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Anton's vision
A reader writes, Dear Autoracing1, I have been hearing radio advertisements
for the Indy 500 on Milwaukee, WI radio stations and it's almost May. My
God, how bad are the ticket sales that they have to advertise in Milwaukee?
Way to go Anton. This must be the vision you had eight years ago.
Arno Fritz, Milwaukee, WI Dear Arno, His vision has destroyed an
entire sport. Like we said on numerous occasions, if Tony was the President of
any normally run company, he would have been fired years ago. So flawed
was his vision he had to do a 180-degree about-face and try to morph the IRL
into what CART once was. In doing so he not only pissed off the loyal
CART fans, he has now managed to piss off the oval short trackers who
supported his all-American, all-oval concept in the beginning. With the
oval cartel's financial support Tony may have the hammer to nail CART's coffin
shut, but he's smashed just about every finger on his two hands and he's still
swinging. Run for cover. If he gets ahold of Long Beach, he'll destroy that
last open wheel American stronghold too. We predict that Champ Car fans
will be so pissed if Long Beach becomes an IRL race that there will be a near
100% boycott of the event by Champ Car fans. Tony will have to bus in
the short trackers from the Midwest who despise street racing. That
ought to go over real well. As a contingency plan, Champ Car is planning
a big street race in the LA area on the same weekend as Long Beach if they
lose Long Beach. We suspect the fans will follow Champ Car to the new
venue which should assure the complete collapse of the Long Beach Grand Prix.
May it rest in peace. We shall cherish the fond memories. Mark C.
4/26/04
Four complete Indy rookie
orientation Ed Carpenter, Kosuke Matsuura, Mark Taylor and
Luis Diaz passed the four required speed phases during Rookie Orientation
Program activities April 26 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Jeff Simmons
and Marty Roth completed three of the four phases and are eligible to
participate in practice during the Month of May. Larry Foyt tested for A.J.
Foyt Racing but did not have to complete the speed phases due to his previous
high-speed experience. The Rookie Orientation Program at Indianapolis Motor
Speedway is designed to provide first-year drivers an informal opportunity to
get acquainted with the 2.5-mile oval. Drivers had to complete four 10-lap
speed phases, which were set by IRL Senior Vice President of Racing Operations
Brian Barnhart based on the weather and track conditions. They were: Phase 1:
195-200 mph; Phase 2: 200-205 mph; Phase 3: 205-210 mph; and Phase 4: 210
mph-plus. In other IndyCar Series news, Felipe Giaffone was named as the
replacement for recently retired Robbie Buhl in the No. 24 Team Purex/Dreyer &
Reinbold Dallara/Chevrolet/Firestone. Giaffone will make his debut as the
IndyCar Series Open Test, which has been rescheduled for Wednesday, April 28
and Thursday, April 29 due to anticipated cold weather in the Indianapolis
area. IRL
4/26/04
Speedway pioneer terminally ill Fluella
Ummel, a long time member of CART's Race Control Staff is terminally
ill and is receiving hospice care at home in Syracuse, Indiana.
Fluella came to the Indy Speedway in the 60's and made history as the
first female course observer ever. She was CART's "Recorder" in Race
Control from the early days of the organization until the late 90's.
Her husband, Eldon, was the Pace Car Official during that same period.
Her smiling face and optimistic disposition made her a legend in the
organization even though she mostly remained behind the scenes. Both
she and Eldon also managed the Stant/Ideal hospitality suite in the
Speedway's Gasoline Alley during the month of May for many years.
Please keep her and her family in your thoughts and prayers! Her
address is 1011 E. Northshore Dr., Syracuse, IN 46567.
4/26/04
Cold weather postpones
Indy 500 test Due to forecast highs in the 50s, the IndyCar(R)
Series Open Test at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway has been rescheduled to
Wednesday, April 28, and Thursday, April 29. It was originally scheduled for
Tuesday and Wednesday, April 27-28. [Editor's Note: They must
have memories of Tony Renna. One of the theories for his crash was that
it was too cold for the tires.]
WHAT: IRL IndyCar Series Open Test
WHEN: 9 a.m. - 4 p.m.
Wednesday, April 28, 2004
Thursday, April 29, 2004
WHERE: Indianapolis Motor Speedway
4/26/04
PacifiCare
to sponsor Junqueira for 500 Newman/Haas Racing
unveiled its program for the 88th running of the Indianapolis 500
today at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in advance of a two-day open
test scheduled for April 27-28. Brazilian Bruno Junqueira, who has
competed for the team since 2003, will drive a PacifiCare-sponsored
Honda/G-Force/Firestone entry in the event set for May 30. More....
4/26/04
Honda adds
Newman/Haas for Indy 500 Honda has further
strengthened its lineup for the 88th running of the Indianapolis 500
with the addition of a one-car entry from Newman/Haas Racing for
driver Bruno Junqueira. The addition of the Newman/Haas team gives
Honda a total of 11 entries for the 500-mile classic, the largest ever
for the manufacturer. Brazilian Junqueira, now in his second
season with Newman/Haas, will drive a PacifiCare-sponsored
Honda/G-Force/Firestone entry for the team. In his first Indianapolis
500 in 2001, Junqueira earned "Rookie of the Year" for his fifth-place
finish after starting 20th. The following year he won the pole and led
the first 32 laps before mechanical problems ended his race. More....
4/26/04
Drake gets IPS
ride for Indy Jay Drake climbed out of his sprint car
after a victory in Anderson, Ind., on April 18 and climbed into an IRL
Menards Infiniti Pro Series™ car on April 23 at the Indianapolis Motor
Speedway. Drake, 34, of Val Verde, Calif., completed a deal with team
owner Gary Peterson less than 24 hours before taxiing onto the
historic 2.5-mile oval in the No. 25 Automatic Fire Sprinklers Inc.
Dallara/Infiniti/Firestone during an Open Test in preparation for the
Futaba Freedom 100 on May 22. Drake got in 33 laps (fast of
178.518 mph) in the afternoon session of the Open Test, which had 16
driver/car combinations. It was the second time ever in an Indy-style
car for Drake, who completed his IRL rookie test in 1999 at Texas
Motor Speedway.
“It’s very exciting to first of all run this type of race car,” said
Drake, who won the fifth running of the Glen Niebel Classic to open
the Valvoline National Sprint Car Series season at Anderson Speedway
in the No. 20 Tony Stewart Racing Mopar/Vital Express Beast/Mopar. “It
was fun. We only had the last hour, but I got to turn a few laps
there, so it was a valuable day. If nothing else, I got to run some
laps around Indianapolis, which has been a lifelong dream of mine.
“Right at the end there, I was starting to get comfortable, and
started running laps at speed. I wish we would have had the whole day
because I think we really would have made some progress. Nevertheless,
we’ll get to come back race weekend and at least be that much farther
ahead. We learned a lot today.
“Just to drive around the (Speedway) in a passenger car was a big
thrill for me. To actually go out here and run a race car at speed and
get to come back and actually run a race is something I’ve always
dreamed of doing and never thought I’d have the opportunity to do. So
this is a huge opportunity for me and something I’m looking forward
to.”
4/26/04
Mexico gets it,
Champ Car goes to the movies No, Stallone is
not making another bad movie about Champ Cars. Starting this
past Saturday a lot of movie theaters in Monterrey, Mexico are
showing a commercial for the Monterrey Grand Prix just before
the feature movie. It's on big screen, in Digital Dolby, and
it's just like you see in the USA Coke commercials for NASCAR.
Why is it that Champ Car can't do this in the USA? Jose
Arrambide/AutoRacing1.com
4/26/04
Bernie apologizes
to Button
Bernie Ecclestone told Autosport that he apologized to Jenson Button
for his suggestion to BAR team principal David Richards to "think
again" after signing the Briton from Renault at the end of the 2002
season. Jenson scored his third successive podium finish at Imola on
Sunday, and Ecclestone was big enough to admit he was wrong to
question Richards' decision. "I apologized to Jenson," said
Ecclestone. "I didn't think he was going to get the job there, so I
apologized afterwards. Now I'm more happy for him than his father,
to be honest!"
4/26/04
Spoiler change
coming Nextel Cup director John Darby says teams will
have to cut one-half inch off of the cars' spoilers before the race
at Chicago on July 11. Many teams have reserved tests anticipating
the change.
FoxSports/Sporting News
4/26/04
Robbie Buhl retiresUPDATE Felipe Giaffone was confirmed
Sunday as the replacement Indy Racing League driver for the retiring Robbie
Buhl at Indianapolis-based Dreyer & Reinbold Racing. Another
ride-buying foreigner takes the place of an American in the IRL. The
irony of it all. 4/23/04 - Robbie Buhl will watch IRL IndyCar® Series races from the other side of pit
wall. After 21 years in the driver’s seat, Buhl announced his retirement
on April 23. He will remain co-owner of the No. 24 Team Purex/Dreyer &
Reinbold Dallara/Chevrolet/Firestone entry with Dennis Reinbold. “It was
not an easy decision,” said Buhl, 40, a Detroit native and Cleveland resident.
“My life has been racing, but personal goals continue to evolve for all of us.
I remember when my goal was just to drive in the Indy 500. Now I’ve started in
the front row, started in the back row, and I’ve led the race. I may leave
some unfinished business at the Brickyard, but this is the right decision for
everyone -- my family, my team, and me. I’m healthy, happy, and walking away
on my own terms.” Dreyer and Reinbold will announce a new driver
for the No. 24 entry next week. Longtime team sponsors Purex and Aventis will
remain with Buhl’s team, with the expected addition of new partners. “I
worked hard in the off-season, and I’m probably in the best shape I’ve ever
been in as a driver,’’ said Buhl, one of two active drivers from the inaugural
IRL 1996 season. “But the mental part of this sport requires 110 percent of
your attention 110 percent of the time, and it was just my time to say
‘enough.’ IRL [Editor's Note: Our sources tell us Purex
cut way back on the sponsorship and the team had to seek a funded driver to
survive...so Robbie was semi-forced into retirement. No one voluntarily
retires right before Indy, the biggest race. Felipe Giaffone and Max Papis are
two names among many who are rumored interested in the ride.]
