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Pos. Car Driver Make Sponsor Speed Time
Behind
1 #19 Jeremy Mayfield Dodge Dodge Dealers/UAW
2 #24 Jeff Gordon Chevrolet DuPont
3 #42 Jamie McMurray Dodge Havoline
4 #23 Dave Blaney Dodge Whelen Engineering
5 #29 Kevin Harvick Chevrolet GM Goodwrench
6 #5 Terry Labonte Chevrolet Kellogg's
7 #6 Mark Martin Ford Viagra
8 #01 Boris Said Chevrolet U.S. Army
9 #38 Elliott Sadler Ford M&M's
10 #91 Bill Elliott Dodge Leukemia & Lymphoma Society
11 #2 Rusty Wallace Dodge Miller Lite
12 #18 Bobby Labonte Chevrolet Interstate Batteries
13 #10 Mike Skinner Chevrolet Valvoline - - -
14 #49 Ken Schrader Dodge Schwan's Home Service
15 #88 Dale Jarrett Ford UPS
16 #12 Ryan Newman Dodge ALLTEL
17 #48 Jimmie Johnson Chevrolet Lowe's
18 #20 Tony Stewart Chevrolet Home Depot
19 #8 Dale Earnhardt Jr. Chevrolet Budweiser
2/6/04
Panis explains what happened
Following his high-speed crash at Barcelona yesterday, Olivier Panis
was taken to a local hospital for precautionary checks. Today he
explained what happened. "Basically, I was trying to go through
turn three flat out, as I had already done in the morning," he
explained, "but as I tried to correct some oversteer, the rear went
and that was it. I was taken to the hospital as a precaution and
everything was absolutely fine. I left the hospital at lunchtime and
came back to the track. "I am really sorry for the team,"
he continued, "but thank them for their support. I would also like to
thank everyone at the circuit and the hospital for their efficient and
professional work. "Nevertheless, I am very happy with
this week's test. The base we have with the TF104 is really good and
we know what we need to achieve together to continue to improve the
performance. If we keep working in this direction, I think we are
going to be in good shape for Melbourne and I am looking forward to
getting back in the car."
2/6/04
President Bush to attend Daytona 500 President
Bush will attend the Daytona 500 Feb. 15 in Florida. Bush plans to
spend that Sunday night in Florida where his brother, Jeb, is
governor, White House press secretary Scott McClellan said Friday in
announcing the trip to the auto race. That same night in Wisconsin,
Democrats are scheduled to hold a debate in advance of that state's
primary on Feb. 17.
AP/NASCAR.com
2/6/04
Team Penske announces Sirius Radio deal Penske
Corporation and SIRIUS Satellite Radio announced Friday an agreement
designed to utilize motorsports as a platform to bring satellite radio
to race fans across the country. SIRIUS Satellite Radio logos will
appear on Penske Racing Team entries competing in NASCAR Nextel Cup
and the Indy Racing League IndyCar(r) Series commencing with events at
Daytona International Speedway today. The sponsorship is an extension
of a business to business agreement previously announced by SIRIUS
aimed at expanding the availability of SIRIUS Satellite Radio services
to new car and truck purchasers and lessees. "Racing is the common
thread throughout our organization and a natural environment for us to
highlight the SIRIUS brand to our fans in NASCAR and IndyCar." said
Roger S. Penske, Chairman of Penske Corporation. "We are delighted
that drivers Rusty Wallace, Helio Castroneves, Ryan Newman, Sam
Hornish, Jr., and Brendan Gaughan will be competing under a SIRIUS
Satellite Radio banner."
2/6/04
Champ Car employees left in the dark
A reader writes, Dear AutoRacing1.com, Can you give any details on
what's happening in Indy at Champ Car HQ? Rumor on the street has the
former CART staff whacked down to bare bones. Is Champ Car staying in
Indy? There is a lot of chatter in a global sense about future venues, but what about the details? We need info on the following: a hard
schedule, firm venues, team sponsors, title sponsor, tire
manufacturer, safety team, safety team sponsor, medical center,
medical center sponsors, TV package, new logo/series name, Spring
Training, and on and on. Many of us who work in the Champ Car series
have not a clue on what's happening other what we read on your web
site. Can you track down answers or do you anticipate a flood of news
and press releases in the coming days? Inquiring minds need to know
and I am sure all of the CART loyalists are waiting to hear some hard
news!! Name withheld by request. Just waiting and watching.
Dear No Name, Why haven't you been told yet? Probably because
OWRS does not officially own the series until Feb. 12th. There
will be announcements coming on a lot of what you seek, but we can
help you out a bit based on things we have heard. Just don't be
disappointed if we are off a few days or a week. Is
headquarters moving? - not that we are aware of, but with
Trans-Am being merged with Champ Car we assume some redundant staff
may have been downsized. Schedule - will be
released late next week. Firm venues - with the
schedule release. Team sponsors - will be
announced between now and the first race, spread out we assume.
Title Sponsor - there won't be one for now.
Tire Manufacturer - Bridgestone. Safety Team
- There will be some changes at the top. Safety Team
sponsor - we have no clue, but last we heard Simple Green may
not be back. Medical Center - What was wrong with
the one used last year? Tony George tried to buy it but lost. We
overheard the CART medical center trailer(s) were off to a shop in
Michigan for the replacement of gaskets used around the slide out
sections.
Medical Center sponsor - we have no clue. TV
Package - Combination of CBS and SPIKE TV. Will be
announced within two weeks we believe. New Logo/Series
Name - we have heard rumors of a logo change, we'll have to
see. Spring Training - Last we heard it will be
March 1-5 in San Jose for the off-track stuff and Laguna Seca for the
on-track piece. We hope this helps but we urge you to verify
what we said with Champ Car HQ. Mark C.
2/6/04 Industry News
Mario helps with blood drive
Race fans were treated to a joyride around the world-famous road
course at Infineon Raceway on Wednesday, Jan. 28, and at the same time
they aided a worthy cause. Nearly 200 race fans attended
the 3rd annual Infineon Technologies High-Speed Blood Drive to benefit
the American Red Cross. Race fans were treated to a hot lap at speed
around the 12-turn, 2.52-mile road course and they also donated blood
to the American Red Cross. Seventy lucky people were given hot laps
around the track by legendary Mario Andretti, the only driver in
history to win races in five different decades. The event
generated 127 pints of blood, which is the second highest single-day
amount ever generated in Northern California for a community-based
event, according to officials with the American Red Cross. This same
event generated 106 pints of blood in 2003. The 127 pints will save
381 lives, according to the American Red Cross. In
addition to Infineon Technologies, The Bone 107.7 FM out of San
Francisco was a partner in the drive. Race fans lined up nearly
an hour before the start of the blood drive, anxious to meet their
favorite driver. Andretti not only spent the day giving fans laps
around the track in a 2004 Audi, supplied by Niello Audi, he also
signed autographs, took pictures and mingled with the fans. Other hot
laps were given by instructors from the Jim Russell Racing Drivers
School. It was the second consecutive year Andretti attended the
event. "This was a real fun day," said Andretti, a spokesman for
Infineon Technologies. "We had some fun driving around the track but
it was all for a good cause. I hope I didn't go too fast for the
people."
2/6/04
Trans-Am announces Infineon Raceway round
w/Nextel Cup
The Motorock Trans-Am Tour confirmed it will return to Infineon
Raceway, as part of the Northern California road course’s NASCAR
NEXTEL Cup weekend, June 25-27. The announcement brings the total
number of venues confirmed for 2004 to four, including Le Grand Prix
de Trois-Rivières (July 31-Aug. 2), Road America (Aug. 5-8), and Mazda
Raceway Laguna Seca (Sept. 10-12). The 2004 event will mark the 19th
year Trans-Am has competed at the two-mile permanent road course,
having contested its first event there in 1969. Trans-Am returned to
Infineon Raceway last year, after a two-year hiatus. “We’re pleased to
announce Infineon Raceway will be a part of our 2004 schedule,” said
Motorock Trans-Am Tour Executive Director John Clagett. “Last year’s
event, which showcased Trans-Am drivers doing double and even triple
duty, was one of the high points of the 2003 tour. We’re looking
forward to another competitive and exciting race.” Said Steve Page,
president and general manager of Infineon Raceway: “The Trans-Am Tour
has a long-standing heritage at Infineon Raceway and last year's race
was a terrific addition to our premier event weekend. We're delighted
to feature Trans-Am racing for our fans again in 2004."
2/6/04
Mi-Jack Conquest Team and Mario
Haberfeld prepare for 2004 season
Mi-Jack Conquest Racing and 2003 team driver Mario Haberfeld
put in a full day at the office on Thursday at Sebring
International Raceway. Mario had not been buckled into the
familiar yellow-and-red number 34 since the last race at
Surfers Paradise, Australia, last October.
“It was great to get together with the guys again and get
back in the car,” Mario stated afterward. “I’ve kept in
shape, and have done some karting, but it was a long winter
and there is no substitute for seat time.” In addition to
getting the feel for a Champ Car after three months’ layoff,
Mario and the team had a rigorous test agenda that saw the
Reynard Ford complete more than 180 miles in the one-day
test.
“We made a decision, along with Mario, that he would focus
on left-foot braking at this test”, said team owner Eric
Bachelart. It was also Mario’s first day working with the
team’s principal engineer, Don Bricker. Mario was satisfied
with the progress on both items. “Don was here last year, so
we knew each other fairly well, anyway,” Mario said. “It is
different when you are actually working together, and I’m
pleased our communication was very strong.”
Switching to the new braking technique was also a challenge.
“We fought understeer all last year, and together with the
team, I thought this would help”, Mario said. “We were
right. It’s not the sort of thing you can switch to in the
middle of the season, and this was the perfect opportunity
to get acclimated to it.”
The team will continue its preparation for the season
opening Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach on April 18, 2004
with additional testing, and development in its Indianapolis
shop.
2/6/04
Champ Car team begin prepping
for 2004 season
The first signs of Spring in the Champ Car world have nothing
to do with robins and baseballs, and everything to do with
the sounds of 750hp turbocharged Ford-Cosworth engines and
squealing Bridgestone tires. Those sounds filled the air for
the first time in 2004 earlier this week as four Champ Car
World Series teams took to the test track at Sebring
International Raceway, kicking off preparations for the 2004
campaign.
Fernandez Racing, Herdez Motorsports, PK Racing and
Mi-Jack/Conquest Racing rolled their cars out for the first
time this past week, running multiple days on the 1.67-mile
Sebring test track. Portland winner Adrian Fernandez, Miami
winner Mario Dominguez, Australia champ Ryan Hunter-Reay,
Mario Haberfeld, Mika Salo, Roberto Gonzalez and rookie
Nelson Philippe all turned their first laps of the year in
advance of the April 18 season-opening Toyota Grand Prix of
Long Beach.
“It was nice to drive the car again, definitely,” said
Fernandez. “We had a good test and were pretty competitive
both days. We had our own agenda for testing and our setup
was not particular to Sebring; it was more geared towards
the tracks where we have had some problems. We are pretty
pleased with the results and have a lot of data we can use
in the future. The conditions for testing were excellent and
it was a good start to the season for us.”
Hunter-Reay had the unofficial fastest time of the week as
he ran some evaluation days with Herdez, who is still
deciding on a driver for a second car. He and Dominguez gave
a revamped Herdez team a reason to be encouraged after their
first session according to Herdez Competition Managing
Director Keith Wiggins.
“We have hired some new engineers and we were very pleased
with the way the whole team performed,” he said. “Ryan was
up to speed very quickly and neither driver put a foot
wrong. We were able to get quite a bit out of the test.”
PK Racing ran with Salo and Gonzalez, Gonzalez making his
first appearance with the team after making two Champ Car
starts last season with Dale Coyne Racing and Herdez
respectively. Mi-Jack/Conquest ran two evaluation days with
the 17-year-old Philippe before turning their Reynard over
to Haberfeld on Thursday. Philippe is working toward getting
his Champ Car license as the team looks to solidify its
plans for the upcoming season.
“We developed some new pieces for the Reynard over the
winter,” said team owner Eric Bachelart. “Obviously, we are
evaluating whether we stay with this chassis or switch to
the Lola. We were encouraged by how Nelson ran compared to
the Lolas that were on the track, but we’re not yet making
any conclusions.” CART
2/6/04
Champ Car Technical Director to
speak
Science is often a misused word in the sports world but the
Champ Car World Series is one of the few entities in sport
that actively uses the subject on a daily basis. Each one of
the hundreds of components on a 750hp turbocharged Champ Car
is perfected through the use of scientific methods, with the
end result being a 230 mph car that could actually run
upside down through the use of its aerodynamic devices. The
next generation of scientists will get a first-hand look at
what goes into making a 1,550-pound race car perform such
feats Saturday afternoon in Las Vegas as Champ Car Technical
Director Lee Dykstra will be the keynote speaker at the 13th
annual Nevada Regional Science Bowl. The theme of this
year’s Science Bowl, which is a high school team competition
designed to promote scientific study, is ‘Zoom Into
Science’. Dykstra will make a presentation to the students
called ‘The Science of Zoom’ which will feature input from
engine and chassis manufacturers as well as some of the top
engineers in the series. “It is my hope that showing the
technology of the speed and safety of Champ Cars will
provide valuable insights and inspiration to the young
winners of the Nevada Regional Science Bowl,” Dykstra said.
Dykstra will take part in a luncheon with the regional
winners Friday afternoon, joined by David Hiatt of the Derek
Daly Performance Driving Academy.
2/6/04
Pizzonia tops times on final
day in Spain
Antonio Pizzonia completed 114 laps, including a race
simulation, to top the time sheets in Barcelona Friday.
“I'm glad we didn't have big problems today,” said Pizzonia
to Autosport, who has been confirmed as a Williams test
driver for 2004. “We didn't do any setup work, because we
had such a big reliability program to finish. I feel good
and back in the swing of things.” Montoya and da Matta
tried various suspension parts. “The base of the car is
good, but it doesn't have enough speed," said da Matta.
"We have to find the speed somewhere.” "It has
been an extremely productive week at Barcelona, quite
possibly the most productive we have had so far. I am happy
with the performance of the car, and impressed with the way
in which we have improved over the course of the week.”
“We have worked mainly on set-up work and tire tests and we
have made steps ahead in every area. The car is certainly
reliable, which we showed again by completing more than one
race distance on each of the four days I have run this
week.” “I am glad that Olivier is okay and it was good
to see him back at the track this afternoon."
1 Antonio Pizzonia (Williams-BMW) 1m15.080s 114
2 Juan Pablo Montoya (Williams-BMW) 1m15.223s 42
3 Cristiano da Matta (Toyota) 1m16.052s 82
2/6/04
Backlash over Toyota begins Backlash
over Toyota's entry into NASCAR has already reared its ugly
head. Mike Skinner wanted to use the No. 3 on his new
Craftsman Truck series Toyota Tundra, but his team decided
against it after being deluged with criticism. The Bang
Racing Toyota will carry No. 42, determined by flipping the
number of its other truck.
2/6/04
Labonte to carry special paint
scheme in 500 A special paint scheme
featuring the movie “The Passion of the Christ” will be
displayed on the No. 18 Interstate Batteries Chevrolet for
the 2004 Daytona 500 officials from Interstate Batteries,
Joe Gibbs Racing and Icon Productions announced Feb. 6.
Bobby Labonte, the 2000 NASCAR champion, is the driver of
the car. The movie, which tells the story of the last 12 hours
of Jesus Christ’s life, opens in theaters on Ash Wednesday,
Feb. 25. Mel Gibson produced and directed the film, which
features Jim Caviezel in the lead role as Jesus Christ.
“This outstanding movie factually portrays the most
important 12 hours in history,” said Norm Miller, chairman
of Interstate Batteries. “We are privileged to be a part of
its promotion to the world. Besides that, it may well be the
number one box office attraction of the year. I certainly
hope so.” Gibson has starred in movies such as “Lethal
Weapon” and “The Patriot,” He also won two Academy Awards®
for producing, directing and starring in “Braveheart,” the
best picture of year for 1995.
2/6/04
Rimes to sing National Anthem
at 500 Double Grammy award-winning superstar
LeAnn Rimes, whose hits include "How do I Live", "Can't
Fight the Moonlight", and "We Can", will headline the NEXTEL
Tribute to America, the pre-race extravaganza leading up to
NASCAR's most prestigious race - the Daytona 500 on Feb. 15.
