of
it has quite sunk in yet. "There are many people who have
helped me to get to this point in my racing career, but I
particularly want to thank Thomas Frank, for his unstinting
efforts on my behalf, and Paul Stoddart, for giving me the
opportunity to show what I can do in Formula 1.
"I just want to start working with the European Minardi team
as soon as possible, so that I can be well prepared for the
beginning of the season. It is a huge challenge, but I am
really looking forward to it."
12/23/03
Sato
follows Button into China Lucky Strike B.A.R Honda
returned to China last week for its second promotional visit of 2003,
with Takuma Sato getting his first chance to experience the country
prior to next year's Chinese Grand Prix (26 September).
The trip was an opportunity to build upon the business relationships
B.A.R has established this year and also to meet with other commercial
and political figures throughout the region.
The whistle-stop tour began on Tuesday in Beijing, where Takuma was
introduced to Team Partner SINA and took part in a number of media
events. He also managed to visit the historical former Imperial
palace, the Forbidden City.
On
Wednesday the team flew on to Shanghai, China's commercial capital to
meet with Japanese businesses based in China and to take part in the
Shanghai Automobile Race and Utility Vehicle Exhibition before
returning home on Thursday.
Commenting on the visit, Takuma said: "The aim of this trip was to
develop the team's flourishing relationship with China and to meet
Japanese businesses within China. It was quite literally a flying
visit, but we were able to pack in a lot of activities.
"Personally, the trip was extremely interesting. Being Japanese, my
homeland is very close geographically to China, but I have never had
the opportunity to visit before. Beijing and Shanghai are both very
impressive but with two very different characters. Shanghai is very
dynamic and full of energy, while Beijing is more serene but full of
history.
"I think China will be a great location for a Grand Prix. There is
such interest in Formula One and a rapidly growing understanding,
which was pleasantly surprising. It's going to be a great race!"
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The
Williams F1 team has pinned some of their Chinese marketing hopes on
Dutchman Ho Pin Tung. Tung, who has already had a much publicized test
drive in the Williams F1 car, is set to compete in F3000 next year,
that is, if he can come up with the money. To acquire the funds for
F3000, the Dutch citizen of Chinese dissent, who was born and raised
in the Netherlands, has decided to let as many people as possible know
that although he is a foreigner in China, he’s still Chinese. On his
recent Williams sponsored tour of China, while wearing Williams’
colors, Tung marketed himself as being on a quest to become China’s
first F1 driver. Unfortunately for Williams and Tung, Yu Zhi Fei, the
General Manager of the Shanghai Circuit, threw water on that dream
with his comments this week to “Shanghai Youth” newspaper. 
Much
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