4/26/04
Traction Control has to go
I was at Tosa (a turn at Imola) and it was quite apparent to me how ridiculous
it was that the premier racing series in the world has traction control. Not
one car the entire race got even a small wiggle coming out of the corner. They
simply got on the gas out of the corner, put their foot down, and there was
that insulting gurgling of the traction control until the power came on full.
I know it's not easy to drive the things, but hell....the best drivers in the
world shouldn't have traction control, and the FIA should ban it. I think it
is a joke. Maybe the racing wouldn't be so bad if the driver's skill had a
little more to do with it. I race F2000 Zetec, which have only 160hp, but even
in those there is tremendous driver input getting the power down. It matters
how you drive it. Shouldn't that be the case in F1? It was great being in
Imola, but the "race" was boring. Not one pass for position in Tosa. Yawn!!!!!
I read the site first thing every morning when I get to work. Thanks for
telling the truth...someone has to. Ira Fierberg, USF2000 Zetec
Championship, #27
4/26/04
ALMS
teams, drivers lead way in LeMans test Racing teams from the
American Le Mans Series led a record-shattering day in the GTS and GT classes
and two former series driving champions were in the fastest overall car of the
day Sunday as 52 teams tested for the 72nd running of the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
The world's most famous endurance race will be held June 12-13. Former series
driving champions Allan McNish and Frank Biela were aboard the Audi Sport UK
Team Veloqx Audi R8 that was the fastest car of the day in eight hours of
testing at the 8.46-mile Circuit de La Sarthe. More....
4/25/04
First Champ Car race on Spike
TV bombs2nd UPDATE
Champ Car got a small bump in their TV rating for Long Beach. When the
live HD Net rating was added to the Spike TV rating the number of
viewers jumped from 319,000 to 411,000. Still nothing to brag
about, but a bigger increase than we expected for high definition.
Apparently people are really starting to buy into the high-definition
sets. We are trying to determine how many more watched the live
internet broadcast using the new Race Director feature on the Champ
Car website. Perhaps they broke 1/2 million total viewers.
Mark C.4/22/04 - A
reader responds, Dear AutoRacing1, While it would be terrific to have
Champ Car races on network, let's be realistic. The only way Champ Car
can get onto one of the big 4 is via enormously expensive time buys.
Open Wheel racing just isn't drawing viewership numbers big enough to
justify any other scenario. The IRL may be on ABC, but that's purely a
byproduct of the Indy 500 - if they were to try to get a separate TV
package for their other races it would be on a time-buy basis, the
viewer numbers just aren't there. So it's a chicken and egg situation.
Champ Car has to rebuild its fan base, stabilize its market identity,
improve its marketing and gradually build viewership numbers until the
networks come knocking. Any other approach is unsustainable, as
established by that bankrupt company known as CART. Don't forget to
add in Fox Espanol along with HDNet, and be sure you consider the
whole International TV package once that's established and stabilized.
How about a number for total households in North America - Canada and
Mexico included? It would have been nice if your headline were "Spike
Long Beach ratings increase 235%" rather than "ratings bomb". The
glass is half full, my friend. Lando Magee, Houston, Texas
Dear Lando, While you make some good points (especially about
combining all the various ratings to give a total no. of viewers -
OWRS needs to publish this), you must know that we look at it on a
cost per viewer basis. Certainly CBS costs much more per
broadcast when in a time buy situation. However, CBS races
generally garner from 1.5 to 1.8 million viewers for each Champ Car
race. Compare that to the 319,000 that tuned in last Sunday.
That's 5 times more viewers. If the cost on CBS isn't five times
more (it's not) than CBS is cheaper on a per viewer basis. How
does a team walk into a potential sponsors office and try to sell them
with a 0.2 TV rating? How many engine manufacturers are going to
want to build engines for a series with 0.2 TV ratings? Of course TV
ratings are not everything, but they are the cheapest way to reach
eyeballs, which in turn helps to sell sponsorship. It's a
vicious circle. Since most of the races are taped delayed on
Spike in the majority of households anyway, they would be better off
broadcasting the races in Prime Time on Sunday evenings. The
ratings would be far higher. The Indy 500 used to get ratings of
14 and 15 when it was taped delayed in Prime Time on ABC. When
they made it live in the afternoon the TV Ratings plummeted to under
10 and now down to 4+. Mark C.4/21/04 - We made a big pitch last year about
why OWRS needed to move more races to CBS, not less.
Well they decided not to put any on network TV and now they
are paying the price. The final rating on Spike TV for
this weekend's Champ Car race in Long Beach was a 0.2/0.5
Share with 205,000 households (319,000 viewers) tuned in.
This number does not include those tuned in to HDNet and to
the internet broadcast (we will attempt to get a cumulative
number). Dangerous Curves got an additional 175,000
households at 10:30 AM Sunday morning. While
pathetically low, last year's Long Beach race on SPEED TV
garnered only 87,000 households, so it's 235% higher in
2004. Paul Gentilozzi said Viacom was really going to
get behind Champ Car. Well they had better start
advertising the race broadcasts on CBS and MTV soon, because
if they don't embrace Champ Car fully, forget about it.
Mark C.
4/25/04
Ecclestone demands F1
shake-up This Agence France-Presse
article says, Formula One commercial rights holder Bernie Ecclestone
called here on Sunday for the FIA to rush through radical rule changes after
admitting the sport has "become lazy" and needs a "shake-up." The
sport's governing body, the FIA, announced plans for a meeting with Formula
One team bosses in Monaco on May 4 to discuss changes proposed for 2008 when
the current contract that governs the sport comes to an end.
But Ecclestone believes the sport needs to act immediately to improve its
entertainment value after five-time world champions Ferrari dominated the
opening races of the year.
"Its about time we went back to basics," said Ecclestone. "Well, it is back to
the future actually. We need a big improvement, we need to stand back and look
at what we are doing wrong. Maybe we can bring the changes forward if we
can get unanimous agreement. We need a bit of a shake-up because we got lazy
and we need to give good value to television and to the public."
The proposals include ideas such as a change of engine size, a ban on driver
aids, more changes to qualifying and a rule that will allow teams to hire or
buy cars from each other to reduce costs. [Editor's Note: The only
issue is the fact that Schumacher is head and shoulders above the other
drivers and that is why he is winning all the races. If it was the car
Barrichello would be finishing 2nd each week and he is not. To shake-up
a sport because one athlete is simply better than all the rest is
preposterous.]
4/25/04
Alonso blames Ralf Ten
laps from the end of the race in Imola today, Fernando Alonso attacked Ralf
Schumacher under braking at Tosa. Although he put his Renault alongside Ralf’s
FW26 the German turned in, effectively closing the door, which resulted in the
two touching. It was a close call, though; it could just as easily be said
that Fernando was too ambitious. "I tried to overtake him and he closed the
door, unfortunately we touched. At least we both finished the race (Ralf
claimed seventh), so that was okay. I think he saw me trying to pass, and he
closed the door in a bad way,” the Spaniard said. Renault's Engineering
Director Pat Symonds was not as polite: "Fernando's aggressive drive nearly
came to nothing after another dubious maneuver by Ralf, but I hope the
stewards will come to the right conclusion." The stewards are indeed now
investigating the incident - which is bad news for Ralf after he was given a
reprimand by stewards in Bahrain for his accident with Takuma Sato.
4/25/04
Papis/Fellows/O'Connell
Corvette smashes LeMans record The General Motors Chevrolet Corvette
Racing team set record times today during preliminary testing in Le Mans,
France. The open test day is the only time participants in the sports car
classic can run on the famed Sarthe track before qualifying in June. The day
was used by the two factory Corvettes and some 50 other entrants to prepare
their cars and acquire important data from this rarely used circuit. The #63
Corvette C5-R, driven by Ron Fellows, Johnny O'Connell and Max Papis recorded
a best time of 3:49.982; the #64 Corvette C5-R, driven by Oliver Gavin,
Olivier Beretta and Jan Magnussen recorded a best lap of 3:50.079. The times
represent a significant leap in development, with the two cars besting last
year’s test session times by roughly 10 seconds. [Editor's Note:
Amazing what happens when you get rid of inferior Goodyear rubber and switch
to Michelins. The tires are the biggest reason for their increase in
speed.]
“We tested over 11,000 miles since last season in preparation for Le Mans,”
said Harry Turner, GM’s group manager for Corvette Racing. “We’ve improved on
virtually every single aspect of the program; the times we posted and the
efficiency we showed is better than we expected and it is due to the hard work
of everyone at Corvette Racing.” The works Corvettes put on a display of
absolute efficiency, with both running nearly the same number of practice laps
despite different testing priorities; both also eclipsed even the faster,
lighter prototype cars in total laps completed.
“This is representative of our tremendous team effort to constantly improve
ourselves,” said Doug Fehan, program manager for Corvette Racing. “We talked
about our improvement all winter, now we’ve walked it.”
Team members evaluated a variety of modifications specifically engineered for
the legendary 24 Hours of Le Mans. In addition, the drivers provided feedback
on the new side windows, front fascia fairings and a different rear wing
angle—all developed for the high-speed straights of Le Mans.
“I am extremely proud to be a part of the Corvette family today,” said Max
Papis, driver of the #63 Corvette C5-R that set the fastest GTS lap in
practice. “Everyone here works very hard and I was provided a great
environment to drive well. All three of us on the team are comfortable with
the way the car feels and we are excited for the race in June. This is a real
team.”
Merely two tenths of one second separated the two Chevrolets, a remarkable
feat considering the 8.46-mile length of the Sarthe. Both cars beat last
year’s test and qualifying times by a significant margin while the closest
competitor in today’s session was more than three seconds behind.