Rimes, who has one of the most spectacular voices in pop
music, will also sing the National Anthem prior to the 46th
running of the "Great American Race." Her pre-race concert,
the first-of-its-kind at the Daytona International Speedway,
and the National Anthem will be televised live on NBC.
"A day at the Daytona 500 is always history in the making
and exhilarating family fun!" said Rimes. "I am NASCAR's
biggest fan, so it's great to be part of their biggest race
of the year and their first ever televised pre-game show."
The NEXTEL-sponsored extravaganza entitled the NEXTEL
Tribute to America will pay tribute to people, places and
events symbolic of America and will feature nearly 4,000
cast members on the Speedway's historic five-acre tri-oval
grass. The show's finale will feature Grammy Award Winning
Musician, Lee Greenwood singing his marquee track, "God
Bless the USA".
2/6/04
Not being in Europe now hurts
Champ Car
With talks breaking down between Jos Verstappen (and his
sponsor Trust) and the Jordan F1 team, Verstappen is out of
F1 once again. The Champ Car series may have been able
to land him and his sponsor Trust, but as you can see from
this map
of where Trust does business, there is no way they are going
to look to Champ Car because it has no races in Europe.
The same can be said of other drivers who have money but not
enough to secure a F1 seat.
2/6/04
Dyson team finalizes 2004
driver lineup The Dyson Racing Team has set
its driver lineup for the 2004 season as it prepares for a
two-car campaign in the LMP1 class of the American Le Mans
Series. Based in Poughkeepsie, N.Y., the Dyson team has been
one of the most successful American-based professional
sports car racing teams of the past 20 years.
The season begins with the 52nd annual Mobil 1 Twelve Hours
of Sebring at Sebring (Fla.) International Raceway Mar.
17-20.
The Rob Dyson-owned team won the Team championship in the
LMP 675 class of the American Le Mans Series in 2003 and
Chris Dyson won the LMP 675 Driver championship. The team
made history when it scored the overall win in the ALMS
event held at Infineon Raceway in Sonoma, Calif., last July
and became the first to win a race overall with a car from
the smaller Prototype class. Dyson cars also scored five
other class wins during the season.
For 2004, Dyson Racing's two Lola EX257-AER/MG Prototypes
will compete in the LMP1 class due to restructuring of the
four classes of competition in the ALMS. The LMP1 class
includes cars that had been in the LMP 900 class as well as
the more sophisticated cars from what had been the LMP 675
class.
The four drivers who will contest the entire American Le
Mans Series schedule for Dyson racing will be the same four
who drove the full season last year: Chris Dyson, Butch
Leitzinger, Andy Wallace and James Weaver.
2/6/04
Petty calls for penalties
against Wimmer This
Charlotte Observer
article says, At least one fellow Nextel Cup
competitor, however, believes that NASCAR should not allow
Wimmer to continue to race until the matter is adjudicated.
"NASCAR should do something," Kyle Petty said. "What that
is, I don't know, but it sends a bad message to the guy
sitting in the third row with his 15-year-old son beside him
and they're seeing a guy go around the track who has a DWI.
If he's under a veil of suspicion or whatever, what's wrong
with saying he's going to have to sit out until this is
cleared up? "Drinking and driving is wrong. ...If we
as a sport or as an organization condone it by turning our
head and looking the other way, we are guilty by
association."
2/6/04
Another open-wheeler headed to
NASCAR [Editor's Note: CART was
criticized by the oval trackers for letting open wheel star
Jeff Gordon get away to NASCAR, yet far more oval trackers
have gone to NASCAR under the IRL regime. Can you say
Ryan Newman, JJ Yeley, AJ Fike, Kenny Irwin, Tony Stewart,
etc? Where are all the critics now? The fact of
the matter is, creating the IRL wasn't about retaining open
wheel talent, it was all about control of the sport by the
oval track cartel.] A.J. Fike, who was recently named
the National Midget Driver of the Year for the second
consecutive season, will begin the new phase of his career
Saturday at Daytona. He will compete in the ARCA race with
former Indiana standout Andy Hillenburg as his driving
coach. Fike, who last year competed in the IRL's Infiniti
Pro Series, is hoping to use an ARCA season as a springboard
to NASCAR.
Indy Star
2/6/04
Gordon close to announcing Indy
500 plans, Fisher to drive for Kelley Kelley
Racing is close to announcing Sarah Fisher for an Indy 500
ride, an arrangement that both sides hope to grow into a
full-time ride. . . . NASCAR regular Robby Gordon is close
to finalizing a deal for the 2004 Indianapolis 500. He hoped
to have it ready to announce Thursday during media day at
Daytona International Speedway but needed a few more days to
get the contracts signed. He plans to do it largely on his
own with support from one of Chevrolet's Indy Racing League
teams.
Indy Star
2/6/04
Puma and Jaguar announce extension
PUMA AG and Jaguar Racing today announce an extension to the
existing supplier contract. Following a successful first season, in
which PUMA supplied team footwear and drivers' race shoes to the team,
the contract is now expanded to include fireproof pit crew boots.
David Pitchforth, Managing Director, Jaguar Racing said "Our
relationship with PUMA has strengthened over the last year and I am
very pleased to announce we have been able to extend that relationship
in time for the 2004 season. In order to succeed on track you need the
best equipment in all areas of the business, and it is good to know
that PUMA will be providing the footwear for all our requirements."
"In 2004 Jaguar Racing started to show their claws demonstrating
flashes of brilliance", says Andrew McPhail, Senior Manager of PUMA
Motorsport. "We are particularly pleased to see a driver like Mark
Webber from the Australasian region achieving so much success in
Formula One - helping to making the sport more global than ever. Now
combining Mark Webber in his third year of Formula One, with promising
rookie Christian Klien, the team will undoubtedly produce even more
highlights in 2004. We are therefore delighted to extend the
partnership and are proud that PUMA will be clearly visible with every
pit stop Jaguar Racing make throughout the season."
2/6/04
Hakkinen slams F1 pretenders
In the new edition of F1 Racing, on sale today (Friday), 1998 and
'99 world champion Mika Hakkinen has hit out at what he sees as
self-deluding Formula 1 drivers, teams and media. In a strong assault
that will shatter any feelings of complacency in the pit lane, in
which he turns an unblinking eye on every team and every driver,
Hakkinen also predicts that Michael Schumacher will not retain his
world title this season. Mika doubts that Fernando Alonso is the fully
formed talent that fans and press believe, claiming that the Renault
driver is no match for McLaren's young gun Kimi Raikkonen. More.....
2/6/04
Interview
with Mark Webber
Following is a transcript of a telephone hook-up with Australia’s
Formula One driver Mark Webber by Australian media on February 4,
2004, organized by the Australian Grand Prix Corporation ahead of the
world championship season-opening 2004 Foster’s Australian Grand Prix
to be held in Melbourne on March 4-7. Interview
2/6/04
Champ Car feedback A
reader writes, Dear AutoRacing1.com, With regard to the Gerald
Forsythe interview,
fantastic news, It would be great to see Champ Cars back on a British
circuit, if it's Brands let's hope they can run it on the GP circuit.
The 50/50 split seems a good way to go; you only have to look at the
success of Surfers to know Champ Car can be a worldwide attraction. It
seems the new owners have some good ideas to push Champ Car forward –
I sincerely hope they succeed. Ken Wallace, Hewland Transmissions
Another writes, New points system is great! But I disagree with the 1
point for leading a lap.....I think it should be for leading 5 laps or
more so the pit stops don't reward some backmarker from picking up a
point, for leading one single lap, when someone higher up in grid is
unable to gain that point, despite their better performance, because
they stop for fuel/tires to continue chasing the leader. As for the
tires, harder tires???!! ARE you serious? Come on, the lack of marbles
is great, but how much crappier is the performance going to be? I'm
the most loyal fan but damn! Even I can't take much more of this
lowering of performance. Hard to say it is a premier series with more
seconds taken off the clock. Hard to get excited without cars
"looking" fast around the track. Better get that DAMN weight off of
them! 300lbs+ loss in weight is a MUST now! Jeez, Montoya won the
championship with a 900hp+ Champ Car, hence the word CHAMP, not CHUMP
Car! Stay with the 750hp and harder tires? Ok, but lower the damn
weight 300lbs to stay within performance specs of 1999! COME ON!!
Derek Hughes, Florida Dear Derek, We like the new points
system in that it will keep the championship close right up to the
final race. As for awarding points for leading a lap, it's an
incentive for a driver to get to the front, however they do it. As for
the harder tires, that may not happen we are now told. As for
taking weight out of the cars, absolutely. As Champ Car adds
more and more tight street circuits it's imperative that the car
become F1 in size and go on a diet. Hopefully when they announce
their new cars we will see a move in this direction. Mark C.
Helio named to top 25 Marlboro
Team Penske driver and 2001 & 2002 Indianapolis 500 winner Helio
Castroneves is featured in People En Espanol’s special “25 Hottest
Bachelors” issue on newsstands now. The 28 year-old Brazilian is
featured along with 24 other Latino bachelors including Wilmer Valderrama, Adam Rodriguez and Jeff Garcia. “What an honor to be
considered one of the 25 hottest bachelors,” said Castroneves. “I
guess when you do something that you love, you have passion. And when
you have passion, that’s sexy!”
2/5/04
China race worth $50 million per year
to Bernie
The May 2003 issue of Business F1 Magazine has a story by Mark
Cutler that says the Chinese government is paying Bernie Ecclestone's
FOM company $50 million per year for the rights to their F1 race - $30
million for the sanction fee and $20 million for the TV rights.
Bernie usually gets the TV rights, but the government bought them back
from Bernie for $20 million and then sold them to Chinese TV.
The article goes on to say that in typical Chinese style, they don't
bargain on deals. A Shanghai government representative simply
asked Bernie how much it would cost and Bernie told him $50 million
per year. End of story. We guess they don't know Bernie
too well, huh? We suppose if OWRS does a deal with the Beijing
government $10 million or $15 million per year will appear like a real
bargain. And you wonder why we predicted years ago of the "Inevitable
Globalization of CART"? We say, if Portland can't afford
to pay what OWRS wants for this year's race, let them have an IRL
race! In our
interview today with Gerald Forsythe he says they are working
on up to 7 new venues for 2005. It is inevitable that OWRS will
have to jettison some of the current dogs. Mark C.
2/5/04
Fernández
returns to track After three months away from the
cockpit, Fernandez Racing Owner/Driver Adrian Fernandez returned to
the race track this week, turning his first laps aboard the #51 Quaker
State/Telmex/Tecate Ford-Cosworth/Lola/Bridgestone in preparation for
the 2004 Champ Car World Series season. The two-day test, which
concluded this afternoon, was held at Sebring International Raceway in
Florida. Story
2/5/04
Thursday test times from
Sebring3rd UPDATE
We have added the test times from Thursday to the chart below.
American sensation Ryan Hunter-Reay ended up with the fastest time of
the week by a full 0.5 sec. 2/5/04 - It
should be noted that in testing last month at Sebring, Lynx
Racing driver Michael Valiante -- driving a Walker Reynard
with the 'old' nose (not the Penske-developed nose that is
good for about 4/10ths of a second per lap)... did a 52.10
on his first day ever in a Champ Car. Certainly track
conditions make a big difference, but he started his test on
a totally 'green' track with no rubber and only one other
car running. 2/4/04 - We have posted the final
times from Wednesday below, as well as the times from
Tuesday for comparison. Tomorrow Mario Haberfeld will
be in the Conquest car but PK Racing is done with their
test. They ran two cars today. Seen wandering around
the paddock today was Ricardo Sperafico. Word is that
Roberto Gonzalez may have the 2nd PK Racing seat.
Herdez will run two cars Thursday, one each for Hunter-Reay
and Dominguez.
Driver
Team
Tues.
Wed.
Thur.
1. Ryan
Hunter-Reay
Herdez Lola
51.90 Sec
No Time
50.9
2. Mario
Dominguez
Herdez Lola
No Time
52.07
51.4
3. Mika Salo
PK Racing Lola
52.55
52.09
Did Not Run
4. Adrian
Fernández
Fernández Lola
52.94
Did Not Run
51.21
5. Mario Haberfeld
Conquest Reynard
Did Not Run
Did Not Run
52.3
6. Nelson
Philippe
Conquest Reynard
52.92
52.68
Did Not Run
7. Roberto
González
PK Racing Lola
Did Not Run
53.09
Did Not Run
Nelson Philippe Conquest Reynard
only 8/10ths off Hunter-Reay's fast time, this 17 year old
Rookie in a Reynard is doing a darn good job.
2/5/04
Trans-Am announces Road America round
The Motorock Trans-Am Tour will continue one of its longest
traditions the weekend of Aug. 5-8, during the Grand Prix of Road
America. The Trans-Am Tour will compete at the 4.048-mile road course
in Elkhart Lake, Wis., along with the Champ Car World Series. Road
America has hosted 35 consecutive Trans-Am events since the inaugural
in 1970, the most of any venue, active or inactive, on which the
Trans-Am Tour has competed. “The Trans-Am Tour and Road America have
one of the longest relationships in auto racing,” said Trans-Am Tour
Executive Director John Clagett. “We’re pleased to return this year,
and carry on a tradition more than 30 years in the making. Road
America, the longest road course on the Trans-Am Tour, poses a unique
challenge to our competitors. We’re expecting an exciting and
competitive race in August.” "Summer would not be complete without the
Trans-Am Tour at Road America," said George Bruggenthies, president
and general manager of Road America. "The 2004 race marks the 36th
time the Trans-Am Tour has competed here. We're looking forward to
seeing the green flag drop on these cars in August." The Motorock
Trans-Am Tour features closed-fendered, production-based, V-8-powered
sports cars, competing on permanent road courses, and temporary street
and airport circuits throughout North America. The Trans-Am Tour is
America’s oldest continuously running road racing series and
celebrates its 39th anniversary in 2004. Motorock is the creation of a
popular culture brand that blends the enthusiast markets of cars,
stars and guitars. It is a yearly series of destination live events
that showcases the excitement of motorsports, music and lifestyle
while delivering a unique new form of broadcast entertainment
programming.
2/5/04
Verstappen again breaks off
talks with Jordan
Following more negotiations between Jos Verstappen's
management and the Jordan team the Dutchman's camp have come
out this evening claiming Verstappen has himself decided to
definitively end talks with the Silverstone based team.
"Despite the fact that all parties involved have done their
absolute best to reach agreement, there still remain some
contractual obstacles which cannot be overcome," read a
statement issued on Verstappen's website on Thursday
evening. The EJ14 was launched bearing Trust logos
which were also featured on the new Jordan driver overalls,
though an agreement had not yet been officially signed.
"We tried our best, but there can always be some
opportunities in the future which could see Jos get a seat
in the coming season. We tried very hard but despite all our
time and hard effort we could not find an agreement," a
spokesperson for Trust said.
2/5/04
Forsythe: 50/50 mix for Champ
Car series
In this
interview on AutoRacing1.com, Gerald Forsythe says,
"There is definitely a place for Champ Cars internationally.
In fact, we are currently looking at more new venues outside
the USA than inside. At some point if we have 50% of
our races in the USA and 50% internationally, that would be
a good mix." More....
2/5/04
New point system announced for
Champ Car series
In a move that will promote strong racing throughout every lap
of a Champ Car World Series event and reward those drivers
and teams that run up front, series officials today
announced a revised points system that will go into effect
with the 2004 season.
In the new system, points will be paid to the first 20
finishers with 31 points going to the winner of the event.
As has been the case since 1983, the winner will receive
four more points than the second-place finisher, with point
totals decreasing by two for each place down the order
through the top 10. Beginning with the 10th-place finisher,
the point total will decrease by one.
“I think this is a good move for the series and will help
the drivers a lot,” said 2003 Champ Car World Series
champion Paul Tracy. “If you’ve had a day that would have
left you out of the points, now you can still get something
out of it. It is going to be a very competitive series this
year and good finishes are going to be harder to come by so
this makes what would have been a bad day, not so bad a
day.”
In addition, one point will be awarded to a driver for
leading one or more laps in a race, another point will be
given to the driver that runs the fastest lap of the race
and one point will be awarded to the driver that improves
the most number of positions from their place on the
starting grid. There will no longer be a point given to the
driver that leads the most laps in a race.
As has been the case for the last two seasons, one
championship point will be awarded to the leaders of the
Friday and Saturday qualifying sessions on road and street
courses, while one point will be available for the
qualifying leader on oval courses.