Combined Practice Times – Gran Tourisme (GTS) Class No. Car Drivers Best Time
63 Corvette C5-R Fellows, O’Connell, Papis 3:49.982
64 Corvette C5-R Gavin, Beretta, Magnussen 3:50.079
69 Ferrari 550 M Bouchut, Goueslard 3:54.105
66 Ferrari 550 M Enge, Kox, Menu 3:54.115
65 Ferrari 550 M Rydell, Turner, McCrae 3:56.026
62 Ferrari 575 GTC Hezemans, Barde, Deletraz 4:00.780
61 Ferrari 575 GTC Bosch, Sullivan, Biagi 4:04.394
60 Pagani Zonda Alliot, Hallyday, Kumpen 4:14.394
Liuzzi wins at
Imola Vitantonio Liuzzi took a convincing win in the
first round of the FIA International Formula 3000 Championship held
at Imola on Saturday afternoon. The Arden International driver, who
has been touted as a strong title favorite, took his Lola B2/50 to
register his first win at this level. The Italian led from
pole position and controlled the race immediately, opening up a
healthy gap to his pursuers, even re-joining after his pit stop
still at the head of the field. The former World Karting Champion,
who is managed by former Lotus F1 boss Peter Collins, took the flag
8.8 seconds clear of countryman Enrico Toccocelo to open his and
Arden’s account for the 2004 season.
"It's unbelievable to finally win, especially after last year when I
was really close to the victory in Hungary," said a happy Tonio. "We
worked really hard in the winter and during the practice yesterday.
So I think we did quite a good job. I'm really happy about
everything!” Second place for Toccocelo sealed the Spanish BCN
Competicion’s best ever result in what is their second year in
F3000. The experienced Italian was happy to be on the podium at his
home track, saying. “I kept up with Liuzzi´s pace on the first part
of the race, but unfortunately some drivers blocked me after my pit
stop and I lost time. But I´m very satisfied and have a good feeling
for the next race at Barcelona.”
Completing an excellent weekend for Arden, Robert Doornbos grabbed a
podium place in his first F3000 event, delighting team boss
Christian Horner. “For a rookie Robert kept his cool. He made a
great start and we timed the stop well. To finish third on his debut
was excellent."
Pre-season pace setter Jose Maria Lopez showed that he could be a
threat to the Arden team later in the season with a spectacular
display that should have seen him claim a podium position. However
the Argentine crashed his CMS Lola at the tricky Variante Alta
chicane when in 3rd place, just after setting the fastest lap of the
race at 1m39.847s.
Results
Pos. Driver Nation. Team Time
1. V. Liuzzi ITA Arden International 52:46.960
2. E. Toccacelo ITA BCN Competicion 52:55.813
3. R. Doornbos NEL Arden International 53:18.048
4. R. Gianmaria ITA AEZ I.E. Engineering 53:20.465
5. T. Enge CZE Ma-Con 53:21.475
6. J. Van Hooydonk BEL Coloni Motorsport 53:31.021
7. Y. Schroeder FRA Durango 53:32.782
8. A. van der Merwe RSA Super Nova Racing 53:32.997
9. P. Friesacher AUT Super Nova Racing 53:33.321
10. T. Schmidt GER Ma-Con 53:46.118
11. J. Heylen BEL Team Astromega 54:01.951
12. M. Lauda AUT CMS Performance 54:14.103
13. R. Ribeiro BRA Durango 54:26.160
14. F. Monfardini ITA AEZ I.E. Engineering 53:00.172
15. N. Verdonck BEL Team Astromega 53:01.180 Not Classified
J. Lopez ARG CMS Performance 29:19.826
E. Guerrieri ITA BCN Competicion 17:18.835
C. Artam TUR Coloni Motorsport 5:44.540 Fastest Lap
J. Lopez ARG CMS Performance 1:39.847
4/25/04
Ferrari will fight
to keep Imola Ferrari will fight to keep threatened
Imola on the Formula One calendar after Sunday's San Marino Grand
Prix, says company president Luca di Montezemolo. "Italy
remaining with just one grand prix is unthinkable," the Gazzetta
dello Sport newspaper quoted him as saying. "I am sorry that there
are problems when everything seemed to be resolved," he added.
"We are tied to Imola and we will defend it."
Formula One supremo Bernie Ecclestone said earlier in the year that
the circuit near Bologna, which is looking for government funding to
upgrade the facilities, would be making its final appearance on the
calendar this season. The Formula One championship has already
been stretched to an unprecedented 18 races this year and Turkey is
due to make its debut in 2005.
Michael Schumacher, Ferrari's six-times world champion who won that
race and has a better record than any driver at Imola, said this
week he would do what he could to keep Imola's hopes alive.
"It's good to come here. Obviously, we all know about the rumors
about the future of the San Marino Grand Prix. So, from my side, I
hope that they don't come true," he said. "If I can do
anything, then I will try. But I think there is very little in my
hands to do." A banner displayed in the main grandstand
opposite the pits on Sunday tried to look on the bright side:
"Bernie: Imola...looking forward to seeing you at GP 2005," it said.
Reuters
4/25/04
Mosley: FIA will do as it
sees fit After unveiling his blueprint for the future of F1,
FIA president Max Mosley has said that next month's meeting in Monaco will
merely serve to give the various Formula One team bosses a chance to express
their views on the future of the sport - because the FIA will force through
whatever rules it sees fit in time for the 2008 season.
In the interest of democracy, he has invited all ten F1 team owners - plus a
technical person from each operation - to a Monaco summit in two weeks to
allow them a voice in the future direction of the sport.
"I believe the teams, including the most successful ones such as Ferrari, will
agree to the changes we're proposing, because they are all suffering because
the costs have got completely out of control," the president told BBC Sport.
"Quite a few will agree to a lot of the changes even without much persuasion,
but it doesn't really matter because, from 1 January 2008, the Concorde
Agreement is no longer in force, so the FIA can do whatever it wants. That
will be the rule book for the 2008 world championship - at which point, people
will have to decide whether they want to enter or not."
"All of these things should make the racing closer and more exciting but, at
the same time, [bring] the costs down dramatically, which will reduce the
difference between the top teams and the teams with smaller budgets," he
reasoned, "And we hope the combination of all those things will make the
racing a great deal more entertaining to watch."
"If certain teams want to break away, fine - there will still be plenty left
in the FIA world championship, including Minardi," said Stoddart, "But it
won't happen. There will not be a breakaway. It's a non-starter."
"It's sad [that] we are going to have another round of discussions to discuss
what we have already discussed," he sighed, "We are getting closer to finding
a solution for all the problems in F1, and hopefully these meetings in Monaco
will go some way towards doing it - but I have my doubts. It takes a long time
to decide anything, and when you think you've decided something, it all
changes again. It's about time people actually woke up to themselves,
sat down and sorted out the problems instead of pretending to do it. It should
be like electing a pope - put everybody in a room, lock the bloody doors and
nobody leaves until the white smoke comes out of the chimney!"
4/25/04
Weather update from ImolaUPDATE Clouds still hang over Imola on
Sunday morning after a deluge of rain overnight. There is still standing water
around the circuit after the twelve hour shower but the chance of more rain
has lessened. Latest forecasts say there could be more rain tonight but the
chances of a wet race now seem slim. However members of Renault are still
making preparations for a damp track with predictions often wrong.
4/24/04 - A reader writes, Dear Autoracing1.com, It is 8:45PM in Bologna, and a storm
has just rolled into town in the last hour. It is raining and there are high
winds. It was very hot and sunny at the track today all day, but that now
appears to be over. Ciao. Ira Fierberg, Hermosa Beach, CA; Bologna, IT.
4/25/04
Drifting
Attention Florida Drifters
Due to the success of the first DRIFT MIAMI we have been inundated with
questions about how someone can get started drifting and where can they
practice. Well, ask no more. DRIFT MIAMI, in conjunction with Hialeah Speedway
and Combustion Inc., is pleased to announce that we will be holding a Drifting
Practice and Clinic at Hialeah Speedway Sunday, May 2nd. If you are new to
Drifting here is your chance to try out what is the fastest growing form of
motorsport in the United States in a controlled, safe and legal environment.
If you have Drifting experience this is your chance to sharpen your skills and
test your vehicle. Some of Florida's best Drifters will be in attendance to
answer your questions and give you some tips in the art of the Drift.
Registration is from 9:00 to 10:00am Sunday morning. The Drifting starts at
10:00 and runs till 2:30pm. All cars must be safety inspected and all
participants must wear a helmet and have a valid Drivers License.
Pre-Registration is $25.00 Go to
www.sfmreport.com to
pre-register using Pay-Pal Registration the day of the event is $30.00 $5.00
(spectators) So mark Sunday, May 2nd 9:00am on your calendar and get ready to
Drift!
4/25/04
Reminder - Live timing
This is a reminder that we implemented a new F1 live timing feature on
AutoRacing1.com. Whenever the F1 cars are on the track during a race
weekend, the live timing window is active. You can access the live
timing page via our F1 Page or by clicking here. Next up is the
race from Imola at 8:00 AM EDT.
Bridgestone wants to stay
in F1 The FIA's latest proposals to bring down costs in F1 includes
a proposal to move toward a single tire supplier to eliminate the tire war.
This would reduce the escalation of speeds and reduce costs. Bridgestone
has gone on record as saying they are interested in staying in F1, tire war or
not. Michelin is not so sure. A Bridgestone spokesman said: "We
have a commitment to Formula 1, we want to work with the manufacturers in the
sport and there are also a number of technical benefits relating to road car
tires which evolve through competing in motor sport. We would want to be
involved whether there is competition or not." Michelin's competitions
boss Pierre Dupasquier said: "We came into F1 at the request of some of our
partners who thought, and still think by the way, that going with us could
give them an advantage over Bridgestone. If there is no longer
competition, then perhaps there is no longer any point, but we weren't
thinking about that when we came in and we haven't given the matter serious
thought yet. There is a long time to go before 2008 so we will sit and wait to
see what transpires with the FIA."