“We firmly believe that this new system will be better for
our fans,” said Senior Vice-President of Operations John
Lopes. “The point for leading a lap will add an element of
strategy and the point for fastest lap provides incentive
for every driver on every lap, regardless of position.”
All other rules regarding championship points will remain
unchanged from 2003. Under the new system, the maximum
number of points that a driver could earn on a road or
street course weekend is 35. The breakdown of the points
system is detailed below.
NASCAR team owners indicted A
little more than a year ago, Gary Jones and Fatemeh Angela
Harkness were living a race-car lover's dream.
Jones, a 36-year-old Austin banker, and Harkness, a
27-year-old former kindergarten teacher from Round Rock, had
assembled a racing team -- Angela's Motorsports -- that was
entering not one but two cars in NASCAR events.
Racing veterans wondered where the NASCAR novices got the
millions needed to pay for the cars, the crews and other
expenses associated with a racing team. A
17-count indictment handed up by a federal grand jury in
Austin alleges to have at least part of the answer.
Made public Wednesday, the indictment charges that Jones
embezzled almost $1 million while working as a business
banker at a Wells Fargo branch in North Austin from November
2000 to March 2003. He is accused of using fake
documents and forged signatures to issue a series of loans
in other people's names. Those people didn't get the money,
which Jones instead took for himself and used to fund
Angela's Motorsports, according to the indictment. Harkness
has already pleaded guilty in the scheme and has agreed to
cooperate with prosecutors, court records indicate. She is
free on bail. The racing team featured 10-year
veteran driver Mike McLaughlin. It entered cars in the Busch
Grand National Series, a sort of Triple-A NASCAR circuit,
starting in late 2002. That was two years after
Jones worked on the first of the 12 fraudulent loans he is
accused of making. It was for $38,000 and was issued in the
name of Jones' sister, according to indictment.
The loans grew in value as time went on and were issued in
various names, including those of Jones' relatives. The
documents to support the loans and signatures were forged,
according to the indictment. The largest loan was for
$250,000 and was approved November 20, 2002, according to
indictment. That was one month after Harkness
announced the formation of the team at a news conference at
Atlanta Motor Speedway. "We have a great driver
with a strong engine program with Robert Yates Racing, a
relationship with Ford Motor Company and a strong
sponsorship package in place," Harkness was quoted as saying
at the time. Jones is been free on bond since his
arrest in October. Neither he nor a lawyer representing him
could be reached for comment. More at
The Statesman
2/5/04
Dorricott Racing closes doors
A long-time fixture on the Champ Car circuit ladder system
(Indy Lights then Toyota Atlantic), Dorricott Racing, has
shut its doors. After her husband Bob died, Phyllis
Dorricott made a valiant effort to keep the company in
business. She tried to work with possible sponsors to
keep things going but without more positive information
about CART and a driver, it became more than she could
handle.
2/5/04
Durban, South Africa a go
It looks like the Champ Cars will indeed be racing in Durban,
South Africa later this year. See our rumors page for
the latest update.
2/5/04
Redesigned website for LB
The website for the Long Beach Grand Prix at
http://www.gplongbeach.com/ has just been redesigned and
features an open letter from Jim Michaelian, President and
CEO, to fans and sponsors
2/5/04
Honda to decide future in F1 by
July Honda will decide in July whether to
continue in Formula One after this season, a senior company
official has announced. “The current contract is
through to the end of 2004 and the contract review will
happen in the first half of the season,” Otmar Szafnauer
told Autosport magazine. Honda teamed up with BAR in
2000 and are confident their engines will be more reliable
this year. “The engine is significantly lighter and it
will be more powerful in Melbourne than it was in Suzuka
last year,” Szafnauer continued. “It is a step forward
and we have set ourselves some pretty aggressive targets.
“We have got a month to meet them all and I think we will.”
2/5/04
Montoya fastest at Barcelona
Thursday Juan Pablo Montoya set the fastest
time on the fourth day of testing at Barcelona today
(Thursday). The Williams ace outpaced Renault star Fernando
Alonso by 0.276s. The Colombian spent the day working on
set-up and tire developments. He pronounced himself happy
with the progress the team has made, especially compared to
last season. "The testing has been good," Montoya told
autosport.com. "We're in a much better position than we were
in at this time last year. The car has improved a lot, and
it's more stable. It should be competitive, although we
don't know how competitive it will be compared to the
opposition. I'm sure the car can win races, although the
championship is another matter. We'll see."
Pos Driver Chassis-engine Tires
Time Laps
1 Juan Pablo Montoya Williams-BMW M 1m14.804s 50*
2 Fernando Alonso Renault M 1m15.080s 75*
3 Antonio Pizzonia Williams-BMW M 1m15.112s 51*
4 Franck Montagny Renault M 1m15.170s 75*
5 Cristiano da Matta Toyota M 1m15.705s 96*
6 Nelson Piquet Jr Williams-BMW M 1m15.809s 51
7 David Coulthard McLaren-Mercedes M 1m15.908s 51*
8 Olivier Panis Toyota M 1m15.911s 37*
9 Alex Wurz McLaren-Mercedes M 1m16.022s 64*
2/5/04
CART studying harder tires
As if they weren't slow enough, the Champ Cars are running
with harder Bridgestones this year in testing.
Bridgestone is looking to go to a harder tire for 2004 and,
therefore, the tires supplied for the testing at Sebring
this week are MUCH harder. They are trying to
determine if such a hard tire will be better for the end of
a stint where they received a lot of complaints last year.
Some of the first comments we heard on Tuesday were the
tires were so hard they took longer to come in and,
therefore, the drivers thought if they went with a similar
compound for the season it was going to be pretty hairy
through the first four laps versus the usual 1 to 1.5.
We wonder how much costs will go up in 2004 from crashed
machinery caused by overzealous drivers on cold tires.
Imagine Milwaukee at night. Last year it was so cold
the buckets of water for fire almost froze! Drivers
guesstimate the tires could be up to 1 second slower now.
If Champ Car is implementing harder tires, they had better
allow tire warmers, an idea whose time has come.
Speaking of hard tires, the Bridgestone rain tire the past
couple of years has been so hard the Champ Cars must parade
behind the pace because they can't race in the rain with
them. We brought this topic up last year and were
hoping Bridgestone would supply softer rain tires with the
superior F1 tread pattern for the Champ Cars in 2004.
We understand they have to use up the current stockpile of
rain tires first. Mark C.
2/5/04
Panis has big shunt, walked
awayUPDATE
Panis was able to climb out of the car and walk to an
ambulance unaided. He was alert and talking normally,
although he was taken to the nearby General Hospital of
Catalunya at Sant Cugat after complaining of vision
problems. Toyota technical director Mike Gascoyne has
confirmed that there is no structural damage to the TF104
Panis was driving, and Cristiano da Matta has now resumed
the team's testing program. 2/5/04 -
Autosport.com
reports that Olivier Panis has been taken to
hospital after a serious crash during F1 testing at
Barcelona this afternoon. The Frenchman crashed his Toyota
at the Spanish track's third turn, a sweeping right-hander
taken at approximately 130mph. It is not yet known
what caused the crash, which occurred at 2.40pm, although it
is known that the Frenchman went backwards into the tire
barriers at high speed. He has now been taken to the nearby
General Hospital of Catalunya at Sant Cugat.
Photos
2/5/04
Mi-Jack Conquest completes test
with young Frenchman
Mi-Jack Conquest Racing and French teen phenom Nelson Philippe
yesterday completed two days’ testing at Sebring
International Raceway. It was the second time in two months
that the team has tested the 17-year-old in their Reynard
Ford at the historic central Florida circuit.
“It was important that we build on the success of our first
test by running Nelson at the same time other teams were on
track,” said team owner Eric Bachelart. “He did very well.
We were also able to work through the licensing issues with
the Champ Car officials. Hopefully, this will lead to a
solid program for this year.”
Eric was pleased that Mi-Jack Conquest Racing was able to
participate in the first multi-team test of the new season.
“We developed some new pieces for the Reynard over the
winter”, Eric noted. “Obviously, we are evaluating whether
we stay with this chassis or switch to the Lola. We were
encouraged by how Nelson ran compared to the Lolas that were
on the track, but we’re not yet making any conclusions.”
The team completed approximately 400 miles in two days of
testing, roughly equivalent to a typical Champ Car race
weekend. Nelson and the team worked on their communication,
testing protocols, and stamina as well as pace during the
comprehensive program. “There are many demands on a Champ
Car driver in addition to the race itself,” Eric noted.
“Nelson is very mature and we have been working with him on
all aspects of everything that is required. However, there
is only so much you can practice – at some point, these test
sessions will become real race weekends, and you have to
just do it.”
Testing continues in Sebring on February 5, when 2003 MJCR
driver Mario Haberfeld takes his seat in the car. “We’re
looking forward to Mario’s reaction to the changes we’ve
developed,” Eric said. “He had a great deal of input in the
areas we pursued over the winter. He’ll be on track with
some of the same cars we raced with last year, so this
should provide a good test of our development.”
2/5/04
Tony Stewart to drive two more
Grand-Am races NASCAR
star Tony Stewart will contest two more rounds of the 2004
Grand American Sportscar Series in the car in which he
nearly won the Daytona 24 Hours last weekend, according to
this week's AUTOSPORT magazine. The Joe Gibbs Racing
Nextel Cup driver has signed up with the works Crawford
squad, which runs under the banner of Howard-BOSS
Motorsports, for the Daytona and Watkins Glen races. He will
share the car in the two events with British sportscar
stalwart Andy Wallace. Stewart, who had two Grand-Am
races with Crawford in 2002, said: "I love doing different
things, especially the 24 Hours." Wallace has signed
to compete in ten Grand-Am races for Crawford-BOSS.
Venezuelan Milka Duno will drive alongside him for eight
races.
2/5/04
CAT stands by Wimmer The
director of Caterpillar Inc. racing programs said the
company will stand behind its NASCAR Nextel Cup driver,
Scott Wimmer, despite his arrest Saturday for driving while
impaired. "We're basically going to continue on with Scott,"
said Greg Towles. "He made a terrible mistake but by the
same token, there's been no history of that at all." Wimmer
was driving a 2004 Dodge Ram pickup truck belonging to his
boss, Bill Davis, early Saturday morning when he hit a large
rock and the truck overturned near his High Point, N.C.,
home. Published reports said a Breathalyzer test recorded
Wimmer's blood alcohol content at 0.15 percent, nearly twice
the North Carolina legal limit of 0.08. Wimmer was not at
the crash site when police arrived but was found later at
his home. His wife, Jody Ambrose, was charged with
misdemeanor obstruction of justice and delay. Court dates
for both are March 10. Wimmer is scheduled to begin his
first full season in the Nextel Cup series for Davis next
week at the Daytona 500. Wimmer moved up from the Busch
Series to the #22 Caterpillar Dodge for the last four races
of last season. Davis released a statement Monday and
withheld comment until all the facts have been revealed.
Wimmer, a Wisconsin native, could face disciplinary action
from NASCAR. Officials there are reported to be looking into
the matter. "We're not sure what NASCAR is going to do,"
said Towles. Wimmer is scheduled to make an appearance in
Peoria on Feb. 24 at a Peoria Rivermen game but that visit
may be postponed until after his court date.
Peoria Star Journal
2/5/04
Jordan renews with RE/MAX Jordan
Grand Prix has signed a sponsorship agreement with RE/MAX
Europe, part of the RE/MAX International real estate network
which lists and sells more real estate than any other
network world-wide. RE/MAX first sponsored Jordan in 2003
and the new deal sees the relationship extended for another
year.
The RE/MAX brand will be displayed on the Jordan Ford EJ14
cars. The RE/MAX involvement in Formula One is part of the
company’s successful motorsport program, which also includes
the ARCA (Automobile Racing Club of America) RE/MAX series
of stock car racing and Team RE/MAX Racing in the USA.
“I am delighted that RE/MAX has renewed its partnership with
Jordan Ford,” said Eddie Jordan, Chief Executive of Jordan
Grand Prix. “The partnership worked well for both parties
last year and it is a privilege for us to have an
association with such an impressive company. I’m confident
that we will improve on our achievements last year and enjoy
great things together in 2004.”
William Soteroff Managing Director of RE/MAX Europe said,
"The ongoing commitment RE/MAX has made to Jordan Ford is a
testament to our belief that this is a team of destiny.
Eddie Jordan has a commitment to excellence and a drive and
desire for victory and we are delighted to be associated
once again this year with the team. Jordan Ford is a unique
vehicle for our organization to advance awareness of our
brand as we race across Europe!"
The RE/MAX franchise network, now in its 30th year of
consecutive growth, is a global real estate system operating
in 43 countries. More than 4,700 independently owned offices
engage 86,000 member sales associates who lead the industry
in professional designations, experience and production
while providing real estate services in residential,
commercial, referral, relocation and asset management.
2/5/04
Herdez Team eyes three drivers
for 2nd seat
Contributed by forum member Jose Arrambide - El Norte and
Reforma have an interview with Hector Lebrija of Herdez
Competition Team
http://www.elnorte.com/deportes/articulo/385896/ The
article is in Spanish, so here it goes.
Hector Lebrija says that they are deciding between Ryan
Hunter-Reay, Ricardo Sperafico and Roberto Gonzalez for the
second seat.
He explains that they will probably decide this week, Keith
Wiggins, General Manager of Herdez Competition will have the
final word.
He explains that Herdez Competition is a Mexican Team and
that it makes sense to have a Mexican driver in the second
seat (the other seat being already a Mexican), but since the
owner of the team is also owner of Herdez and Herdez is
starting to increase their activities in the US it also
makes good sense having a US driver and trying to tie a few
of Herdez brands with Hunter-Reay, and that Sperafico is a
very good driver and that also makes good sense.
The article says that Hunter-Reay looks to have the upper
hand, he did some tests yesterday with one of the Herdez
cars having the best time of the drivers testing at Sebring,
Mario tested that same car today and both divers will test
the two Herdez cars tomorrow.
If Ryan gets the second seat, it would be kind of strange
that one of the few US drivers in 2004 would end up in a
Mexican Team, with a Mexican sponsor (both being Herdez)
2/5/04
Dyson Team completes Sebring test
Thetford / Norcold Dyson Racing recently concluded a two-day test at
Sebring International Raceway, and the 2003 series champions are
confident heading into the first round of the 2004 American Le Mans
Series championship.
With the team's #16 and #20 MG-Lola prototypes on hand, English star
James Weaver and 2003 LMP675 champion Chris Dyson spent the first day
of the test evaluating AER engine development and Goodyear tires. Andy
Wallace and Butch Leitzinger joined the test on the second day of the
test after strong runs at the 24 Hours of Daytona. Despite the track
being slower than in recent tests, Weaver was still close to his
qualifying time set for the 2003 12 Hours of Sebring.
Team principal Rob Dyson returned to the cockpit for the first time
since shoulder surgery in the summer of 2003. In limited running,
Dyson was delighted with the progress of the cars' development. A
return for the Sebring event may happen, but it looks unlikely for the
team boss. Dyson will continue his rehabilitation with an eye on doing
some racing in 2004.
The Dyson team has spent the last 18 months developing their Lola
machines, which claimed three pole positions in 2003 and took overall
victory at last year's Grand Prix of Sonoma.
Chris Dyson was pleased with the test results. "We were pretty happy
with the amount of work we were able to get done here," he said.
"James tried some new tires which have given us a good direction for
the race, and AER has made some pretty impressive gains with their
electronics and engine performance. We proved last year that the cars
are quick enough and can win races, and this winter we have been
eliminating all of the reliability issues that occasionally nagged us.
I'm very enthusiastic about this coming season."
Dyson's final driver lineup for the 12 Hours of Sebring has yet to be
finalized. Wallace will join Weaver and Leitzinger in the #16 machine,
and Chris Dyson will spearhead the #20 car's driving strength.
Since entering the sportscar racing world in 1985, Dyson Racing has
been North America's most successful sportscar team. For 2004 the team
will campaign two of its MG-Lola EX257 prototypes in the nine-race
American Le Mans Series. The series' first event is the 12 Hours of
Sebring on March 20.
2/5/04
Quotes from Sebring - Wednesday
From this crash.net
article, Mario Dominguez finally had his chance to get back
into the Herdez Competition car, and he looked like a kid in a candy
store as he set one of the day's best times.