4/24/04
IPS test times at Indy
Thiago Medeiros, in the No. 11 Sam Schmidt Motorsports entry, topped the speed
chart at 46.9930 seconds, 191.518 mph, in the afternoon session to lead Open
Testing for the Menards Infiniti Pro Series on April 23 at Indianapolis Motor
Speedway. Teammate Arie Luyendyk Jr. was second (47.0626 seconds; 191.275).
"It was wonderful," said Medeiros, who is coming off a victory in the Phoenix
100. "We were quick in the morning and then quickest in the afternoon, too.
The track will be very different in May because there will be 10 days of
IndyCar Series rubber. We're just trying to find the baseline set-up to start
the race weekend since we don't have much time to work during the race
weekend." The Futaba Freedom 100 will be broadcast live on ESPN2 at 2
p.m. (EDT) on May 22.
FASTEST SPEEDS OF MORNING SESSION
Pos. Car Name C/E/T Speed
1 11 Thiago Medeiros D/I/F 190.714 mph
2 91 Paul Dana D/I/F 190.586 mph
3 5 Arie Luyendyk Jr. D/I/F 189.839 mph
4 24 Brad Pollard D/I/F 188.449 mph
5 2 Phil Giebler D/I/F 188.175 mph
FASTEST SPEEDS OF AFTERNOON SESSION
Pos. Car Name C/E/T Speed
1 11 Thiago Medeiros D/I/F 191.518 mph
2 5 Arie Luyendyk Jr. D/I/F 191.275 mph
3 4 Marty Roth D/I/F 191.051 mph
4 91 Paul Dana D/I/F 190.315 mph
5 2 Phil Giebler D/I/F 190.293 mph
FASTEST SPEEDS OF COMBINED SESSIONS
Pos. Car Name C/E/T Speed
1 11 Thiago Medeiros D/I/F 191.518 mph
2 5 Arie Luyendyk Jr. D/I/F 191.275 mph
3 4 Marty Roth D/I/F 191.051 mph
4 91 Paul Dana D/I/F 190.586 mph
5 2 Phil Giebler D/I/F 190.293 mph
4/24/04
IRL TV rating for Japan
tanks If you thought Champ Car's TV rating for Long Beach was bad on
Spike TV (0.2), the IRL's TV rating on ESPN2 for Motegi, Japan was even worse.
While the race got a terrible 0.9 last year on ABC, this year on ESPN2 it
plummeted to a 0.1, a drop of 89%. Neither series has a loyal enough fan
base to get a decent rating on a cable channel. Either they pay to put
them on network TV and get around a 1.0 give or take 1/2 a point, or they go
invisible on cable TV.
Firman quits World Series
by Nissan Ex-F1 driver Ralph Firman has quit the Gabord Competition
team because he was very unhappy with the car. So his seat is vacant now. Gabord will start here in Zolder with Juan Cruz Alvarez only. The main problem
at Gabord is that all the good mechanics and engineers from last year
(championship with Franck Montagny) left for the newly founded Pons Racing, and
Gabord hired a whole bunch of inexperienced people. Firman already left for
LeMans to do some testing there. Guenter Reinhold/Autoracing1.com reporting
from Zolder
4/24/04
Tire flex really
noticeable A reader writes, Dear
Autoracing1.com, I could not help but notice how much the drivers were getting
their cars sideways at Imola today during qualifying. The drivers were
throwing their cars around and bouncing off the curbs and hanging their tail
way out. It was impressive. The drivers hands looked like they were
going almost full lock to full lock. How come Champ Cars look like they
are always on rails? Joseph Anthony MarconiDear
Joseph, Impressive indeed. Champ Cars look like they are on rails
because 1) They weigh almost as much as a Sherman Tank, 2) Their low profile
tires have a short and stiff sidewall, which contributes to the overall
stiffness rate of the suspension. As can be seen in the photo to the
right taken today at Imola of the McLaren, the deflection of the tire sidewall
is noticeable, even on TV. Hence why a F1 car is much more exciting to
watch than a railroad car (oops we mean Champ Car). This is why the next
generation Champ Car must scrap their 15" wheels and go to a smaller 13" wheel
with higher, more flexible tire sidewalls. They also must take weight out of
the behemoth, lethargic, drive-on-rails, monsters. The devils in the
details as they say. Mark C.
4/24/04
Montoya destroys track
record in qualifying at Imola
P. No Driver Team - Engine Tires Times
Ave/Gaps Laps
1. 3 MONTOYA Williams BMW M 1'19"805 222.527 Km/h 3 (First lap ever under 1:20)
2. 4 R. SCHUMACHER Williams BMW M 1'20"423 + 0'00"618 3
3. 1 M. SCHUMACHER Ferrari B 1'20"440 + 0'00"635 3
4. 5 COULTHARD McLaren Mercedes M 1'20"566 + 0'00"761 3
5. 9 BUTTON BAR Honda M 1'20"632 + 0'00"827 3
6. 11 FISICHELLA Sauber Petronas B 1'20"716 + 0'00"911 3
7. 2 BARRICHELLO Ferrari B 1'20"927 + 0'01"122 3
8. 10 SATO BAR Honda M 1'20"984 + 0'01"179 3
9. 6 RAIKKONEN McLaren Mercedes M 1'21"181 + 0'01"376 3
10. 17 PANIS Toyota M 1'21"231 + 0'01"426 3
11. 14 WEBBER Jaguar Cosworth M 1'21"458 + 0'01"653 3
12. 7 TRULLI Renault M 1'21"669 + 0'01"864 3
13. 16 DA MATTA Toyota M 1'21"737 + 0'01"932 3
14. 8 ALONSO Renault M 1'21"799 + 0'01"994 3
15. 12 MASSA Sauber Petronas B 1'22"154 + 0'02"349 3
16. 15 KLIEN Jaguar Cosworth M 1'22"246 + 0'02"441 3
17. 18 HEIDFELD Jordan Ford B 1'23"055 + 0'03"250 3
18. 19 PANTANO Jordan Ford B 1'24"643 + 0'04"838 3
19. 20 BRUNI Minardi Cosworth B 1'26"463 + 0'06"658 3
20. 21 BAUMGARTNER Minardi Cosworth B 1'27"319 + 0'07"514 3
4/24/04
V10 to V8 will not save
money The F1 engine formula currently utilizes 3.0-litre V10 engines
and a raft of proposals released by the sport's governing body recommends a
change to 2.4-litre V8s in the interests of reducing costs and curtailing
performance levels. BMW Motorsport director Mario Theissen of BMW said,
however: “The objectives we fully support but I'd be careful to keep the
objectives apart from the solutions. Cost reduction is the most urgent thing
and I think we should try to get that done before 2008. Given that, we would
not propose a different engine format. If we move from 3.0-litre V10s to
2.4-litre V8s, it will mean that for one year we will have to do two engines
in parallel. The costs of the V8 would be no more than 5 percent lower and so,
in total, it wouldn't be a cost reduction. But, we support extending engine
life, even beyond two races. That would take power down and mean a massive
cost cut. I think we need to spend a bit more thought on it.” The FIA is
likely to counter, however, that the capacity cuts are the most effective way
to reduce performance, and point out that this year's doubling of the engine
mileage has not, in fact, reduced power. Theissen's opposite number at McLaren
Mercedes, Norbert Haug, said: “My personal view is that a change of engine
regulations doesn't help to save money. Two cylinders less to save money on
parts, I don't think is the right choice.” Haug emphasized, however, that
Mercedes-Benz and McLaren will play a full and constructive part in the FIA's
forthcoming discussions.
Autosport [Editor's Note: As we have said time and again, if Champ
Car switched to a V10 engine, it would not necessarily mean a rise in cost, 5%
perhaps. What is key to keeping costs down is the banning of exotic
materials and, as Mario Theissen points out, extending engine life to
more than two races. Recall the original six race proposal. A six
race engine would reduce power, but most importantly cut engine rebuild costs
by a factor of six - a massive savings.]
4/24/04
Schumacher again nips
Button, leads Free Practice #4 at Imola
P. No Driver Team - Engine Tires Times
Ave/Gaps Laps
1. 1 M.SCHUMACHER Ferrari B 1'20"125 221.639 Km/h 7
2. 9 BUTTON BAR Honda M 1'20"150 + 0'00"025 15
3. 8 ALONSO Renault M 1'20"844 + 0'00"719 13
4. 5 COULTHARD McLaren Mercedes M 1'20"844 + 0'00"719 10
5. 3 MONTOYA Williams BMW M 1'20"975 + 0'00"850 7
6. 2 BARRICHELLO Ferrari B 1'20"996 + 0'00"871 10
7. 10 SATO BAR Honda M 1'21"159 + 0'01"034 14
8. 7 TRULLI Renault M 1'21"198 + 0'01"073 12
9. 6 RAIKKONEN McLaren Mercedes M 1'21"199 + 0'01"074 14
10. 16 DA MATTA Toyota M 1'21"257 + 0'01"132 13
11. 4 R.SCHUMACHER Williams BMW M 1'21"271 + 0'01"146 10
12. 17 PANIS Toyota M 1'21"296 + 0'01"171 12
13. 14 WEBBER Jaguar Cosworth M 1'21"393 + 0'01"268 16
14. 11 FISICHELLA Sauber Petronas B 1'22"022 + 0'01"897 10
15. 12 MASSA Sauber Petronas B 1'22"077 + 0'01"952 8
16. 15 KLIEN Jaguar Cosworth M 1'23"222 + 0'03"097 8
17. 18 HEIDFELD Jordan Ford B 1'23"551 + 0'03"426 13
18. 19 PANTANO Jordan Ford B 1'24"736 + 0'04"611 7
19. 20 BRUNI Minardi Cosworth B 1'26"199 + 0'06"074 10
20. 21 BAUMGARTNER Minardi Cosworth B 1'27"451 + 0'07"326 13
4/24/04
Schumacher nips Button to
lead Free Practice #3 at Imola
P. No Driver Team - Engine Tires Times
Ave/Gaps Laps
1. 1 M.SCHUMACHER Ferrari B 1'20"856 219.635 Km/h 13
2. 9 BUTTON BAR Honda M 1'21"165 + 0'00"309 11
3. 2 BARRICHELLO Ferrari B 1'21"583 + 0'00"727 10
4. 3 MONTOYA Williams BMW M 1'21"764 + 0'00"908 14
5. 4 R.SCHUMACHER Williams BMW M 1'21"864 + 0'01"008 13
6. 8 ALONSO Renault M 1'21"954 + 0'01"098 13
7. 10 SATO BAR Honda M 1'22"013 + 0'01"157 11
8. 5 COULTHARD McLaren Mercedes M 1'22"051 + 0'01"195 6
9. 6 RAIKKONEN McLaren Mercedes M 1'22"164 + 0'01"308 5
10. 7 TRULLI Renault M 1'22"462 + 0'01"606 13
11. 14 WEBBER Jaguar Cosworth M 1'22"707 + 0'01"851 10
12. 17 PANIS Toyota M 1'22"885 + 0'02"029 14
13. 11 FISICHELLA Sauber Petronas B 1'22"991 + 0'02"135 6
14. 12 MASSA Sauber Petronas B 1'23"105 + 0'02"249 10
15. 16 DA MATTA Toyota M 1'23"482 + 0'02"626 17
16. 19 PANTANO Jordan Ford B 1'24"255 + 0'03"399 13
17. 18 HEIDFELD Jordan Ford B 1'24"907 + 0'04"051 10
18. 20 BRUNI Minardi Cosworth B 1'26"783 + 0'05"927 11
19. 21 BAUMGARTNER Minardi Cosworth B 1'27"539 + 0'06"683 13
Ferrari sets up JV
importer in China Ferrari today announced that it has entered into a
strategic alliance with Wo Kee Hong through its subsidiary Italian Motors -
the sole agent for Ferrari and Maserati cars in Hong Kong - and Poly
Technologies, a subsidiary of Poly Group, to set up an equity joint venture
company in Mainland China. The JV, named Ferrari Maserati Cars International
Trading and in which Ferrari will hold a majority stake, will be the sole
importer of Ferrari and Maserati cars in China, responsible for the marketing,
sale to dealers, spare parts and accessories supply, and after-sale technical
supports for both brands.