“It's great to be back driving the car,” Dominguez said, “I enjoyed
the holidays, but it was time to get back in the car. I'm really
enjoying it. We're trying a few things out and I'm working with Mike
Cannon, my new engineer, for the first time.”
Occasional Champ Car racer Roberto Gonzalez was able to work in some
laps with the PK Racing team, but his time in the car was shortened
due to a mechanical problem.
“We had a little misfortune with the engine,” the Mexican reported,
“We aren't sure what's wrong, but I had to get out of the car so the
team can change the engine. It's a shame because we were starting to
get some laps in and we just put on a new set of tires.”
Mario Haberfeld was at the track, but isn't scheduled to see any seat
time until Thursday, when he is slated to run with the Mi-Jack
Conquest Racing team.
“I'm here today to watch and prepare for tomorrow,” said the
Brazilian, who ran a full season with the team in 2003, “I always like
to get here early to discuss with the engineers what our plan is. The
team did some work during the winter to try and improve the Reynard,
but it is unsure whether it will be running the Reynard or a Lola
[this year]. We hope to find out if we can improve the Reynard.”
Several other drivers were also present at the track, with Mika Salo
again testing for PK Racing and Adrian Fernandez with his own team.
Last year's Barber Dodge Pro Series champion, Leonardo Maia, was also
on hand, having stopped by to see how the Champ Car teams were doing
before finalizing his Toyota Atlantic ride for 2004.
“I'm working on putting a deal together for this year,” Maia said,
“I've still got some work to do on finalizing everything, but I'm
getting there.”
2/5/04
Ken Schrader to appear Ken
Schrader of Fenton, Mo., driver of the #49 Schwan's Home Service Dodge
fielded by BAM Racing, is scheduled to be interviewed live nationally
on MSNBC Friday night, Feb. 6. He will appear on the
nationally-acclaimed Scarborough County (10 p.m. Eastern) with the
interview currently scheduled in the last half hour of the show.
2/5/04
Ferrari
signs deal with Lego Ferrari has signed a three-year
licensing agreement with Lego, the world-famous Danish producer of toy
bricks. The accord paves the way for the development of Ferrari
single-seater models and a full Formula 1 set up including the pit
area and podium. The series, entitled ‘Lego Racers’ will be
distributed to toyshops during 2004. A life-size Ferrari single-seater
constructed from 146,000 Lego bricks and fitted with original
Bridgestone tires was on display at the presentation of the agreement,
held today at the Toy Fair in Nürnberg. ‘A market niche with the
highest growth potential for the development of the Ferrari brand is
that of children’s toys’, declared Alberto Crippa, Director of Ferrari
Licensing and Merchandising. ‘This new and significant collaboration
with Lego is an important move in this direction, as, like Ferrari,
Lego has been able to expand and yet maintain its identity as market
leader, thanks to its competence and creative capacity.’
2/5/04
McLaren plans major upgrade McLaren
has revealed that it plans to introduce a B-spec version of the MP4-19
later this year in a bid to boost the title hopes of Kimi Raikkonen
and David Coulthard, according to this week's AUTOSPORT magazine.
The new car, which is expected to be brought in during the middle of
the season, will feature major changes in design to help lift the
performance of the car. The B-spec is one stage of four development
steps planned for 2004.
It is hoped that the strategy will help prevent the team from reaching
the limit of development on the current MP4-19, which was the first
2004 contender to break cover when it hit the track in November.
"The car that finishes the season will not be a 19 – it will be a
19B," said team boss Ron Dennis. "It will be significantly different
from the car we have in the first grand prix. We have got a very
ambitious program through the year that will see the car evolve into a
car that we will call a 'B'."
Shank names drivers for Rolex Michael
Shank Racing (MSR), fresh off its strong finish in the Rolex 24 at
Daytona this weekend, announced that it has signed two drivers for the
next three events in the Grand American Rolex Sports Car Series. Burt
Frisselle of Kihei, Hawaii, and Oswaldo Negri, of Miami, Florida will
share driving duties in the #6 Lexus-powered Doran JE4 beginning with
the Grand Prix of Miami, a 250-mile sprint event which will take place
on February 28 as part of the Toyota Indy 300 weekend.
Award-winning team owner Michael Shank is looking forward to the
upcoming races to show that his teams strong finish in the Daytona
event, where MSR made a late-race charge to finish fourth in class,
was just the beginning to a strong first season in Rolex competition.
"My priority was to find two guys that are used to the sprint type
format where every lap is driven as hard as possible,” said Shank.
“The way that the rules are set up, the competition is so close that
you have to bring the best package to every race, and we feel that
these guys will help us do just that. For example, even though the
race at Mont-Tremblant in May is a six hour event, we are still going
to have to be running flat out every lap, and these guys can deliver
in those conditions.”
2/4/04
Andretti and Rahal to appear at Auto
Show Racing legend Mario Andretti will meet fans and
sign autographs at this year’s Chicago Auto Show from 2 - 4 p.m.,
Saturday, February 7 in the Bridgestone Americas’ exhibit (booth #
10). Bobby Rahal, retired racing star and current owner of Team
Rahal, will meet fans and sign autographs at this year’s Chicago Auto
Show from 11 a.m. – 1 p.m., Sunday, February 8 in the Bridgestone
Americas’ exhibit (booth # 10).
2/4/04
Successful
debut of 2004 BAR Honda Lucky
Strike B·A·R Honda debuted its 2004 challenger, the B·A·R Honda 006,
at the Circuit de Catalunya on Monday. Following its launch to the
world's media on Sunday, Jenson Button has been putting the car
through its paces for the last three days. Teammate Takuma Sato has
been alongside Jenson in the '04 Concept car on each day. More....
2/4/04
SKF to sponsor Burton Roush
Racing announced today that SKF will continue its sponsorship of Jeff
Burton, the No. 99 team and Roush Racing through 2004. In addition,
SKF will expand their sponsorship to be primary sponsor of the No. 99
Ford for the February Rockingham race and March Atlanta race. "We are
certainly excited to have SKF and Chicago Rawhide as part of our team
in 2004," said Burton. "The No. 99 team is looking forward to carrying
the SKF and Chicago Rawhide logo on our car not only for Rockingham
and Atlanta but as an associate throughout the year. They have been
with us for six years and we are looking forward to another exciting
year with them as part of our team."
2/4/04
Whoopi to be honorary starter for
Daytona 500 Academy®,
Emmy, Golden Globe, Grammy and Tony-Award-winning superstar Whoopi
Goldberg will serve as Honorary Starter for the 46th annual Daytona
500. As the Daytona 500's Honorary Starter, Goldberg will drop the
green flag, signaling drivers to begin racing the 2.5 mile course for
its 200 laps - or 500 miles - duration.
Goldberg currently headlines NBC's hit comedy "Whoopi," which she also
executive produces, starring as Mavis Rae, an opinionated
pop-diva-turned-hotel-owner. Having made her feature film debut in
Steven Spielberg's "The Color Purple," Goldberg earned both an Oscar
nomination and a Golden Globe Award for the film. Her lauded
performance in the blockbuster "Ghost" won both an Oscar and a Golden
Globe.
For the Daytona 500 festivities, she will join other popular
celebrities who have duties for the drivers. Academy Award®-winner Ben
Affleck ("Good Will Hunting," "Paycheck") will serve as Grand Marshal,
proclaiming the command "Drivers, start your engines!" In addition,
Affleck - commandeering the driver's seat of the official Grand
Marshal pace car -- will also lead the 43-car field in pace laps
before the race.
2/4/04
Gentilozzi: "Fool me once,
shame on you"UPDATE
A reader writes, Dear AutoRacing1.com, I am glad to read
that Mr. Gentilozzi smells the coffee and doesn't intend to
be 'fooled' again however I wish Mr. Gentilozzi would
subscribe to a more pragmatic policy along the lines of,
'Screw me once my fault, Screw me twice your problem'. Mr.
George has a demonstrated propensity to view ethics, good
faith negotiations and diplomacy for weakness. When is
common sense going to click in and the guys with the white
hats (OWRS) on our side of the fence stop with the 'turn the
cheek, then turn the other cheek' mentality and go after the
guys with the black hats that have diminished open wheel
racing in America to the extent that both series are
fighting just to survive. The reality is Tony George has
almost single-handedly delivered U.S. Open Wheel Racing to
the brink of extinction. The guys with the black hats, Tony
George and Company, continue using brave young men as cannon
fodder and the almighty (subsidized) dollar to entice the
likes of Michael Andretti et al to betray the very system (a
Open Wheel Championship designed to determine the best
driver based on a diversified format of street, road, and
oval circuits) that allowed them to sit at the pinnacle of MotorSports and be in the position to betray all of us in
the first place. Talk Turkey, call a spade a spade. Yes the
fine young men that race in the IRL are certainly brave but
they are participating in what is little more than an
exhibition... a 'show' that is more about horsepower and
politics (Yes, Paul Tracy did win the Indy 500, and Chevy
was allowed to introduce an entirely new high horsepower
engine mid-season) than it will ever be about a 'Drivers
Championship'. With the IRL declaring that it will expand
its overseas races and Tony George now stating that it needs
to 'add' some street and road courses (Hello... it's called
The Champ Car World Series) to be able to 'grow the sport'
(IRL Speak for attract real spectators, vs. 'sold out'
venues where NASCAR fans are required to accept IRL tickets
with their purchase which they then discard resulting in a
sea of 'IRL Fans' disguised as empty seats at a 'sold out'
event), if not to reduce the ever mounting toll of shattered
lives and cars. Right now it may only be the financial costs
associated with the wrecked cars and hospital bills that
force the IRL to road and street courses, where drivers are
the single most important factor in determining the outcome
of a race, but their end game is to kill Champ Car so they
can continue to ignore the immense damage they are doing to
the sport with impunity. Name and Address Withheld on
Request 2/4/04 - Overheard from Paul Gentilozzi
after last week's OWRS court victory over Tony George and
the IRL for rights to the Champ Car Series - Both Tony
George and Gentilozzi admitted they had discussed a possible
reconciliation last year, but it didn’t sound like that
topic would be broached for quite a while. “I felt we
had a chance to unite open-wheel racing,” said George after
the hearing. “But I’m not interested in any kind of merger
now that they’ve got those assets, and I’m not giving up the
equity we have in the IRL.” When asked about a
similar scenario, Gentilozzi just smiled and replied: “Fool
me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me,”
referring to the fact Tony George told him he wasn't going
to bid on the CART assets.
2/4/04 Industry News
Oval
planned outside of Madrid This eTracks.com
article talks about a combination oval track and
road course being proposed by the Mayor of Pinto, a suburb
of Madrid, Spain. It will be interesting to see if it
gets built and whether NASCAR, the IRL or Champ Car have a
go at it.
2/4/04
Team Cheever Teleconference IRL
Weekly Teleconference With Red Bull Cheever Racing's Alex
Barron, Ed Carpenter and Eddie Cheever
MODERATOR: Alex, what are your impressions of the 1.5-mile
oval at Homestead.
ALEX BARRON: I think it's quite different than last year.
Speeds were quite higher, but with high banking I think you
will see a lot more of two people running side-by-side,
possibly three at times, and I think it will cause for a
better race when we go back there at end of February.
Transcript
2/4/04
Vasser turned down ride in IRL This
quote from Autosport Magazine: Paul Tracy: “We’ve got
to get Jimmy [Vasser] a good ride as well.”
Indeed, ’96 CART champion Vasser is Champ Car racing’s most
visible American star and he deserves a top ride. He turned
down Bobby Rahal’s IRL/Honda seat because he doesn’t like
the prospect of driving exclusively on ovals. Let's hope
Forsythe, Kalkhoven and Gentilozzi will find Vasser the
drive he deserves.
2/4/04
Ecclestone doubts small teams
future This Grant Motor Sport
article says, Formula One supremo Bernie Ecclestone
has cast doubt on the future of the Jaguar team for which
Australian Mark Webber races. The 73-year-old Englishman,
who maintains an emperor-like presence in F1, also says
Australian team owner Paul Stoddart's Minardi and the
struggling Jordan outfit need to improve or get out of the
sport. Ecclestone's stinging comments came in an interview
with Italy's Gazzetta dello Sport. Jaguar Racing is owned by
the giant Ford Motor Company but has achieved little success
in four years in F1. "How much longer can Ford go on this
way?" Ecclestone pondered. Since Webber joined Jaguar a
little more than a year ago Ford and the team have slashed
budgets and placed greater emphasis on engineering substance
rather than celebrity style. "They [Ford and Jaguar] have
made a big cut in costs, no wonder they hired a driver with
money," Ecclestone said. Amid reports that the 10 teams in
F1 are set to enjoy a larger slice of the sports financial
pie under recent restructuring and cost-cutting moves,
Ecclestone said the problem was that teams always spent
everything they get. He said big teams such as Ferrari,
Williams and McLaren freighted 45 tons of equipment to GPs
when 20 tons would be plenty. "Teams take 100 people to
private testing [too], crazy stuff," Ecclestone said. He had
little sympathy for cash- strapped Minardi and Jordan, which
he said should sell up rather than beg. "They should look
closely at themselves," Ecclestone said.
2/4/04
Ecclestone wants to cut F1
costs This Financial Times
article says, Bernie Ecclestone called for F1 to
embark on a large cost-cutting exercise to "help level the
playing field" for smaller teams. Big teams such as Ferrari
should each be made to cut $100m from their budgets, he
declared. [Editor's Note: FIA President Max
Mosley made similar statements recently, as have other F1
team bosses. Then Ron Dennis says he wants to visit a
NASCAR race and study their success.]
2/4/04
Banks want to sell out of F1 This
Financial Times
article says, The three creditor banks that control
75 per cent of Formula One's commercial rights holder, SLEC,
want "to get the hell out of it" and would sell their
share-holdings today if they could, according to F1 promoter
Bernie Ecclestone. But restrictions from motor sport's
governing body, the Fédération Internationale de
l'Automobile, as to whom the banks could sell mean that
their exit is almost certain to be delayed for several
years. It would then take the form of a flotation, according
to people close to negotiations on F1's future. Just
how much the three banks, JP Morgan, Lehman Brothers and
Bayerische Landesbank, might recoup of their $1.6bn
investment in F1 has become the subject of fresh speculation
this week. In an interview with the Financial Times,
Mr Ecclestone, 73, made clear that a great deal of
negotiating remained to be done if a final agreement was to
be reached, intended by the middle of this year. The
outline memorandum of understanding provides for the big
carmakers involved - DaimlerChrysler, Ford, Ferrari, BMW and
Renault - to have three seats on an extended SLEC board and
for all teams to have an increased share of F1's total
revenues from broadcasting and other commercial rights.
But, while full agreement has been reached on the structure
for a revised financial share-out, "that isn't the major
issue", said Mr Ecclestone. The FIA and the car
manufacturers - who grouped themselves under the name GPWC
to devise a rival championship if no deal was reached with
SLEC and the banks - now appear headed for a confrontation
over how much say the carmakers should have in the running
of F1.
2/4/04
Massa hospitalized after accidentUPDATE
A statement on the Circuit de Catalunya Web site said Massa
left the track at the end of the main straight. "The
causes of the accident, which took place at 9.35am (local
time) on the fourth lap of the morning testing session are
unknown," it read. "The car spun out across the escape
gravel and slowed down before hitting the tire wall where it
stopped. The driver was able to walk away from the
car, but the medical services decided to evacuate him to the
Catalunya General Hospital as a precautionary measure where
he will remain under observation." Massa, who signed a
two-year contract with Sauber in October, will partner
Italian Giancarlo Fisichella this year. He returned to the
team after spending last year as a test driver with Ferrari.
2/4/04 - Sauber's
Felipe Massa has been taken to hospital following an accident during
testing at Barcelona in Spain today. The accident occurred at 9.10am,
two laps after he had set the fastest time at that point. The
accident appears to have been caused by a right-front suspension
failure, although Sauber has yet to confirm this officially.
Eyewitnesses report that the right-front wheel and suspension parts
were detached from the chassis, although the car otherwise was not too
badly damaged. Massa is reported to have fainted after the
crash, but regained consciousness before being taken to the medical
centre and then on to the General Hospital of Catalunya at Sant Cugat
in the outskirts of Barcelona.
Photos
2/4/04
Tracy: Tony George wanted to be king This
quote from Autosport Magazine: After last week’s rather sad
and sordid court case, CART champion Paul Tracy believes Tony George’s
true motives in setting up the IRL in ’96 have been made clear.