Ferrari, Wo Kee Hong and Poly Technologies will own 40%, 30% and 30%
respectively in the JV. The three parties have mapped out detailed development
plans for the first three years’ operations of the JV. At the initial stage,
they will set up a national dealership network with over 10 strategic
locations in major cities in China, including Beijing, Shanghai, Nanjing,
Dalian, Hangzhou, Chengdu, Congqing, Wuhan, Guangzhou and Shenzhen.
Ferrari Maserati Group has been present in China since 1993. With the entry
into the World Trade Organization, China commits to relax import restrictions
and reduce tariffs on motor cars. Due to this reason the Group decided to
strengthen its direct presence in China, providing its customers with
excellent quality, performance and service in the sale and maintenance of the
cars.
In 2004, several events of Ferrari Maserati group are planned in China, in
particular the opening of a new showroom in the center of Shanghai (June 6th)
and the participation of Scuderia Ferrari in the F1 Grand Prix (September
26th). Ferrari
4/23/04
HBO special on Zanardi wins award
The Champ Car community wasn’t alone in its appreciation of last
July’s HBO “Real Sports With Bryant Gumbel” segment featuring the
inspirational story of two-time Champ Car champion Alex Zanardi and
his 2003 quest to return to a Champ Car cockpit following the loss of
both of his legs in the 2001 event at EuroSpeedway Lausitz.
On April 19, the National Television Academy awarded HBO with 8 Sports
Emmy Awards, more than any other network, including the Outstanding
Long Feature Award for Gumbel’s stirring profile of Zanardi. The award
was one of two presented to “Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel.”
"One of our goals here at HBO is to spotlight the stories that touch
people's emotions," said Ross Greenburg, president, HBO Sports.
"Alex's journey was the type of compelling human interest piece that
truly inspired us all. We're honored to have been able to tell his
story and this Emmy Award is a testament to how powerful a story it
is."
The incomparable Zanardi—who has become an inspiration to many around
the world—discussed with Gumbel the events leading up to and following
the devastating accident in which he not only lost his legs, but
nearly his life.
The special segment feature footage from Zanardi’s home in Monte
Carlo. Bryant had a reflective discussion with Zanardi concerning the
day of the crash, what he went through, when and how he found out he
had lost his legs, his reaction, and his focus to get on with life and
live it to the fullest.
The feature went on to show the champion doing the things he loves to
do, despite his handicap. He took the viewers on-board his luxurious
boat demonstrating the different prosthetic legs that he had available
for swimming, and showed off many of his other “toys.”
However, the most amazing “toy” he could possibly play with was the
specially-modified Champ Car that was outfitted with hand controls for
him not only to complete the final 13 laps he missed following the
crash in 2001 at the German superspeedway, but to complete them at an
average speed of over 194 mph. As “Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel” so
artfully showed, Zanardi was successful in completing his mission.
4/23/04
Things are looking up for Monterrey Autoracing1.com
visited the Monterrey, Mexico track today in Fundidora Park and met
with the race director to get the latest information about the status
of the next round of the Champ Car World Series. That feature
article can be found on our Home Page.
4/23/04
Who is in charge at
McLaren Mercedes? A reader writes, Dear Autoracing1, On
4/21,Mercedes sports chief Norbert Haug admitted the McLaren-Mercedes Formula
One team were too ambitious in their development for the 2004 Grand Prix
season and that he ruled out a major new development of chassis and engine for
the German Grand Prix at Hockenheim on July 25th. Instead, they plan to work
on the existing model. On 4/23, McLaren says that they are focusing on a
revised version of the design, designated MP4-19B, to turn its fortunes
around. The new car is likely to race for the first time in the German Grand
Prix on July 25. Who's in charge of the program development over there?
Warren Davis Dear Warren, Clearly everybody thinks they are in
charge and one half doesn't have a clue what the other half is doing, and
their performance this year bears that out. We smell an eventual falling out
if the relationship is that arms-length apart. Mark C.
4/23/04
Newman/Haas seeks design
advantage Newman/Haas Racing announced today
it's partnership with Computer Aided Technology, Inc. (CATI)
for the 2004 Bridgestone Presents The Champ Car World Series
Powered by Ford season. After having won four Champ Car
championships to date, the team has enlisted the support of
CATI to help them in their quest for their fifth title in
2004 with PacifiCare driver Bruno Junqueira and McDonald's®
driver Sebastien Bourdais.
"The ease and sophistication of CATI's SolidWorks package
will not only enable us to improve our design process it
will also allow our engineering department to be more
productive," said Brian Lisles, General Manager of
Newman/Haas Racing. "We are already using the advance
capabilities of SolidWorks to produce designs for new parts
for our cars as we press forward with our objective of
winning the 2004 Champ Car World Series championship."
Computer Aided Technology, Inc. (CATI), headquartered in
Buffalo Grove, IL, provides the Midwest with five
full-service facilities, supporting Illinois, Indiana, Iowa,
Michigan and Wisconsin with the mission to unite quality
people with advanced technology to create complete solutions
for maximum business results. CATI is the original
SolidWorks Reseller and the Top Reseller of SolidWorks in
the Midwest. CATI is dedicated to providing comprehensive
solutions to engineering, manufacturing, and educational
sectors and offers a full suite of SolidWorks Solution
Partner technologies including CAD, CAE, CAID, CAM, ECAD,
and PDM solutions.
4/23/04
Trust to sponsor
Jordan Jordan Grand Prix has announced that Dutch computer
firm Trust will sponsor the team for the remainder of the season.
Trust's logos will continue to appear on the front wings and mirrors
of the EJ14 cars and on the overalls of drivers Nick Heidfeld, Giorgio
Pantano and Timo Glock. "We have enjoyed a robust relationship with
Trust during the course of the winter and the beginning of the season
and I am pleased to confirm they will be sponsoring Jordan for all of
2004," commented team boss, Eddie Jordan. "Trust as a company is
totally committed to supporting motorsport and F1 in particular and
I'm delighted that they will be involved with the Jordan team. They
have a vibrant and dynamic brand in Europe and are a perfect fit with
Jordan. We're looking forward to doing some exciting business and
promotions together throughout the year." Michel Perridon, C.E.O. of
Trust International B.V. added: "Our experiences with Formula 1 in
2003 were tremendously positive for the company and therefore we wish
to continue backing motorsport. "Trust will once again get the maximum
result out of this sponsorship by using for example promotional
actions on a European level. The co-operation between Eddie Jordan and
myself went very well, we are very happy to continue this co-operation
in the form of a sponsorship contract for the 2004 F1 season."
4/23/04
Talks breakdown,
F1 future in doubt again The GPWC has pulled out of talks to
come up with a new Concorde Agreement, accusing other parties in the
negotiations of failing to fulfil their obligations. In an official
statement issued at the start of the San Marino Grand Prix weekend,
the GPWC claims that 'despite all reasonable efforts to implement the
memorandum of understanding between GPWC Holdings BV and the
shareholders of SLEC Holdings Ltd, [it] has decided to end
negotiations on the future structure of Formula One, due to SLEC
shareholders' failure to comply with key points agreed in the MoU'.
"Accordingly, and in the best interests of the sport and the teams,
GPWC has terminated the MoU with FOA and SLEC shareholders, thereby
releasing GPWC from the standstill provision in the MoU," the
statement concluded, raising the specter of a rival breakaway series
to F1 being resurrected by the car makers. The fact that the
memorandum had been signed appeared to have signaled the end to the
possible 'civil war' between the GPWC and the existing F1 set-up.
"When we realized that our commitment to implement the MoU was not met
by the other parties, we had to make a decision in the best interest
of the sport, and end negotiations," confirmed Professor Jurgen
Hubbert, the chairman of GPWC.
4/23/04
2nd Cup date may
cost TMS 2nd IRL race From
Dallas Morning News.