“All the fans who have followed this battle and asked why can’t CART
get together with Tony George now know the answer to that question,”
Tracy said. “It’s because he never wanted to get together. People
didn’t want to
hear that but now they know the truth. Tony George wanted to be king.
That’s what this was all about.”
2/4/04
Alternate Quote of the Week This
quote from Autosport by Mario Haberfeld. “CART is the
premier open-wheel racing series in the United States and
the world,” he bubbled. Which is why he never bothered with
F1…
2/4/04
New Concord Agreement delay Autosport
Magazine reports, Hopes that Formula 1’s long-term stability would be
guaranteed by the early part of the year have been dashed, with
leading figures claiming a new Concorde Agreement may now not be
drafted until the summer at the earliest. Renault F1 chairman Patrick
Faure believes it will take longer than originally expected and is
only expecting a resolution by August. “There are still a
lot of things to do,” said Faure. “The target of the next three months
is to write everything down and make sure the future of F1 is safe.
That means having a new Concorde Agreement, new finance agreements and
everything being transparent. Then we can have a new era of F1.”
But high-level F1 sources have claimed that there appears to be little
interest from Ecclestone in reaching a swift resolution, especially
because any new deals would mean handing over more money to the teams.
2/4/04
Ron Dennis wants to study NASCAR Autosport
Magazine reports McLaren boss Ron Dennis and managing director Martin
Whitmarsh are planning to visit a NASCAR race this season to see what
lessons can be learned from the category’s success. Dennis
wants to understand why the American stock-car series is so popular –
especially because he considers Formula 1 to be better both
technologically and in terms of entertainment. “That category
works and we have got a better show,” said Dennis. "If something
is as successful as NASCAR, then we must focus on understanding what
the ingredients are. We are dismissive of the technology [in
NASCAR], but we are not dismissive of the show.”
2/4/04
Shanghai circuit nears completion The
Shanghai International Circuit - the first in China to be included on
the FIA Formula One World Championship calendar - is nearing
completion and all key installations should be in place by the end of
March.
The first Chinese Grand Prix, which is scheduled for 26th September
2004, will be the 16th of this season's 18 races. It will mark the
fulfillment of a project that began at the end of 2002, when initial
preparation of the site began. Extensive underpinning commenced that
September, to counter the soft local terrain, and the official
groundbreaking ceremony took place on 17th October. Since
then, the workforce - 3,000 per day, on average - have operated
round-the-clock in rotational shifts to make sure the circuit will be
ready to take its place in motorsport's history books.
The distinctive circuit, which in sheer size will overshadow every
other circuit in the World Championship, incorporates 14 wide-ranging
corners - an equal blend of left- and right-handers that combine to
form a 5.45-kilometre (3.39-mile) lap. Viewed from overhead, the
circuit's shape is redolent of the Chinese symbol "Shang", which
translates as "high" or "above". According to computer simulations,
current- generation Formula One cars will lap the track in about 1m
34s at an average speed close to 205 km/h (127.4 mph). On the longest,
1175-metre straight, which links Turns 13 and 14, cars should reach a
maximum speed of 327 km/h (203mph).
There will be room for 200,000 spectators - and those in the massive
29,500-seat grandstand opposite the pits will enjoy a "wide screen"
view that allows them to see 80 per cent of the racetrack. This
grandstand is unique in the world of Formula One
in having two "wing-like" structures that link the spectator seating
to the pit complex and house both a media centre and the circuit's
hospitality suites.
The circuit's design and layout provide the drivers with that crucial
ingredient - overtaking opportunities. Those that have seen the
circuit are convinced that the new Shanghai International Circuit will
provide spectators and television viewers alike with a great spectacle
and a great race. The 2004 Chinese Grand Prix, the first in the
country, will be something to look forward to with enthusiasm.
2/4/04
Quote of Week: Vasser calls Tony George a hypocrite This
quote from National Speed Sport News after the OWRS win over Tony
George who tried to kill the Champ Car series - "Tony George was a
hypocrite for saying there needs to be one series. Let's remember he
started his series. He split open wheel racing into two series. And I
can tell you these guys (OWRS) are not interested in getting together with
Tony George or the Speedway ever again." -- Jimmy Vasser
2/4/04
Mosley will seek reelection Max
Mosley has confirmed that he intends to stand for another term of
office as FIA President when the next election comes in October 2005.
The 63-year-old has been FIA President since 1993 and prior to that
spent two years running the FISA, the FIA's sporting subsidiary, until
that organization was merged into the FIA. If elected Mosley would be
69 by the time the next election comes in October 2009. This would not
be unusual as his predecessor Jean-Marie Balestre was 72 when he stood
down as FIA President in 1993. "It is early days," said Mosley, "but
health and sanity permitting I will stand again."
Grandprix.com
2/4/04
Gonzalez to drive PK Racing car at
Sebring Roberto Gonzalez ran two races for Dale Coyne
last year and is scheduled to get in the PK Racing car tomorrow. The
team is understood to be considering a second entry this season. “I'm
excited, it's been a long time,” the Mexican said, “I feel very
positive about this chance and we'll see how it goes tomorrow. To have
the opportunity to get back in a Champ Car is great and I'll be
ready.”
Crash.net
2/4/04
Conquest to remain in Champ Cars Conquest
Racing will race in this season's Champ Car World Series, team boss
Eric Bachelart confirmed during yesterday's test at Sebring.
“We'll have at least one car, but maybe two or three,” Bachelart said
with a grin, “My sponsor, Mi-Jack, is a very supportive partner of the
team and there was never any pressure to move back to the IRL.
We are a business, though, and, at some stage, you had to look at
other alternatives in case the Champ Car series was not going to run.
But this is really what we want to do. We feel very good about the
series.” Barber Dodge graduate Nelson Philippe had a second run
with the team at Sebring on Tuesday, while 2003 driver Mario Haberfeld
is due to occupy the cockpit today. “I'm only three-tenths off
the best time so far,” Philippe said with a smile, “It's a pretty big
jump from Barber Dodge to these cars, but this car is like a big
go-kart. I'm not intimidated by the speed and, right now, it's just a
big go-kart with a lot of speed and a lot of power.” Haberfeld, who
ran with Conquest in his Champ Car debut season last year, was invited
to test by team boss Eric Bachelart, but admitted that he was pursuing
a range of offers for 2004. "We have developed some things
during the winter and Eric asked me to test them," Haberfeld said, "I
am still talking with other teams, but I thought that it was important
for me to come back and work with Conquest. We built a good
relationship last year and continuity is always a factor in being
competitive." The Brazilian admitted that he was happy to
know where his future lay, after much uncertainty over the future of
the Champ Car series during the winter. "I am happy to be back
in action, as it has been four months since the last race in
Australia," he said, "CART (sic) is the premier open wheel racing
series in the United States and I am happy to see it continue.
"I can finally start making definite decisions regarding the 2004
season, and build upon my achievements of last season. With the
bidding process now behind us, and
having had time to analyze all offers for 2004, I should be able to
make an announcement regarding my team for 2004 within the next few
days. As they say, now it's time to 'put the pedal to the metal' and
get ready for the season."
Crash.net
2/4/04
Kelley Racing files first entry Kelley
Racing on Feb. 3 filed entries for the season-opening Toyota Indy 400
and the Indy Japan 300, becoming the first team to file entries for
the 2004 Indy Racing League® IndyCar® Series season. The
Indianapolis-based team named 1996 co-champion Scott Sharp as driver
of its No. 8 Delphi Dallara/Toyota/Firestone entry. John Worth will
serve as Sharp's chief mechanic, while Paul Harcus was named team
manager. Sharp, a resident of Jupiter, Fla., and a native of Norwalk,
Conn., is the IndyCar® Series' iron man, starting a record 74
consecutive races. He will add to that streak by taking the green flag
at Homestead-Miami Speedway for the Toyota Indy 400 on Feb. 29. The
2001 Indianapolis 500 pole winner won an IRL IndyCar® Series event for
the seventh consecutive season when he captured the inaugural Indy
Japan 300 at Twin Ring Motegi -- the first IRL event held outside of
the United States. Sharp will defend his title when the IRL IndyCar®
Series returns to Japan on April 17.
2/4/04 Star Mazda
Sellers tests new Star Mazda car Lynx
Racing driver Bryan Sellers, who will be the full-time driver of the
team’s #19 Swift 014.a in the 2004 Toyota Atlantic Series, got a taste
of something different recently when he spent a day in the first
production model of the 2004 Star Formula Mazda Race car. The all-new,
high-tech car -- powered by the ultra-reliable, 240 horsepower Mazda
‘Renesis’ rotary engine and now with a carbon composite chassis
replacing the tube frame of the previous model -- opened more than a
few eyes during the all-day session at Southern California’s
Buttonwillow Raceway test facility, lapping less than two seconds off
the pace of the Sierra Sierra Atlantic car being tested at the same
track. “The Star Mazda was surprisingly fast and a lot of fun to
drive,” says Sellers, the 2002 Formula Ford Zetec champion with seven
poles and eight victories. “This will be a great car for drivers to
graduate to Atlantic from. We worked through a pretty comprehensive
development program and the car responded really well. The day was
good for me, too, since I got to work with the Lynx team, including
Rick Cameron, who will be my Atlantic engineer in 2004. It really
helped us all knock some of the between-seasons rust off and get the
lines of communication up and working.” Rick Cameron, the Lynx Racing
engineer who worked with Sellers during the test, was also enthused
about the results of the day, saying “This is a safe, fast and
well-designed race car, and Bryan did an excellent job. His technical
feedback was Champ Car caliber – just what we expect of a Lynx driver
-- and will help the Star Mazda series provide a really good baseline
setup for the customer cars. Now that we know how competitive this car
is, Lynx and the other Atlantic teams will definitely be paying more
attention to the young drivers coming up through the Star Mazda
series.” The Star Mazda Series is one of the most successful racing
series in the U.S. with an average of more than 30 cars starting each
of the Star Mazda Series events in 2003. All series races are
broadcast on Speed Channel, and a new title sponsorship from Goodyear
Tires, along with the participation of Mazda and other sponsors,
assures a minimum $500,000 prize fund each year through 2008. Star
Mazda race cars are assembled by the series in a Southern California
facility. The carbon fiber chassis are built to FIA specifications,
and are powered by a 240 horsepower Mazda “Renesis” rotary engine
mated to a 6-speed manual transaxle with ‘no lift’ shift. Performance
figures include 0 to 60 mph acceleration in 2.78 seconds (comparable
to an Atlantic car), and a top speed of 130 mph. Lynx Racing
Patrick Racing may defect to the IRL? This
AP
article talks about Pat Patrick's possible move to the IRL.
What it does not say is the fact he sold his Champ Car team to Kevin
Kalkhoven for Emerson Fittipaldi and if he goes to the IRL, it will be
as a new team, probably run under the Kelley Racing roof. -- Patrick Racing will leave the troubled Championship
Auto Racing Teams series and join the rival Indy Racing League if a
sponsorship package can be arranged. "I just think CART has been
completely mishandled and, even though it's very disappointing to me
personally, I just think it's time to move on," team owner U.E. "Pat"
Patrick said today. "This makes me very sad, but I finally accepted
this is the way it has to be." CART, founded in 1978 by Patrick
and car owner Roger Penske, became a publicly traded company in 1998
and filed for bankruptcy late last year. Its assets were sold in U.S.
Bankruptcy Court in Indianapolis last week to a group headed by three
other team owners who want to revive the series under the name Open
Wheel Racing. Penske left CART for the IRL two years ago.
"I have enough funding to do it right now, if I fund part of it
myself," Patrick told The Associated Press during a telephone
interview. "I'm just not sure yet what we will do, but we have to make
some decisions pretty fast." The IRL season opens Feb. 29 at
Miami-Homestead Speedway. CART officials did not return calls seeking
comment. IRL spokesman Fred Nation said the IndyCar Series would
be happy to have Patrick Racing in its fold. "Many things in
racing have come full circle in the last 10 years," he said. "Pat
Patrick is a legend in open-wheel racing, and we would certainly
welcome him." Here is a related
article from Patrick's hometown paper.
2/3/04
Marketing folks not happy with NASCAR
In a move that raises the financial risk for the marketers who sponsor
race cars and their drivers, NASCAR is instituting a new scoring
system that will more tightly restrict eligibility to win the Nextel
Cup Championship. Marketers, who covet the intense media exposure that
follows the winner back to Pit Road, are fuming. Some tell AdAge.com
they are seriously reassessing their season-long NASCAR sponsorship
budgets, which can range from between $15 million and $30 million.
"We've made a commitment to our team for this year," said an executive
for a marketer that sponsors one of the 42 NASCAR drivers. "But if our
guy isn't one of the 10 drivers competing for the championship, then
maybe next year we do look at [sponsoring] the first 26 races and then
seeing what happens." More at
Ad Age
2/3/04
Fellows
back behind the wheel American Le Mans Series GTS
champion Ron Fellows was happy to be back in the saddle ahead of
schedule, driving a race car for the first time since having shoulder
surgery Dec. 1. Fellows and the rest of the factory
Chevrolet Corvette team spent Sunday and Monday testing at Sebring
(Fla.) International Raceway in preparation for the season-opening
Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring Mar. 17-20. Fellows, who drove the
last two races of the 2003 season with a painfully dislocated
shoulder, admitted he was not back to full strength yet. More.....
2/3/04
Ryan Hunter-Reay tops test times at
Sebring AutoRacing1.com observers were at the Sebring
track all day timing cars. Here are the fast times from today:
1. Ryan Hunter-Reay Herdez Lola 51.90 sec.
2. Adrian Fernandez Fernández Racing Lola
52.54 sec
3. Mika Salo PK Racing Lola 52.55 sec.
4. Nelson Philippe Conquest Reynard 52.92 sec.
(Good time for a Reynard and a rookie)
Tomorrow Mario Dominguez will be in
Hunter-Reay's car and both will test on Thursday. Haberfeld
shows up on Wednesday as well. “We had some fuel pressure
problems and then we had a switch that was bad, so they had to replace
the whole wiring loom,” Hunter-Reay explained, “But we ran the fastest
time this morning, and the track is still not at it's best yet, so,
overall, I'm pretty pleased with it so far. I've got another day for
sure with the team on this test, which is great. Big thanks to Herdez
for that.”
2/3/04
NASCAR names new CFO
In a move to enhance NASCAR's business leadership within the
motorsports industry, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Brian
France announced today the appointment of R. Todd Wilson as Chief
Financial Officer. Wilson, who will report directly to France, will
serve as NASCAR's highest ranking financial officer. He will oversee
all financial issues affecting the sanctioning body and continue to
serve as Chief Financial Officer of NASCAR Broadcasting and NASCAR
Digital Entertainment. Wilson's most recent responsibilities include
serving as the Assistant Treasurer of NASCAR and Chief Financial
Officer of NASCAR Broadcasting, NASCAR Digital Entertainment, and
NASCAR Images. The 41-year-old Wilson holds both a bachelor's degree
of science and a master's degree in accounting from the University of
Florida. He is a member of both the American Institute of Certified
Public Accountants (AICPA) and the Florida Institute of Certified
Public Accountants (FICPA). A NASCAR employee since 1999, Wilson has
held several key positions in the company. Business planning,
budgeting process and all tax issues have been among his
responsibilities. Prior to joining NASCAR, Wilson's 14-year career in
public accounting included an extensive working background in many
industries. Wilson will continue to be based at NASCAR headquarters in
Daytona Beach, Fla. He and wife Sharon have one son, Brad. "In
addition to working closely with me on several major projects,
including our broadcasting partnerships, and long term strategic
planning, Todd has worked with our entire family over the years and
has a solid working knowledge of our industry," France said. "Todd
shares a strong passion for this sport and we're pleased to have him
as part of our senior management team."
2/3/04
Champ Car statement on Barber
Dodge Pro suspension
What follows is a statement by the Champ Car World Series
regarding yesterday’s announcement that the Barber Dodge Pro
Series would be unable to compete in 2004. The statement
should be attributed to Champ Car when used in print.
“Champ Car is saddened to see the suspension of race
activities by the Barber Dodge Pro Series in 2004. For the
past 18 years, they have provided some of the best racing in
North America and served as a fertile proving ground for
young, aspiring Champ Car drivers such as Juan Pablo
Montoya, Bryan Herta and Kenny Brack. For the last three
seasons, Champ Car has directly sanctioned the Pro Series
and our fans have seen the dawn of great careers including
those of Ryan Hunter-Reay, AJ Allmendinger and Leonardo Maia.
Key personnel at both Champ Car and Open Wheel Racing Series
worked diligently with Skip Barber officials to put together
a sanctioning agreement for the 2004 season. However, the
recent court proceedings and the subsequent legal paperwork
prevent Champ Car from signing any sanctioning agreements
until after the closing of the sale. Other series have found
themselves in a similar situation in their 2004 relationship
with Champ Car and have maintained operations but
unfortunately, the Skip Barber organization decided it could
not keep the Pro Series viable and chose to suspend
activities. The relationship with Skip Barber has
always been much more than just sanctioning the Pro Series.
At its heart, it is a marketing partnership that has been
mutually beneficial for both organizations.
2/3/04
Barber Dodge cancels Dodge Pro Series2nd UPDATE Another reader
writes, I find the news regarding the Barber Dodge Pro
Series very interesting. As one reader states, it is in fact
relatively easy for a driver to transfer from the BDPS to
Toyota Atlantic. However, the two are very different in
terms of actual lap times. A very viable series that would
fill this void but has not been a part of the CART ladder in
the past due to politics (SCCA sanctioned-not CART) is the
US Formula Ford 2000 Zetec Championship. It is very similar
to Formula 3 these days (faster than BDPS slightly slower
than Toyota Atlantic.) Fran Am has shown its inability to do
proper business and the F3 series has come and gone.
Meanwhile FF2000 has survived independently on its own
merit. It should be a part of the recognized system. It has
contributed to the development of drivers like Jimmy Vasser,
Alex Tagliani, Aaron Justus, Greg Ray among many others
along with some recent champions who will be making their
mark in Toyota Atlantic this year. CART's ladder
system is flawed because it acknowledges drivers in
specific, pre-approved series. This limits a broad talent
pool. During this time of re-defining their future and
methods, they should acknowledge all open-wheel champions in
the USA and move American talent to the top!. Keep up
the good work, Beaux Barfield Dear Beaux, What
is clear to us is the fact there are simply too many
competing open wheel series at various levels. This
dilutes the product, confuses the fans, and weakens road
racing. We believe some consolidation is necessary to
strengthen each rung of the ladder, and clearly define for
the fans, the various levels. In stick and ball sports
you have Early youth-->High School-->College-->Minors-->Pro
At each level, the rules are almost exactly the same.
In racing, there are so many series and so many rulebooks,
how can we expect fans to ever understand it all? Open
Wheel Racing needs consolidation and better definition.
Mark C.2/3/04 - A reader chimes in - You
know I think it would be ultimately better if the Barber Dodge just
combined with the Atlantic Series. Considering the closeness in its
engine powers it would drastically increase the Atlantic fields and
thereby bring all the drivers closer to Champ Cars. Until the Atlantic
can bring the power up in their engines, it really makes sense to
combine the two for the betterment of all road racing. I can easily
see the drivers in Barber Dodge being able to get up to speed quick
enough to make it in the Atlantics. I hope that many of the Barber
Dodge drivers can in fact run in the Atlantics this year. Then maybe
OWRS will see that the gap between the Barber Dodge and Atlantics is
hopelessly too close and do something to speed up the Atlantics.
They're way too slow to be the first step down from the Champ Cars.
This may actually work out for the better for everybody. I hope
everybody finds a ride for the future. James M. Shaw
Dear James, You are absolutely correct. There was too much
overlap between Barber Dodge Pro and Atlantics. When I first heard
about Formula BMW I doubted Barber Dodge Pro would survive. I asked
that question and got and oh yes, they are going to continue. The fact
of the matter is that the Champ Car ladder has too many rungs now.
It needs to be trimmed to:
karting-->Formula BMW-->F3-->Atlantics-->Champ Cars.
Barber Dodge should field the F3 series spec cars starting in 2005.
Atlantics should move closer to the current F3000 spec. That to me is
a perfect ladder system - 5 rungs.
1. Karting 15 years and younger
2. Formula BMW 16 & 17 year olds
3. F3 18 year olds
4. Atlantics/F3000 19 and 20 year olds
5. Champ Cars 21 and older.
If you can't make it to the top in 5 rungs
you probably should find another career. Mark C.
2/2/04 - Skip Barber Racing School LLC announced today that it
plans to further elevate the profile of its highly successful Formula
Dodge National Championship Series (FDNC) Presented by RACER in 2004
to provide even more visibility to one of the most important series
for aspiring professional race car drivers. As part of its 2004
schedule, the National Series will be supporting the 52nd running of
the Mobil 12 Hours of Sebring, Mar. 17-20, and the Champ Car race at
Road America Aug. 6-8. In addition to an announcement concerning
increases in scholarship funding for FDNC competitors, its complete
schedule will also be released shortly. The company also announced
that it will not run the Barber Dodge Pro Series in 2004 in order to
update the series for the future and focus on the National Series. The
move was precipitated by the widespread uncertainty in U.S. open-wheel
racing resulting from the ownership status of Champ Car. "The delay
settling the ownership status of Champ Car, our sanctioning body,
prevented us, like many others, from adequately preparing for the 2004
season," said Aaron Hollander, President and CEO of Skip Barber Racing
School. "We were unable to negotiate a mutually beneficial sanctioning
relationship that would allow us to operate a viable series for our
drivers and sponsors. Having said that, we look forward to the
possibility of continuing to work with and support Champ Car in
numerous ways this year and in the future. We wish them nothing but
success." Hollander went on to say, "We are exploring all alternatives
for 2005 that meet the requirements of a changing marketplace. Skip
Barber Racing participates in nearly every facet of motorsports and we
are afforded a large number of opportunities for continued growth. We
are very optimistic about the future of racing in North America."
2/3/04
Toyota Atlantic reinstates C2
category In a move aimed at providing a
cost-effective alternative for teams and drivers wishing to
compete in the Toyota Atlantic Championship Presented by
Yokohama, series officials announced today that it has
reinstated the C2 category to the series, making
properly-updated Swift 008.a chassis eligible to compete in
the 2004 and 2005 seasons.
The C2 category is a "championship within a championship,"
as drivers and teams competing in the category will be
eligible for overall race victories and prize money, as well
as earning points toward the season-ending C2 championship.
In addition to providing a more economical option for teams
and drivers to compete in the series, it is anticipated that
the reinstatement of the C2 category will also increase the
series' car count.
"In this difficult economy, we are aware of several teams
that were not able to put together a proper budget to run
the full 2003 schedule with the Swift 014.a chassis," said
Vicki O'Connor, Toyota Atlantic president. "As a result, we
saw the number of cars in our paddock shrinking. We are also
aware that there are several Swift 008.a chassis currently
competing in various club series. It made sense to open our
doors to those teams, drivers, and cars and allow them to
compete once again in the Toyota Atlantic Championship. I
have already been in contact with several teams and drivers
that have expressed an interest in participating in C2."
C2 points will be awarded in the same manner as the overall
series, with 20 points going to the highest finisher in the
C2 category, followed by 16 for second in class, 14 for
third, 12 for fourth, 11 for fifth, etc. Points are
distributed down to the 15th place finisher in each
category. One bonus point will also be awarded to the
fastest C2 qualifier on each qualifying day, as well as to
the C2 driver that leads the most laps within the category
at each event.
Whereas cars running for the overall Toyota Atlantic
Championship will be using a single engine builder, cars
competing in the C2 category will be allowed to use
alternate engine builders. All engine builders will be
subject to the approval of series officials and engines must
comply with series rules. Additional rules information is
available by contacting Toyota Atlantic president Vicki
O'Connor at (317) 715-4100.
This will be the first time since 1999 that Toyota Atlantic
has offered the C2 championship. That year, there were a
total of seven C2 entries and Bob Siska won the
season-ending C2 title.
2/3/04
TAG
Heuer named Official Timekeeper TAG
Heuer, a world leader in prestigious sports watches and
chronographs since 1860, has been named the Official
Timekeeper and Scorer of the Indy Racing League and the
Indianapolis 500-Mile Race.
Making the announcement at a press briefing Feb. 3 was Tony
George, president and CEO of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway
and Indy Racing League, and Jean-Christophe Babin, president
and CEO of TAG Heuer.
2003 Indy Racing League IndyCar Series champion Scott Dixon
and longtime TAG Heuer partner and IRL star Sarah Fisher
joined the executives at the New York press event. More....
2/3/04
NASCAR's power elite
The concentration of power among a handful of NASCAR team owners is
becoming one of the most serious threats to the sport of stock car
racing as the 2004 season-opener approaches.
That's according to Bruton Smith, who as head of Speedway Motorsports
is one of the most powerful men in the sport.
And according to Jimmy Spencer, a struggling driver who is certainly
not one of the powerful. Spencer, in fact, is one of several drivers
in danger of being squeezed out of the sport by the trend.
NASCAR president Mike Helton says that executives in Daytona are
keeping an eye on the situation.
Nine people - Jack Roush, Rick Hendrick, Richard Childress, Roger
Penske, Joe Gibbs, Teresa Earnhardt, Chip Ganassi, Robert Yates and
Ray Evernham - effectively control some 30 NASCAR Nextel Cup teams,
almost every top team on the tour.
The expense of running a NASCAR team has become simply shocking over
the past five years - estimates range from $5 million to $12 million a
season. And when the economy began to contract three years ago,
marginal teams were pushed into the ditch.
More....
2/3/04
Nürburgring gets race extension through
2009 Bernie Ecclestone has struck a deal with the local
authority to keep F1 Grand Prix racing at Nurburgring through to 2009.
The 1999 contract to race the European Grand Prix ran out this year.
Germany hosts two Grands Prix. The German GP, which is raced at
Hockenheim, has a contract through 2008.
2/3/04
Sato lowers Button's record time in
hybrid car Takuma Sato, driving the team's all-black
hybrid machine, set a new mark of 1m13.787s this morning in Barcelona,
eclipsing the record time set by teammate Jenson Button in the new
2004 car yesterday. As with Button's record yesterday, Sato set
his time on a low fuel, flat-out qualifying run. The hybrid machine
that he is running in features 2003-spec bodywork, although most of
the key internal components, such as the engine and the gearbox, are
new. Button, who lapped the circuit yesterday in 1m13.867s, is
continuing development work on the new 006 today. Sato is due to begin
his running in the new car at the team's next test.
Pos Driver Chassis-engine Tires
Time Laps
1 Takuma Sato BAR-Honda M 1m13.797s 76
2 Fernando Alonso Renault M 1m14.687s 71*
3 Marc Gene Williams-BMW M 1m15.129s 52*
4 Ralf Schumacher Williams-BMW M 1m15.206s 77*
5 Jenson Button BAR-Honda M 1m15.462s 26*
6 Frank Montagny Renault M 1m15.610s 63*
7 Rubens Barrichello Ferrari B 1m15.779s 69
8 Olivier Panis Toyota M 1m15.992s 78*
9 Alex Wurz McLaren-Mercedes M 1m16.009s 83*
10 Nelson Piquet Jr Williams-BMW M 1m16.431s 67
11 Cristiano da Matta Toyota M 1m16.610s 72*
12 Pedro de la Rosa McLaren-Mercedes M 1m16.875s 12*
13 Giancarlo Fisichella Sauber-Petronas B 1m17.153s 30*
14 Kimi Raikkonen McLaren-Mercedes M 1m17.315s 23*
Autosport
2/3/04
Schwan Food to sponsor Schrader
A company that grew from "one man and one truck" into an American
food-industry powerhouse will join forces with NASCAR's
fastest-growing Cup team beginning with the 2004 season.
Announcing a multi-year agreement, Schwan's Home Service - a unit of
The Schwan Food Company -- will sponsor BAM Racing's #49 Dodge and
veteran driver Ken Schrader in the NASCAR Nextel Cup Series. The
announcement was made today by Beth Ann Morgenthau, owner of BAM
Racing, and M. Lenny Pippin, president and CEO of The Schwan Food
Company.
"We are very excited to have one of the best-known names in the food
industry join us as we work towards our first pole, our first race
victory and our first championship as a team," Ms. Morgenthau said in
making the announcement. "Schwan is a well-known and highly respected
name in the American and European food industry, and we're extremely
pleased to be partnering with them.
"The fact that The Schwan Food Company grew from a small dairy
home-delivery business in 1952 to what it is today is not lost on us,"
she continued. "Their faith in a race team that began small and is
building into what we feel will become a powerhouse within NASCAR
means a great deal to us. We are excited about the marketing
possibilities for Schwan, as well as the competitive possibilities for
BAM Racing.
2/3/04 Industry News
Dodge Ram beats Ford truck The
Dodge Ram SRT-10 unleashed its Viper power today, taking its place in
the Guinness Book of World Records as the "World's Fastest Production
Pickup Truck."
Only recently off the Saltillo, Mexico, assembly line and not modified
in any way for additional power or enhanced aerodynamics, the Dodge
Ram SRT-10 posted a two-lap, both-directions average speed of 154.587
mph over a "flying kilometer" on the 4.71-mile oval at the
DaimlerChrysler Proving Grounds here in Chelsea. The record run by the
Dodge Ram SRT-10 was certified by Guinness World Records and the
Sports Car Club of America (SCCA). The previous record was 147.54 mph,
set last July by the Ford SVT F-150 Lightning, before the Dodge Ram
SRT-10 went into production.
"When we set out to develop the Dodge Ram SRT-10, our mission was to
create the ultimate performance truck," said Dan Knott, Director,
Street and Racing Technology. "With 500 horsepower, sports car-like
handling, world-class braking and race-inspired design appointments,
we know we reached our goal. Setting the Guinness record today simply
confirms that, and solidifies the Ram SRT-10 as the ultimate -- and
fastest -- performance pickup."
According to Guinness World Records rules, the record speed had to be
the average of two one-kilometer runs in opposite directions along the
same track, made within an hour of one another. The timing equipment
had to be certified as accurate to within 1/1000th of a second, and
supplied and operated by a qualified third party. The speed of each
run was timed by means of sensors at the start and finish of the
measured kilometer, thus giving an average speed over the full
distance.
2/3/04
Benson & Hedges re-ups with Jordan Jordan
Grand Prix has announced today that Benson & Hedges will be a major
sponsor of the Jordan Ford team in the 2004 FIA Formula One World
Championship.
Manufactured in the UK by Gallaher Group PLC, the Benson and Hedges
brand has been associated with Jordan Grand Prix since 1996 when it
became the team's title sponsor.
Since then it has enjoyed considerable success in Formula One with
Benson and Hedges Jordan winning its first Grand Prix with a one-two
for Damon Hill and Ralf Schumacher in Belgium in 1998; Heinz-Harald
Frentzen added a further two victories the following season in France
and Italy and a fourth win was included in the tally in Brazil 2003
with Giancarlo Fisichella.
Eddie Jordan, chief executive of Jordan Grand Prix said: "The whole
team is delighted that Benson and Hedges will be with us for a ninth
consecutive season.
"Benson and Hedges have been an integral part of our success in the
past and they have shown remarkable loyalty to us. I'm proud that we
will be racing once again in their distinctive yellow colors and we're
looking forward to the season with excitement."
Why does Bernie want more GP's?
A reader asks, Dear AutoRacing1.com, Why does Bernie Ecclestone want
20 F1 races per year, up from 16, then 17, 18 and soon 20?
Ralph Parsons, Oakridge, CA Dear Ralph, When in doubt,
follow the money. Bernie's company makes money from each race.
The more races and more money. Bernie doesn't make any money
from testing, that is why he wants to cut it short. If he could
find a way to make money from testing, you would see the teams test 7
days a week. He'd find a way. Mark C.
2/2/04
Ticket sales strong at Milwaukee A
reader writes, Dear AutoRacing1.com, I called to renew my Milwaukee
Ticket Sales for the CART/OWRS race there. The operator said that they
were very busy handling the call volume in regards to the race.
Regards Leon Walters Dear Leon, Now that the uncertainty
is removed about Champ Car's future, we expect ticket sales to be
quite good this year. Tony George did the series a very big
favor. By trying to kill it Tony brought the series much
free publicity and has rejuvenated a somewhat complacent customer
base. We hear as OWRS reveals their plans, some of which are
very interesting, it will stimulate interest even further.
Mark C.