1. TMS may have to move (to summer) or get rid of 2nd IRL race to add
2nd NASCAR race
2. Say's IRL 2005 finale may be at LVMS.
3. California Speedway has yet to sell all of its 90,000 tickets for
May NASCAR race
The other problems that come with the settlement fall on the shoulders of TMS
president Eddie Gossage. Getting a Nextel Cup race in the fall may mean losing
the IRL season finale. The IRL event this year is scheduled for
Oct. 17 at TMS. The probable date for the 2005 second Cup race at TMS is Nov.
6. No one from TMS, the IRL or NASCAR would want to schedule those two events
only three weeks apart at the same track. That leaves Gossage with two options: Move the
second IRL weekend to another date, or give up the second IRL weekend.
The only logical place for the second IRL race at TMS would be late
August or early September, possibly Labor Day weekend. It also would
have to be a night race because of the extreme heat in North Texas
that time of year. That would place the event almost two months
after the early June IRL event at TMS, and two months before the
second NASCAR weekend. The NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series also races at
TMS both IRL weekends, but the second truck event could move to the
second Cup weekend.
Whether the second IRL race is moved or eliminated, the season finale
probably is going elsewhere. The Las Vegas Motor Speedway is a good
candidate to host the IRL season-ending event in 2005 [Editor's
Note: Is this another IRL attempt to head off Champ Car now
that they are rumored to have their season ender on the strip in Las
Vegas? Rest assured, if the IRL goes back to the Vegas oval,
they will fail miserably....again.]. TMS
officials have one other problem that comes with the long-awaited
second Cup race. Be careful what you wish for. Now you have to prove
you deserve it. The Cup weekend has sold out every year since
TMS opened in 1997, packing more than 200,000 people into the
facility. But will all those people show up twice a year?
The California Speedway, which got a second Cup weekend this season,
hasn't sold all of its 90,000 seats for the May 2 race. No doubt some
of those people who previously attended the May race are skipping it
to attend the Labor Day weekend event.
4/23/04
Greg Ray sues AJ
Foyt IRL driver Greg Ray has filed a breach of contract
lawsuit against Texas racing legend A.J. Foyt. The suit, filed April 7
in Tarrant County, alleges Foyt never paid Ray when Ray drove for
Foyt's IRL team in 2002. Ray alleges he and Foyt had an oral agreement
on a two-year contract worth $100,000 a year, plus all expenses and 40
percent of the purse winnings. Ray said he couldn't discuss the case.
The lawsuit states Foyt "lied, stole money and placed Ray's life in
danger in lousy equipment. Perhaps Mr. Foyt's ego is what motivates
him to lie, cheat and swindle drivers." Foyt said Thursday that he
never had a contract with Ray, and Ray did not bring all the
sponsorship money he promised. The suit says Ray brought $100,000 in
sponsorship money to the team. Ray also said he is considering legal
action against IRL team owner Tom Kelley and Trim Spa. Kelley fired
Ray to hire Al Unser Jr. in 2002. Trim Spa was Ray's sponsor last
season but is no longer associated with the team.
Dallas Morning News
4/23/04
Junqueira and Carpentier top
Portland test The
2004 Bridgestone Presents The Champ Car World Series Powered
by Ford season got underway with a strong event last weekend
in Long Beach, but the teams and drivers fighting for the
series championship didn’t stick around to enjoy what they
accomplished in Southern California. In fact, teams were
already underway with preparations for the May 23 Telmex/Tecate
Grand Prix of Monterrey well before the streets of Long Beach
were reopened to commuter traffic, heading north to Portland
for two days of testing on the 1.969-mile road course at
Portland International Raceway. Full Story
4/23/04
Nissan World Series
Keohane lands at CarlinUPDATE
AutoRacing1.com has learned that Keohane will drive for Carlin
on a race-to-race basis as their 2nd driver. Tiago
Monteiro will drive every race as their #1 driver. 4/23/04 - Michael
Keohane, who was close to landing a Champ Car ride with Dale
Coyne Racing is in Zolder, Belgium today driving the Carlin
Motorsports entry in the Nissan World Series.
AutoRacing1.com has a photographer on site and will have
photos from this event later this weekend.
4/23/04
Some Rockingham
Notes/Comments Rockingham has
gone the way of North Wilkesboro. And Hickory. And Bowman Gray. And Raleigh.
And Asheville-Weaverville. The news out of Daytona is, once again, sad. We
will race no more at North Carolina Motor Speedway. NASCAR will sacrifice it
for a second race at Texas as a part of a convoluted settlement of a
convoluted lawsuit. NCMS will be dropped from the 2005 schedule. The next
schedule will also be without one of the Darlington events, the old track
finally losing out to progress and legal battles. Phoenix is expected to add a
second race for the 2005 season as the sport continues a trend away from its
Southern roots toward nationalism. The official announcements will not come
until later in the summer, and few people in the sport were willing to talk as
the news trickled out this week. People in and around Rockingham were more
than willing. "We're mad, we're angry and we're disappointed that we weren't
given a chance," Rockingham city manager Monty Crump said. "This was a done
deal. We were set up to fail." There's a lot of truth behind Crump's claim.
The races at Rockingham could've easily been saved by moving the winter race
to the summer, by adding lights and by NASCAR acknowledging that North
Carolina Motor Speedway was an important part of the sport.
Roanoke Times
4/23/04
NASCAR mum about Texas
settlement The legal turtle,
known in NASCAR circles as the Ferko lawsuit, pulled its head into its shell
Thursday. Francis Ferko, an SMI stockholder, started his suit against NASCAR
two years ago, arguing the sanctioning body broke a promise to give the Texas
racetrack a second date. NASCAR officials refused to talk about anything to do
with Ferko and Texas. NASCAR, wholly owned by Bill France and his family,
replied to all Ferko inquiries with a generic statement from general counsel
Gary Crotty. "NASCAR will continue to respect the court's request not to
publicly comment on this pending litigation," Crotty said.
Daytona Beach News Journal
4/23/04
Brundle's Blast for
Ecclestone According to this
sporting life
article, Formula One supremo Bernie Ecclestone has been accused of
jeopardizing the future of the British Grand Prix. Earlier this week
Ecclestone issued an unequivocal warning that the race will be axed from next
year's Formula One calendar unless further improvements are made to
Silverstone. Ecclestone made it clear a new pit and paddock complex needs to
be built at the circuit, bringing it into line with the modern, new tracks in
places such as Malaysia, Bahrain and Shanghai, otherwise this year's event in
July will be the last. Yet Martin Brundle, chairman of the British Racing
Drivers' Club who own the track, insists funding is in place for what is the
last phase of Silverstone's modernization.
The project has been signed off and could get under way as early as tomorrow,
however, one signature is still required - that of Ecclestone. Ecclestone's
name is needed as he has pumped in one third of the 60million (dollars)
required to bring Silverstone up to scratch, with a proportion of the money so
far spent on access roads and car parks. The BRDC and Interpublic - who this
week sold the rights for the race back to 73-year-old Ecclestone's Formula One
Management company - have each supplied the other third. As the British Grand
Prix would appear to be firmly in Ecclestone's hands, Brundle is
understandably concerned it will make way for another new venue.
4/23/04
McLaren confirms
management structure According to
this grandprix article,
the new structure at McLaren and Mercedes=Ilmor has now been confirmed by
McLaren with Hans-Ulrich Maik, the managing director of Mercedes-Ilmor having
left the company which he has been running since November 2002. Martin
Whitmarsh takes over the operational management of the entire McLaren Mercedes
Formula 1 program but gives up his position as managing director of McLaren
Racing. This role now goes to Operations Director Jonathan Neale
The 41-year-old physics graduate joined McLaren from British Aerospace in 2001
after heading BAe's Hawk Fast Jet program. He spent 10 years with BAe after
starting his career working on semiconductor design and electronic warfare
systems for submarines and surface ships at Phillips Defense Systems. After
joining BAe as a design engineer he moved into management and in 1995 gained
an MBA from Manchester University.
It remains to be seen whether or not there will be a change in the technical
structure at McLaren where the current team of Technical Director Adrian
Newey, Chief Designer Mike Coughlan and Executive Director of Engineering Neil
Oatley have been struggling to produce a winning car since 2002.
4/23/04
McLaren Pushing Ahead with
New Chassis According to this Speed
article, after enduring frustration in both the performance and
reliability departments this year with its MP4-19 chassis, the
McLaren-Mercedes Benz team is focusing on a revised version of the design,
designated MP4-19B, to revive turn its fortunes around. The new car is likely
to race for the first time in the German Grand Prix on July 25.
"With the current car we will obviously do what we can, but we really are
pushing hard on the MP4-19B," design chief Adrian Newey told Autosport. Newey
revealed that the new car will include bigger changes than there were between
the never-raced MP4-18 and the current model. "From a performance point of
view, they were the same car," Newey declared. "I would hope that the MP4-19B
will represent a step forward."
Engine unreliability has been another problem this year and there have now
been personnel changes within McLaren-Mercedes in order to try to resolve
matters. Key among them: Martin Whitmarsh, formerly managing director of the
team's umbrella company, McLaren International, has been moved to the position
of general manager of the West McLaren Mercedes F1 organization. There, he
will be responsible for both the chassis and engine programs. Whitmarsh will
be replaced as overall MD by former operations director Jonathan Neale.
4/23/04
BAR 1-2 in 2nd
free practice at Imola Lucky Strike B·A·R Honda locked out the top
of the timesheets in today's first free practice session for this weekend's
San Marino Grand Prix as Jenson Button and Takuma Sato ended the day 1st and
2nd respectively. Third driver Anthony Davidson posted the 6th fastest time to
split the Ferraris, Renaults and McLarens.
P. No Driver Team - Engine Tires Times Ave/Gaps
Laps
1. 9 BUTTON BAR Honda M 1'20"966 219.337 Km/h 25
2. 10 SATO BAR Honda M 1'21"159 + 0'00"193 25
3. 1 M.SCHUMACHER Ferrari B 1'21"164 + 0'00"198 23
4. 6 RAIKKONEN McLaren Mercedes M 1'21"586 + 0'00"620 18
5. 7 TRULLI Renault M 1'21"604 + 0'00"638 25
6. 35 DAVIDSON BAR Honda M 1'21"643 + 0'00"677 30
7. 3 MONTOYA Williams BMW M 1'21"661 + 0'00"695 25
8. 8 ALONSO Renault M 1'21"788 + 0'00"822 25
9. 5 COULTHARD McLaren Mercedes M 1'21"795 + 0'00"829 17
10. 4 R.SCHUMACHER Williams BMW M 1'22"057 + 0'01"091 24
11. 2 BARRICHELLO Ferrari B 1'22"096 + 0'01"130 20
12. 14 WEBBER Jaguar Cosworth M 1'22"167 + 0'01"201 28
13. 17 PANIS Toyota M 1'22"768 + 0'01"802 22
14. 16 DA MATTA Toyota M 1'22"780 + 0'01"814 23
15. 12 MASSA Sauber Petronas B 1'23"043 + 0'02"077 27
16. 15 KLIEN Jaguar Cosworth M 1'23"211 + 0'02"245 15
17. 11 FISICHELLA Sauber Petronas B 1'23"335 + 0'02"369 28
18. 37 WIRDHEIM Jaguar Cosworth M 1'23"470 + 0'02"504 24
19. 38 ZONTA Toyota M 1'23"500 + 0'02"534 20
20. 18 HEIDFELD Jordan Ford B 1'23"866 + 0'02"900 15
21. 19 PANTANO Jordan Ford B 1'24"091 + 0'03"125 19
22. 20 BRUNI Minardi Cosworth B 1'25"653 + 0'04"687 16
23. 21 BAUMGARTNER Minardi Cosworth B 1'25"760 + 0'04"794 10
24. 40 LEINDERS Minardi Cosworth B 1'27"025 + 0'06"059 22
4/23/04
Nissan World Series
Keohane lands at Carlin Michael
Keohane, who was close to landing a Champ Car ride with Dale
Coyne Racing is in Zolder, Belgium today driving the Carlin
Motorsports entry in the Nissan World Series.
AutoRacing1.com has a photographer on site and will have
photos from this event later this weekend.
4/23/04
Wirdheim: F1 should be like
Champ Car F1 test driver and F3000 champion
Bjorn Wirdheim had this to say in this Swedish
article - Björn did a very good test for Patrick
Racing. He enjoyed it much more than he had done in any F1
team. "It (referring to his Patrick Racing Champ Car)
was exactly what I wanted to do. CART is like F3000 but
bigger, as I think F1 should be. Everything was ready
for the signature when the bad economy hit CART and the team
was sold." [Editor's Note: With the radical F1
changes proposed by the FIA today, we are getting closer to
the day when both series can run to almost the same
specification. Maybe that's the plan......]
4/23/04
Wilson to run 24 Hours of
LeMans From
the Jan Lammers website: Justin Wilson will compete in the
Le Mans 24 h. race this year for RFH, the team of former F1
and CART driver and Le Mans winner Jan Lammers.
The line-up consists of Wilson, ex-f1 driver&F-Nippon champ
Ralph Firman and F-Nippon champ Tom Coronel. Jan
Lammers: “To be honest, financially I would have been better
off if I had chosen other drivers, but I would rather not
hire a plastic surgeon from Hollywood who steals the show
with money, drives as a backmarker and scars our image
permanently. I want top drivers. I have them now."
4/23/04
Ford seeks women
driver Ford racing director
Dan Davis has seen enough of rising open-wheel driver Danica Patrick
to believe a woman can succeed at racing's highest levels. He also
has seen enough talented young drivers come out of the U.S. Auto
Club midget ranks and achieve NASCAR success to believe that is the
quickest route to the Nextel Cup series. So Davis is putting Ford's
considerable resources to work to meld those two beliefs and provide
a woman with an opportunity to earn a full-time NASCAR ride. With
input from Lyn St. James, who since retiring as a driver has been an
activist for women in racing, four candidates have been chosen for a
tryout May 4-5 at Anderson (Ind.) Speedway. USAC car builder Bob
East will evaluate them and if he is convinced one shows promise,
she'll be given a second look the next week at Indianapolis Raceway
Park. Assuming all goes well, the goal is to get her into a few USAC
midget races late this year with an eye toward a possible full-time
ride with team owner Steve Lewis in 2005. "When it occurs that a
woman makes it in NASCAR, we'd like (her) to be a Ford driver,"
Davis said. "This is just the first step in a long process. We'd
like to get a sponsor involved, but if not, we'll pay for it."
Indy Star
4/23/04
Teams to test at
Indy Testing
begins today at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in preparation for
next month's Indianapolis 500 and the support race, the Freedom 100
for the Menards Infiniti Pro Series cars. Today's action
involves the 18 Pro Series cars entered in the event. The Indy
Racing League's four rookies -- Mark Taylor, Ed Carpenter, Kosuke
Matsuura and Marty Roth -- will participate in the Rookie
Orientation Program on Monday, followed by full IRL testing Tuesday
and Wednesday. Twenty-six IRL cars are scheduled to test in
what will be the only opportunity to run the new 3.0-liter engines
before the track opens for practice May 9. The list of drivers
includes all of the 22 who ran last week in Japan except Tony
Kanaan, who has a Firestone tire test May 3-4 at Texas Motor
Speedway. The four additional cars at the open test will be
for Al Unser Jr., Sarah Fisher, Robby Gordon and a Newman/Haas
driver who has yet to be named (expect former Indy pole winner Bruno
Junqueira). All testing sessions are free and open to the
public. Infield seating is restricted to the south end.
Indy Star
4/23/04
Schumacher easily tops San
Marino Free Session 1
P. No Driver Team - Engine Tires Times Ave/Gaps
Laps
1. 1 M.SCHUMACHER Ferrari B 1'20"084 221.752 Km/h 11
2. 2 BARRICHELLO Ferrari B 1'21"443 + 0'01"359 12
3. 4 R.SCHUMACHER Williams BMW M 1'22"250 + 0'02"166 13
4. 35 DAVIDSON BAR Honda M 1'22"398 + 0'02"314 20
5. 9 BUTTON BAR Honda M 1'22"448 + 0'02"364 10
6. 3 MONTOYA Williams BMW M 1'22"796 + 0'02"712 11
7. 7 TRULLI Renault M 1'22"927 + 0'02"843 11
8. 6 RAIKKONEN McLaren Mercedes M 1'23"054 + 0'02"970 4
9. 8 ALONSO Renault M 1'23"083 + 0'02"999 13
10. 38 ZONTA Toyota M 1'23"161 + 0'03"077 20
11. 5 COULTHARD McLaren Mercedes M 1'23"197 + 0'03"113 8
12. 14 WEBBER Jaguar Cosworth M 1'23"417 + 0'03"333 11
13. 11 FISICHELLA Sauber Petronas B 1'23"528 + 0'03"444 9
14. 12 MASSA Sauber Petronas B 1'23"562 + 0'03"478 13
15. 17 PANIS Toyota M 1'23"790 + 0'03"706 13
16. 10 SATO BAR Honda M 1'24"061 + 0'03"977 11
17. 37 WIRDHEIM Jaguar Cosworth M 1'24"152 + 0'04"068 29
18. 16 DA MATTA Toyota M 1'24"752 + 0'04"668 12
19. 18 HEIDFELD Jordan Ford B 1'24"955 + 0'04"871 12
20. 19 PANTANO Jordan Ford B 1'25"375 + 0'05"291 12
21. 15 KLIEN Jaguar Cosworth M 1'25"679 + 0'05"595 9
22. 39 GLOCK Jordan Ford B 1'26"254 + 0'06"170 14
23. 20 BRUNI Minardi Cosworth B 1'27"933 + 0'07"849 14
24. 21 BAUMGARTNER Minardi Cosworth B 1'29"312 + 0'09"228 14
25. 40 LEINDERS Minardi Cosworth B 1'29"414 + 0'09"330 19
4/23/04
FIA proposes massive F1
changes [Editor's Note: Hmm....these changes, if
adopted, certainly will reduce the cost of F1 to the point a 2nd World
Championship series might be feasible as outlined in our Phoenix is about to
rise article. With that said, what's the chances all these proposals
will get adopted? Remember the 6-race engine idea? It's now just
one. This proposal moves it to two.] The FIA president Max Mosley
has proposed a raft of drastic changes to Formula 1's 2008 sporting and
technical regulations in a move to 'improve the racing spectacle' and put a
greater emphasis on driver skills by 'eliminating electronic driver aids'. The
depth and scale of the proposals could change Formula 1 forever. It is
required in the Concorde Agreement that the FIA must announce the 2008
regulations by no later December 2005.
"The reason for doing it now is that I think there is a really
serious problem in Formula One with the amount of money that is
being spent," he told Reuters. "I think it is the biggest package of
changes Formula One has ever seen."
There can only ever be one World Championship winning team, and as a
result the manufacturers are going to seriously consider whether
their enormous investment is worthwhile, when the best they can
achieve is the odd win, and perhaps third or fourth in the
championship. Mosley is aware that should they choose to pull out of
F1, as they have in the past, the consequences would be
catastrophic.
"Several of the major manufacturers are starting to look at what
they are spending on engines and wondering whether they are getting
value for money," he said. "Teams are finding it difficult to get
enough sponsorship to meet their costs. There is a risk that we will
start to see big problems if we don't do something.