2/2/04
Open Wheel train wreck This
SPEED TV article
describes the current situation in open wheel racing (i.e. the
CART/IRL split) as a train wreck. While the article makes a lot
of valid points, it misses some key ones. 1) In order for the
open wheel racing community to ever come back together a merger must
happen on equal terms, not one side killing the other as Tony George
has attempted since he created the IRL. 2) Open Wheel Race
cars belong on road courses. That is the way it is in the rest
of the world. The IRL tried putting them on high speed ovals and
the result was death and devastation. Common sense tells
you that racing Open Wheel cars on concrete walled ovals is absolutely
absurd. Not only are we seeing an unconscionable number of serious
bone breaking injuries, but the series produced approximately $13
million of damaged cars in one year (2003). 3) We must give OWRS
a chance to prove themselves. Too many people are predicting
they will fail long before they even start. The IRL is already a
failed concept. Was open wheel racing supposed to rally around a
failed business plan of mostly oval racing? Absolutely not.
Champ Car attendance is larger than the IRL's and their network TV
ratings better. If any rallying gets done, it needs to be around
the Champ Car concept for Open Wheel Racing, not the IRL concept.
Then, and only then, will there be something to build upon.
Which would put open wheel racing back to 1995, its biggest most
successful year until Tony George destroyed it all by creating the
IRL. Mark C.
2/2/04
Scott Wimmer arrested for DWIUPDATE Wimmer was also
charged Saturday with hit and run after the pickup registered to the
High Point-based Bill Davis Racing team was found overturned with
three tires missing about a mile away from his home, Washington said.
When officers arrived at the scene, Wimmer wasn't there. He was found
hiding behind a bed at his home, according to the police report.
2/1/04 - Scott Allan Wimmer, the 28-year-old driver for Bill Davis Racing's
Nextel Cup team, was arrested for driving while impaired early
Saturday morning when he wrecked a blue, 2004 Dodge Ram pickup truck
owned by Bill Davis Racing. According to High Point police records, at
about 2 a.m. Saturday morning, Wimmer was charged with DWI after
officers gave him a Breathalyzer test and found he had a 0.15 blood
alcohol content, nearly twice the state legal limit for intoxication,
0.08. Just over one hour later, at about 3:15 a.m., Wimmer's wife Jody
Ambrose, was charged with misdemeanor obstruction and delay, according
to High Point police records. High Point police officials would not
comment on details of the charges. Messages left at Wimmer's home were
not returned. Contacted at his home Saturday night, Bill Davis, owner
of the High Point-based Bill Davis Racing, would not comment on the
incident. The charge comes at a time when Wimmer is ascending NASCAR's
hierarchy. Last fall, he moved up to the Nextel Cup Series after three
full seasons in Busch Series racing. Wimmer is slated to drive the No.
22 Dodge for Davis Racing, a car sponsored by Caterpillar. When asked
about how the DWI charge would affect Wimmer's status on the team,
Davis only said, "We really don't have any comment right now. We are
kind of figuring out the facts." Court dates for Wimmer and Ambrose
are both set for March 10. -
High Point Enterprise
2/2/04
Skinner to drive R&D car in 500
Mike Skinner, the 1995 NASCAR Truck Series champion who is returning
to the series in 2004, will drive the No. 33 Richard Childress Racing
(RCR) Chevrolet Monte Carlo at the 2004 NASCAR Cup Series
season-opening Daytona 500.
The primary car for the effort is the former No. 90 Chevrolet Monte
Carlo that was last driven by John Andretti in the EA Sports 500 at
Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway (qualified 24th and finished 15th). The
team will be led by RCR's General Manager, Bobby Hutchens, and NASCAR
veteran crew chief Bobby Leslie and the crew will consist of RCR's
research and development team. A sponsor announcement for the program
will be forthcoming.
"We have planned all along to run an R&D car in the Daytona 500 and
Mike has always been so good in the restrictor-plate races so it just
made a lot of sense," said Richard Childress, president and CEO of
RCR. "The program was already in the making when we put our deal
together with Kerry Earnhardt so it's not something that will take the
place of that program at all. Kerry will still be running those five
races later this year. Mike has a great shot at winning the race. He's
led some races and really finished good in our cars so we think he'll
do great in our R&D car."
"This is an unbelievable opportunity," said Skinner. "Richard and I
have maintained our friendship through all of our business dealings.
We had a lot of success together, winning just about every non-points
race that you can win. We parted company a couple years ago but we
never parted our friendship and that's very special to me. Richard
giving me this opportunity to help him and help me is just a tribute
to that friendship and I think it really makes a statement."
Skinner will also be competing in the Feb. 7 Budweiser Shootout at
Daytona, driving the No. 10 Chevrolet, team car to the No. 01
Chevrolet he won the pole in last year for the Chevy Rock & Roll 400
at Richmond (Va.) International Raceway. Boris Said also earned a pole
in the No. 01 last year (Sonoma) and will drive the No. 10 in a number
of races this season so Skinner is using the No. 10 for the
pole-winners only event.
2/2/04
Record Daytona 500 purse increases $2
million, dwarfs Indy 500
The 46th annual Daytona 500, the biggest and most prestigious race in
the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series, will boast the biggest purse in the
history of stock car racing. The posted awards for this year's Daytona
500 on Sunday, Feb. 15 are $15,972,313, an increase of nearly $2
million from last year's posted awards. The posted awards for last
year's Daytona 500, won by Michael Waltrip, were $14,030,129. "The
Daytona 500 is the ultimate prize in stock car racing," Speedway
President Robin Braig said. "It only stands to reason that the biggest
race of the year command the biggest purse." The first driver to take
the checkered flag in the Daytona 500 will pocket a minimum of
$1,391,730. The second, third, fourth and fifth-place finishers will
receive a minimum of $986,325, $693,550, $541,750 and $413,950
respectively. The last-place finisher in the Daytona 500 will earn a
minimum of $177,058.
2/2/04
Champ Car sets team travel limits to
reduce cost In the
first of what will be a number of positive rule changes for the 2004
Champ Car World Series season, the series today established roster
limitations for each of its teams in an effort to help the teams
control racing costs. For the 2004 season, each team in the
Champ Car World Series will be allowed up to 15 working crew members
per entered car per event. These 15 members will be the only team
personnel permitted to work on the race car during a Champ Car
weekend. Team owners, drivers, public relations and marketing
personnel do not count toward the roster limitations. The move
is intended to lessen the financial burden on Champ Car teams by
limiting their travel expenditures, and is a step toward leveling the
playing field for each of the teams. The chosen 15 crew members will
be designated with a special annual credential, which may be
transferred throughout the team as long as the limit of 15 crew
personnel per event is not exceeded. “The roster
limitation rule mirrors what we see in the NFL and the NBA,” said
Champ Car Senior Vice-President of Operations John Lopes. “Much of the
attraction of sports is in a team pitting its top personnel against
the best that its opponents can muster. We believe Champ Car fans will
be engaged by the added competition that this rule provides.”
The new rule will be referred to as rule 6.4.1 in the
soon-to-be-published 2004 Champ Car Rule Book.
2/2/04
Derek
Daly back in F1 car Former Formula One driver
Derek Daly returned to his roots on Monday February 2nd when
he drove the Jordan-Ford EC13 at Silverstone, England. Daly
was testing the car as part of a television show he is
producing for Speed Channel in America. Derek’s test will
also be featured in an upcoming issue of Road & Track
magazine. “Eddie Jordan still owes me money from the first
racing car I bought from him in 1973 and this is part of his
payback” said Daly. “I use these tests to keep me current
with contemporary racing cars because I believe it helps
with my television broadcasts.” After his test Derek
commented: “My biggest problem was trying to keep my head
upright during acceleration such were the forces leaving low
speed corners. This is probably the last time I will drive a
Formula One car. I am no longer physically or mentally able
to drive them”. Although retired from competition since
1992, Derek Daly Track Tests have been taking place since
1994 when he drove the Williams FW 15B at Paul Ricard. Since
then he has tested a variety of cars including; Champ cars,
Formula One, World Sports cars, Indy Racing League and
NASCAR Nextel Cup cars. Derek Daly owns and operates Derek
Daly Performance Driving Academy in Las Vegas, Nevada. He
has been in television broadcasting with, ESPN, Speed
Channel, and CBS Sports since 1985.
2/2/04 Industry News
New material to replace
carbon-fiber?
Treasury International, Inc. (BULLETIN BOARD: TRUY) (Treasury)
announces its potential acquisition, Matrix Motor Company,
Inc., has an exclusive agreement for use of a new fabric in
the manufacturing of racecar bodies and components. This new
fabric is made of fibers processed out of mineral rocks of
volcanic origin. These fibers are developed using new
technologies into new hybrid composite materials with carbon
or ceramic fibers and/or various metals.
The new material can either be a woven material or fiber
configuration. Its primary benefit to the racing sport is
its lightweight and superior physical properties. In thermal
conductivity it is three times as efficient as asbestos, and
superior to glass and mineral fibers. In physical properties
with its high tensile and impact strength it considerably
exceeds mineral and glass fibers. Using specific comparative
thickness and surface density numbers, Kevlar has a tensile
strength of 600 x 600 and Carbon/Graphite 300 x 300 and the
new fabric 730 x 730. Due to the elasticity of its micro-and
macrostructure, it is vibration-resistant compared to
similar products. In Dielectric properties, in particular
volume resistance, it is 1 to 2 orders of magnitude higher
than those of fiberglass.
The new material was incorporated into the body of the new
Matrix Motor Company Le Mans Series racecar. This car has
now completed two very successful test sessions at Willow
Springs International Raceway, the latest of which concluded
Friday, January 23, 2004. The significantly reduce weight
resulted in very impressive and competitive lap times. The
new fabric was used in various stress points of the cars
body and performed to the design specifications.
2/2/04
NASCAR point system on Wind
Tunnel tonight
The talk of the off-season has been the big change in the
NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series point system, with the end result
being a 10-race "playoff" to determine the first NEXTEL Cup
champion. Darrell Waltrip broadcasts the NASCAR races on FOX
-- he doesn't like the new system. Bill Weber broadcasts the
NASCAR races on NBC -- he thinks the new system is a good
idea. Monday night on Wind Tunnel we'll have both Waltrip
and Weber on the show at the same time to discuss and debate
the racing "playoff." It's a safe bet race fans will want to
get their two cents in as well via our phone and email.
2/2/04
Pollard to drive for
Kenn Hardley
Kenn Hardley Racing is proud to announce that Brad Pollard
will drive the team’s entry in the Menard’s Infiniti Pro
Series beginning at Homestead-Miami Speedway on February 29,
2004. “I’m glad to have Brad as our driver. He’s
competitive, talented and brings a positive attitude to the
team,” said team owner Kenn Hardley. The season opener at
Homestead-Miami will be Brad Pollard’s third Menards
Infiniti Pro Series event and he stated, “I am very excited
about this opportunity to drive for Kenn Hardley Racing.
It’s great to be a part of this series and I look forward to
working with the fine team that Kenn has assembled. I
appreciate their confidence in me and will try my best to
represent the team and the series well.” Brad is Art
Pollard's cousin and is trying to reach the dreams he shared
with Art. Racing in and winning the Indianapolis 500!
Pollard, from Redmond, Washington, competed in two Infiniti
Pro Series events in 2003 and has also competed in SCCA
Autocross, SKUSA shifter karts, SCCA Formula Mazda and Skip
Barber Dodge Series events. He has also completed tests in a
Toyota Formula Atlantic car and a Pennzoil World of Outlaw
sprint car. In 2002, Pollard secured the SCCA Formula Mazda
Southwest Division and SCCA Formula Mazda National Division
championships by capturing 11 poles and 14 victories in 21
races. Pollard’s athletic resume also includes professional
ski racing, college pole vaulting and college football. More
information on Brad may be found at
www.pollardracing.com.
The XBOX entertainment division of Microsoft Corporation is
providing primary sponsorship for Pollard. Additional
sponsorships to be announced in the near future. The Menards
Infiniti Pro Series follows the Indy Racing League to
America's premier oval tracks. Powered by an Infiniti Q45,
450 horsepower engine with a six speed sequential gearbox,
the Dallara built chassis can average speeds in excess of
190 MPH on a 1.5-mile super speedway and reach speeds over
200 MPH on the 2-mile super speedways like California
Speedway.
2/2/04
Burti secures part-time Ferrari
test role Speaking in his official newsletter, Luciano
Burti announced today: "I bring some good news - I have
signed a testing contract on part time basis with the
Ferrari Formula One team for the 2004 season. Let me
explain - this year the team will only have Luca Badoer as a
full time test driver. Another point is that Ferrari has
also been working very closely with Team Sauber-Petronas,
and one of their agreements, is that Ferrari can use
Sauber's official drivers in their testing work during the
season if needed. Despite these factors, because
Ferrari has such a busy test program and because of my good
work in 2002, they signed me to be part of their line up as
well. This is another great opportunity for me
with Ferrari and I'll do my best to help the team once
again. Another good thing about the contract is
that, when I am not involved with F1 testing, I am free to
test and race in other categories, so I am already
discussing some other possibilities for 2004."
2/2/04
Button shatters Barcelona
record According to
this Autosport
article, Jenson Button has demolished the unofficial
lap record at Barcelona on the first full day of testing of
the new BAR-Honda 006 this morning (Monday). The Briton
lapped the Spanish track in 1m13.867s, nearly a second clear
of the previous record, which Button had set in BAR's hybrid
car late last month. It is understood that Button set his
time on a one-lap, low fuel qualifying-style run, although
it will still be a major boost to the team so early into the
running of the new 006. After his initial run yesterday,
Button praised the stability of his new car, with which the
team has targeted regular podium finishes throughout 2004.
"It was a good lap, but there's a lot more to come," Button
told autosport.com. Button had set the previous lap
record while testing BAR's 'hybrid car' back in January,
although both driver and team admitted that his time of
1m14.607s was set during a low fuel run.
Barcelona testing day 1: Pos Driver Car-Engine Time Laps
1 Jenson Button (BAR-Honda) 1m13.867s 27
2 Marc Gene (Williams-BMW) 1m15.302s 59
3 Takuma Sato (BAR-Honda) 1m15.594s 75
4 Ralf Schumacher (Williams-BMW) 1m16.016s 64
5 Luca Badoer (Ferrari) 1m16.302s 80
6 Giancarlo Fisichella (Sauber-Petronas) 1m16.584s 85
7 Pedro de la Rosa (McLaren-Mercedes) 1m16.955s 59
8 Alex Wurz (McLaren-Mercedes) 1m17.069s 35
9 Darren Turner (McLaren-Mercedes) 1m19.887s 17
2/2/04
Firman still hopes to land
final F1 seat “With one drive remaining I
know Eddie Jordan has a number of options open to him,
including re-signing me,” said Firman. “So the final slot
will go to whichever driver makes the most sense in terms of
ability, experience and helping the team attract more
funding. I have to believe that continuity will also come in
to play because Eddie recognizes how much we learned
together last year. I hope the cards fall in my favor." “It
would be great to team up with Nick,” added Firman. “I know
what a strong performer he is, having raced against him and
beaten him in the Macau Formula 3 race a few years ago.”
2/2/04
Ticket prices set for Shanghai Organizers
of Shanghai's upcoming Formula One race announced ticket
prices over the weekend. Watching Michael Schumacher and his
friends cruise around the local track will cost slightly
less than anywhere else on the circuit this year, according
to organizers of the event. Prices range from 160 yuan
(US$19) to watch practice on Friday (September 24) or
qualifying the next day to 3,700 yuan for top seats
overlooking the finish line for three days. Seats for the
race alone range from 330 yuan for spot on the grass along
the outside corner of the track to 2,200 yuan for prime
seats under an enclosure. "Our tickets are relatively
cheaper than the other 17 events on the F1 tour around the
world," said Mao Xiaohan, general manager of Shanghai
International Circuit Co Ltd. Tickets for the Malaysian
Grand Prix in Kuala Lumpur in March, by comparison, run from
US$50 to US$467.
Organizers have decided to sell tickets for only 150,000 of
the local circuit's 200,000 seats due to concerns about
safety and transportation to the circuit, which is located
in the city's northwestern suburbs. Tickets go on sale early
next month on the Internet or through various ticketing
agencies in the city and around the world, according to
organizers. Mao predicts 20 to 30 percent of the passes will
be bought up by racing fans and tourists from outside the
country. "We received inquiry calls from some Japanese
corporate customers as early as September," said Zhou
Qicheng, a sales manager with Shanghai Airlines Tours
International Co Ltd.
The local organizers have already launched a bilingual hot
line (9682-6999) for customers from home and abroad looking
for information about Chinese mainland's first ever Formula
One race. The scheme made public over the weekend didn't
include VIP tickets, usually valued at above US$3,000, which
are directly managed by the London-based Formula One
Management, who holds the commercial rights for the F1
Championship series. With Formula One Management taking most
of the advertising revenues and overseas television rights,
ticket sales stand as one of the major income sources for
the local organizers. The circuit is located in Jiading, a
northwest suburban district more than 30 kilometers from
downtown. "The transportation problem is still under
discussion," said Mao. "We're considering installing several
interim bus lines, and even an extension of the metro system
in the future."
Xinhuanet
2/2/04
NASCAR won't fine Spencer
According to this AP
article, NASCAR will not penalize driver Jimmy Spencer for a
remark about the Japanese bombing of Pearl Harbor or his hope that
Toyota's venture into truck racing will be a failure. ``That's Jimmy
Spencer,'' NASCAR spokesman Jim Hunter said Sunday when asked about
comments the outspoken driver made last week about Toyota's entry into
Craftsman Truck competition. They ``bombed Pearl Harbor, don't
forget,'' the San Antonio Express-News quoted the 46-year-old driver
as saying during media day at Texas Motor Speedway. ``As long as it's
good for the economy, I guess it's OK,'' said Spencer, but who added
that he was rooting for Ford, Chevrolet and Dodge to humiliate Toyota.
The Associated Press was unable to reach Spencer for comment Sunday
night. Toyota officials did not return calls from the AP. Although
Hunter said Spencer is not in any trouble with the sanctioning body,
he emphasized that NASCAR does not share the driver's opinion. ``He
sometimes has a view of the world that is not consistent with the rest
of the world and he is certainly known for putting his opinions out
there,'' Hunter said.
2/2/04
Biagi to team with Sullivan and Bosch
for Sebring & LeMans
The Barron Connor Racing team has signed Italian Thomas Biagi to race
in the Sebring 12 Hours, the Le Mans 24 Hours and the Le Mans
Endurance Series, partnering John Bosch and Danny Sullivan in one of
team’s two Ferrari’s 575 GTC.
“We were looking for the best and they don’t come much better than the
current world champion”, John Bosch said. “We are very happy to have
Thomas joining us. Both as a person and as a driver, he very much
contributes to our team’s goals and objectives. He is fast and a
pleasure to work with. And, having won the FIA championship in a
Ferrari 550 last year, he of course brings a lot of highly relevant
experience to the team.”
27-year old Biagi from Bologna (Italy) is equally pleased: “I am
delighted to race with the Barron Connor team this year. I very much
like John and his people, who make me feel very welcome. They are very
serious about achieving their ambitions. The team is extremely
professional, with highly skilled people and phenomenal facilities. I
am happy to be partnering John, the reigning FIA Sportscar champion,
and Danny, who is of course highly experienced. For me, to race the
new Ferrari 575 GTC in the most prestigious sports car races, is
exciting as well as an honor. Sebring is a legendary event, Le Mans is
the most important race in the world and the new championship will be
a true classic.”
The Barron Connor Ferrari’s 575 GTC are now being prepared for the
52nd Sebring 12 Hours. “We are impressed by Ferrari’s support and the
caliber of MilanTech and N-Technology”, John Bosch explains. “Their
level of professionalism is very motivating. We have long term
ambitions and the potential that has now been created is fantastic. We
are talking to many drivers about the second 575 GTC that we are
running, and are also very pleased by the interest shown from renowned
technical partners. We expect to be able to present more details
before testing the cars prior to leaving for Sebring.”
Rain saves Grand-Am Series from another
embarrassment
Luckily it rained so much that this year's Rolex 24 only saw the cars
racing 18 of 24 hours. During the early morning hours, the race was
run under caution for more than three hours and at 7:38 a.m., for the
first time in 15 years, the Rolex 24 was red flagged for poor
visibility and standing water. At 10:30 a.m., the race resumed setting
up a two hour, 42-minute sprint to the finish. As it was, only one
Prototype limped home as the winner ahead of two GT cars, or a GT car
would have won yet again (they won in 2001 and 2003), and this after a
rules change slowed them. Daytona Prototype after prototype fell
by the wayside for one reason or another and it was by the grace of
God and the downpours from heaven that saved the day. The #54
limped home first at the slowest speed ever for a Daytona 24, a
not-so-blistering 78 MPH. All that aside, it was a dramatic
finish to the 24 hour grind.
2/1/04
2004
last year for ImolaUPDATE
Some people think Imola can remain on the calendar and this is a
Bernie Ecclestone ploy to squeeze more money from the promoter.
"Ecclestone is always saying a lot of things," said Ferrari's six-time
world champion Michael Schumacher. "Let's wait and see what happens."
Imola's mayor Massimo Marchignoli said: "The contract runs out this
year. It's not the first time it's happened. We'll see. What we need
to do is re-open talks with Ecclestone." 1/31/04
- The San Marino Grand Prix is the
latest European event to be told that it will no longer be a part of
the F1 calendar. This year’s Imola race will be the final event. “This
year is Imola’s last. From 2005 it will vanish from the calendar and
Italy will have only one race,” Bernie Ecclestone told Gazzetta dello
Sport. The first San Marino Grand Prix was held at Imola
in 1979. It was a non-championship event, as Formula One used to
adhere to the rule that there was only one race per country, with only
the odd exception. Although it hosted many great races, the Imola
circuit will forever be remembered as the venue where the great Ayrton
Senna died in 1994, so it seems somewhat fitting that the track’s
final race should be on the tenth anniversary of his death.
Kevin Kalkhoven and Paul Gentilozzi stated in an interview this past
week that they are not closing the door on Europe, but there will be
no Champ Car races there in 2004. If OWRS wants to look at
Europe again for 2005, we believe an ideal strategy would be a 3-race
swing at Imola, EuroSpeedway and Brands Hatch (long course).
Hopefully Jonathan Palmer can afford to make the necessary upgrades to
Brands Hatch and it would be a shame to see both Imola and
EuroSpeedway not have a top-level open wheel race. Mark C.
2/1/04
IRL cover-up?
A reader writes, Dear AutoRacing1.com, The IRL 3.0 liter engine
shortage looks like a smoke screen to cover up that the IRL cannot
field (or subsidize) 33 cars for the Indy 500. The IRL engine vendors
say their cap is 24 cars per race, the first four races of the season,
but can supply more cars after the INDY 500. I don't recall the IRL
having over 24 cars last season at any event other than Indy.
David Smith, Louisville, KY Dear David, Rest assured that 33
cars will start the Indy 500. The big teams will qualify their
backup cars the last day if necessary. Perhaps Andretti-Green
Racing will qualify the backup car of all four of their drivers giving
them eight cars in the race - almost 25% of the grid. Who would
service the cars is another story, but rest assured Michael Andretti
will do whatever he can to help Tony George out of a pinch.
Mark C.
2/1/04
Fiorano Day 3: Schumacher breaks record
again Sunday was the third and final day of testing
this week for Ferrari at the Fiorano circuit. Michael Schumacher
brought the F2004’s first test session to a close, covering a total of
115 laps (18 of which on the short 1.4km version of the circuit - the
rest on the regular 2.9km version) the quickest in a time of 55.999s.
It was a clear and cool day at Fiorano with air temperature reaching
ten degrees Centigrade, and the track surface 14 degrees. “I am
satisfied with this first session,” Schumacher said at the end of the
day. “I immediately got a positive feel from the car, but the most
important thing is that we managed to cover about 700 kilometres
without the slightest problem.” The Scuderia’s test program
resumes tomorrow, when Luca Badoer will be at the wheel of an F2003-GA
in Barcelona.
2/1/04
Richards threatens to move team abroad
This BBC
article says, BAR team boss David Richards has threatened to
move his team abroad because of anti-tobacco legislation.
British teams will be penalized by an anomaly in a European Union
directive to be introduced in 2005, he said.
Britain's decision to adopt the law would stop BAR from advertising
tobacco, while foreign-based rivals could still carry the sponsorship.
Richards described it as a "ludicrous situation", and wants the
Government to act to end the anomaly.
"Ferrari are the best-financed team in F1, they are based in Italy and
have an American cigarette sponsor [Marlboro] and so they will be able
to advertise in places like China," explained Richards. "But
because we are a British team we will be covered by the British
legislation so we would not be able to run tobacco advertising in
China. The UK government should not countenance it and it's down
to them to do something about it. "
Owner British American Tobacco has pumped at least £300m into BAR's
coffers since the team was set-up in 1998. Richards said BAT was
planning to sell the team by the end of 2006 because of a voluntary
agreement to end tobacco advertising in F1. But the decision by the
British Government to introduce the directive means BAT would be
forced to quit 18 months early. "It could have serious consequences
because it will affect our planned income stream for 2005," he said.
"We would have to consider cutbacks in the team or look at other
alternatives like moving the team abroad. You couldn't move the actual
structure but you could move parts of the team abroad. I have spoken
to the Department of Trade and Industry and they say this was not the
intention when the legislation was drafted. It is the way it has been
written which is so restrictive."
2/1/04
Bernie says Germany will keep two races
Bernie Ecclestone told the Italian newspaper Gazzetta dello Sport that
"Germany will continue to have two races" and stated that last week he
signed a new deal with the Nurburgring. The German track has a F1 race
deal through 2008. Ecclestone said that the Germans do a good
job running and promoting their races. But that success has not come
without a considerable cost: in the last eight years the Nurburgring
has invested more than $50 million and Hockenheim has invested $62
million.
2/1/04
IRL propaganda machine running wide
open
A reader writes, Dear AutoRacing1.com, Since OWRS trounced the IRL in
court on Wednesday and took control of the Champ Car series, I have
seen numerous articles in a number of publications predicting the
demise of OWRS in a year or so. It is clear that the IRL
propaganda machine in running full song in trying to discredit OWRS
and the Champ Car Series. They want OWRS to prostrate themselves
to King Anton. The IRL has won the war they say. Yeah,
they're #1 for death and destruction that is for certain. We
have seen negative press by the media ever since the split. It's
appalling what they and their evil minions do. This plus Tony
George's quotes on Thursday that he is going to try and steal CART's
existing races just goes to show you that the IRL's business plan is
to steal from and kill the Champ Car Series because everything else
about their series is a joke. They have been trying to kill it
for years yet it continues because it is a far better product than
the IRL. I think the IRL is in serious trouble. Every time
a car explodes against a wall the cash register rings and usually a
driver is taken away on a stretcher. How much longer are Toyota,
Honda and Chevy going to prop up this farce called the IRL?
Mordichai Rosen, LA, Calif.
2/1/04
Stars karting series announces new
engine rules Snap-on Stars of Karting announced today
a final decision regarding acceptability for competition of the
newly-homologated Intercontinental A and Intercontinental C engines
for the 2004 season.
“After two weeks of gathering information and opinions from the
industry-at-large,” Snap-on Stars of Karting National Technical
Director, Scott G Evans announced, “we have decided that it is in the
best interest of the sport to allow all new homologated parts and
engines from the beginning of the 2004 season. Working together with
technical director Martin Casey of SuperKarts!USA, and World Karting
Association’s Bob White, we have come to this decision in unison and
will move forward from here with the 2004 season.”
An announcement on January 16 had raised some question about new
engine supply and availability in 2004. This decision clears the way
for importers and suppliers to begin supplying the newest in
technological advances to the karting industry.
Evans continues, “It was decided that with the nature of the sport and
its tremendous growth and potential it would be imprudent to clog the
development pipeline with undue regulation. There are certain pains
that are realized as a price of development and we empathize with
those. In end analysis however, we are confident that strong
manufacturing sources in concert with agile sanctioning bodies will
foster the new technology into the North American arena in a sensible
and timely manner.”
WKA’s Randy Kugler expounded on the issue, “We are confident that the
decision made will prove the greatest benefit to the sport. Our racers
can expect a press release early next week explaining the WKA’s
official position on this issue as it regards the Manufacturer’s Cup
and Road Racing. Possibly more significant than the decision itself is
the spirit of cooperation demonstrated between these major American
karting organizations to act together in resolution of this issue. It
is encouraging to me and I hope it can open the door to more
cooperative efforts in the future.”
In an effort to ease the transition, Stars of Karting’s usually
permitted one engine change per season per competitor will be
increased to two if the competitor wishes to change from an older
homologated engine to a new model, but only if the make remains the
same.
2/1/04
BAR launches new car today The
Formula 1 circus comes back to the Circuit de Catalunya with five test
days and seven teams. The four best teams, Ferrari, Williams, McLaren
and Renault, will be sharing the track. British American Racing
(BAR) will launch their new single-seater, the BAR006, at the Circuit
de Catalunya today. The team drivers, Jenson Button and Takuma Sato,
together with the team management will be there. This is the second F1
presentation held at the Circuit de Catalunya this year, as Jaguar
also launched their new R5 at the Spanish circuit. On Monday
starts the last pre-season test session at the Circuit de Catalunya,
before the start of the Formula 1 Championship, the 3rd of March in
Melbourne (Australia). Williams will test the whole week, from
Monday 2 to Friday 6, while Ferrari and McLaren will stay until
Thursday. Renault will test during three days, from Tuesday 3 to
Thursday 5. BAR will stay until Wednesday and Toyota, from Tuesday to
Friday.
2/1/04
Bernie again attacks Silverstone &
Europe Bernie Ecclestone has launched another attack on
Silverstone's right to host the British Grand Prix. In an
interview with Gazetta dello Sport, the F1 supremo was quoted as
saying: “Silverstone is like an old house that claims to only need a
few repairs. Actually it needs major reconstruction but the current
owners have no intention of financing it. I don't see a future for it.
In the next ten years Europe will descend to the economic level of the
third world. It has no hope of competing with South Korea, India and
China." Ecclestone said that Turkey would be on the calendar for
2005, followed by India and then South Korea's first Grand Prix in
2009. He added that there could easily be more races per season,
although teams feel that the 18 to be run this year is an absolute
maximum. "We could easily get to 20 races. All we'd need
to do is reduce private practice (testing) days from 40 to 30 and that
would create room for two more races."
2/1/04
Rolex
24: Hour 17 CITGO Chevy still leads in rain
Steady rain and heavy puddling on Daytona International Speedway's
3.56-mile road course resulted in the entire 15th to 17th hours being
run under caution. While the Howard-Boss Motorsports No. 2 CITGO
Chevrolet (pictured right, Grand-AM photo) Crawford maintained its
lead with Tony Stewart at the wheel, the Chip Ganassi Racing No. 01
CompUSA Lexus Riley continued to struggle with fogging and windshield
problems. The Orbit Racing No. 44 Porsche GT3 RS continued its hold on
the GT class, running fifth overall, while the Doncaster Racing No. 91
Porsche GT3 Cup is still tops in the SGS class. LEADERS AT END
OF HOUR 17 - Overall - No. 2 Chevrolet, No. 4 Chevrolet, No. 54
Pontiac, No. 10 Pontiac, No. 44 Porsche GT; DP - No. 2 Chevrolet, No.
4 Chevrolet, No. 54 Chevrolet; GT - No. 44 Porsche, No. 74 Porsche,
No. 66 Porsche; SGS - No. 91 Porsche, No. 38 Porsche, No. 71 Porsche
Full Standings
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Interview
with Mark Webber
Following is a transcript of a telephone hook-up with Australia’s
Formula One driver Mark Webber by Australian media on February 4,
2004, organized by the Australian Grand Prix Corporation ahead of the
world championship season-opening 2004 Foster’s Australian Grand Prix
to be held in Melbourne on March 4-7.
Successful
debut of 2004 BAR Honda Lucky
Strike B·A·R Honda debuted its 2004 challenger, the B·A·R Honda 006,
at the Circuit de Catalunya on Monday. Following its launch to the
world's media on Sunday, Jenson Button has been putting the car
through its paces for the last three days. Teammate Takuma Sato has
been alongside Jenson in the '04 Concept car on each day.
Oval
planned outside of Madrid This eTracks.com
TAG
Heuer named Official Timekeeper TAG
Heuer, a world leader in prestigious sports watches and
chronographs since 1860, has been named the Official
Timekeeper and Scorer of the Indy Racing League and the
Indianapolis 500-Mile Race.
Much
More...click on 2004 archives button below