As for the spectacle: "If people don't go and watch it, it doesn't
matter how cutting-edge it is. It will fail," he said. "People are
really interested in the human contest but obviously in very high
performance machines. If you have too much technology and not enough
driver, the public will start to lose interest." Engine
- 2.4 liter V8;
- maximum of four valves per cylinder;
- two-race engine (fool-proof method for ensuring this rule is observed, plus
carefully calculated penalty system for unscheduled changes);
- list of components which must be made from a specific material and/or using
a specified manufacturing process;
- ban on variable geometry inlet and exhaust systems;
- standard ECU (under FIA control)
- ban on ultra high pressure (direct injection) fuel systems enforced by means
of FIA ECU;
- maximum modulus of elasticity (stiffness) of materials reduced from 40 Gpa
to 32 Gpa (throughout car). Transmission, braking and steering
- manual gearbox with electronic over-rev safeguard;
- manually operated clutch;
- ban on electronically controlled differentials;
- ban on power steering systems;
- standard brake discs, pads and calipers. Chassis
- weight limit reduced by at least 50 kilos (to eliminate ballast and thus
reduce kinetic energy in an accident);
- a combined tyre and aerodynamic package to be published no later than 31
December 2004 to achieve specific targets for cornering speeds, straight-line
speeds, grip and braking performance, taking weight reduction into account;
- tyre (wheel) width reduced at front, increased at rear to allow weight
distribution consistent with no ballast and to give greater drag (total of
front +rear widths to stay same). Sporting
- no spare car allowed during entire Event;
- cars to be held under parc fermé conditions during entire Event;
- one tire supplier only, all sporting aspects of supply contract under
control of FIA;
- drastic restriction on private testing, limited by mileage rather than
number of days, enforced by means of FIA ECU;
- two (identical) sets of tires for qualifying and race;
- Friday practice: package to ensure cars run, possibly to include a
qualifying session;
- new qualifying system to be discussed with commercial rights holder
(broadcasters), teams and race promoters;
- if qualifying continues to be with race fuel, consider whether amount of
fuel in refueling rig before race should be fixed annually in sporting
regulations with amount of fuel in car for qualifying and race free (to
encourage fuel efficiency);
- no tyre change during race (except genuine puncture), refueling to stay;
- consider if constructors’ points should be scored by a maximum of four
specified cars (two teams) per constructor (to encourage major teams to make
cars and information available to teams coming into Formula 1, see below); General
- no restriction on the sale, loan or exchange of chassis and components
between teams or to new entrants in the championship;
- twelve entries to be accepted each year, entries to close on 1 July for
following season;
- guaranteed entries each year for teams with long-term contracts to compete
in championship;
- technical and sporting rule changes for future seasons to be subject to a
majority vote of the teams already contracted to compete during the season in
which the rule changes will apply;
- technical rule changes concerning Formula 1 to be announced in June to take
effect on 1 January of the second year following the announcement (for
example, a - technical rule change for 2012 would be announced no later than 1
July 2010, having first been approved by a majority of the teams already
contracted to participate in 2012);
- no rule changes after entries close for a given Championship without consent
of all accepted teams.
NASCAR weekend nets $142
million for Vegas The 2004 NASCAR Weekend in Las Vegas had a record
$142 million impact on the local economy, the greatest impact in the
seven-year history of the event. The Las Vegas Convention and Visitor’s
Authority’s annual study revealed that the final number of $142,673,400 was
7.3 percent greater than in 2003. The numbers are based on interviews with
race fans during the March 5-7 weekend and reflect the amount of money spent –
both gaming and non-gaming – during the four-day event at Las Vegas Motor
Speedway. “NASCAR Weekend once again provided an economic boon to Las Vegas,”
said Las Vegas Motor Speedway general manager Chris Powell. “This event has
become one of the most anticipated stops on the NASCAR circuit for hundreds of
thousands of people from all over the world.” The study estimated
approximately 92,350 visitors attended the race from outside Southern Nevada.
These visitors provided a non-gaming impact of $85,361,900 to the local
economic market.
4/22/04
LB Trans-Am race to air The
Motorock Trans-Am Series season opener, part of the Toyota Grand Prix
of Long Beach, will air on tape-delayed basis this Sunday, April 25,
on Spike TV at 10:30 a.m. (EDT and PST). The race will run in the time
slot occupied by “Dangerous Curves,” during the cable network’s
popular “Power Block.” The race aired live on cable high-definition
network HDNet, as will every Trans-Am race this season. A full
television package, along with tape-delayed coverage will be announced
soon.
4/22/04
Toyota Atlantic TV schedule Fans
of the Toyota Atlantic Championship Presented by Yokohama
will once again be able to catch up with all of the rising
stars in North America's premier open-wheel driver
development series on television in the United States and
Canada, as series officials today confirmed that all 2004
events will once again be broadcast on SPEED Channel.
"SPEED Channel provides great coverage for Toyota Atlantic,
and we are pleased to have SPEED back for another great
season in 2004," said Toyota Atlantic managing director,
Vicki O'Connor. "Racing aficionados watch SPEED Channel
religiously, and by having our events air on SPEED, our
drivers and teams gain the recognition they deserve. I
strongly believe our television coverage is a major reason
why Toyota Atlantic graduates routinely have great name
recognition when they reach the highest levels of open-wheel
racing."
Veteran announcers Greg Creamer and Ralph Sheheen will share
play-by-play duties for SPEED Channel's Toyota Atlantic
coverage, and will be joined in the booth by 1990 Toyota
Atlantic - Atlantic Division champion Brian Till, who will
provide expert analysis. Sharing the duties on pit lane will
be 1987 East Coast Atlantic champion Calvin Fish and another
veteran motorsports announcer, Rick DeBruhl. Television
production will once again be handled by Los Angeles-based
Mullin Production Group under the direction of John Mullin
for the 11th straight season. Event Date
Event/Track/Location SPEED Air Date Time (ET)
April 18 Toyota Grand
Prix of Long Beach April 25 12:00 Noon Long Beach, Calif.
May 23 Tecate/Telmex Monterrey Grand Prix May 30 1:00 p.m.
Fundidora Park - Monterrey, Mexico
June 5 The Milwaukee Mile June 6 2:00 p.m. West Allis, Wis.
June 19 Champ Car GP of Portland (Round 6) June 26 2:00 p.m.
Portland International Raceway - Portland, Ore.
June 20 Champ Car GP of Portland (Round 5) July 3 2:00 p.m.
Portland International Raceway - Portland, Ore.
July 3 Champ Car Grand Prix of Cleveland July 11 1:00 p.m.
Burke Lakefront Airport - Cleveland, Ohio
July 11 Molson Indy Toronto July 17 11:00 a.m. Exhibition
Place - Toronto, Ontario, Canada
July 25 Molson Indy Vancouver August 7 12:00 p.m. Concord
Pacific Place - Vancouver, B.C., Canada
August 8 Champ Car GP of Road America August 15 3:00 p.m.
Road America - Elkhart Lake, Wis.
August 15 Centrix Financial GP of Denver August 21 12:00
Noon Denver, Colo.
August 29 Molson Indy Montreal September 4 2:00 p.m. Circuit
Gilles-Villeneuve - Montreal, Quebec, Canada
September 12 Champ Car GP of Monterey September 26 2:00 p.m.
Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca - Monterey, Calif.
NOTE: Dates and times subject to change. Check local
listings. Schedule includes initial air dates and times on
SPEED Channel, and does include dates and times for
rebroadcasts.
4/22/04
Industry News
Nextel reports strong Qtr. Nextel
Communications, Inc. today announced strong financial and
operating results for the first-quarter 2004. Highlights
compared with last year's first quarter include a 31%
increase in revenue to $3.1 billion, a 33% increase in
operating income before depreciation and amortization (OIBDA)
to $1.2 billion, and a 184% increase in income available to
common stockholders to $591 million, or $0.53 per share.
Last year's first-quarter revenue was $2.4 billion, OIBDA
was $906 million, and income available to common
stockholders was $208 million, or $0.21 per share. During
the quarter, free cash flow increased 152% to $507 million
over last year's $201 million.
4/22/04
More good press for Champ Car This
Sports Illustrated Magazine
article is more good press for Champ Car - a
generally favorable article considering the circumstances.
4/22/04
Robby Gordon
shakes down Indy Car at MIS in preparation for Indy
4/22/04
ALMS to test for
LeMans Eleven racing teams from the American Le Mans
Series will be in France this weekend to take an important step in
their preparation for the 72nd running of the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
The world's most famous endurance race will be run June 12-13 at the
Circuit de La Sarthe. The 50 teams that have been invited to compete
at Le Mans, plus reserve cars, are required to participate in
Sunday's traditional Pre-Test day. After undergoing scrutineering on
Friday and Saturday, teams will have eight hours of testing time on
the 8.625-mile La Sarthe circuit on Sunday, the only chance they
will have to test on the full circuit prior to the start of official
event practice in June.
4/22/04
NASCAR tidbits Robby
Gordon and Richard Childress Racing officials have denied recent
reports that Gordon will be dismissed as the driver of the No. 31
Chevrolet. Robby Gordon finished 30th at Martinsville and ranks 25th
in the points standings . . . Nextel Cup drivers go from the short
and tight track at Martinsville to the long and wide track at
Talladega this week. "At Talladega, you are running 190 mph, but
there is a car 2 inches off your front bumper and a car 2 inches off
his front bumper and there is a car 2 inches off your rear bumper
and a car behind him, another 2 inches back," Kyle Petty said. "Tap
your brakes under those conditions and there is going to be a real
mess. I'm not talking about stomping on your brakes or anything
else. Simply tap your brakes and they are going to be picking up car
pieces for a good while. Brakes are only for going into the pits."
4/22/04
Brack not ready
for 500
Indy Racing League driver Kenny Brack has decided he will not be
ready for next month's Indianapolis 500. The 1999 race winner told
Team Rahal officials Wednesday he would prefer to wait until after
the 500 to return. Brack has not been in a race car since suffering
multiple career-threatening injuries in an accident Oct. 12 at Texas
Motor Speedway. Brack said his decision was not based on his
recovery. He has been walking without crutches since the middle of
March. "That part is going smoothly," the 38-year-old Brack said.
"But I could not put anybody in a bad position. "I wouldn't know if
I was 100 percent until I got back in a car, and we've run out of
time to do that."
Indy Star
4/22/04
Hendrick signs two
drivers NASCAR team
owner Rick Hendrick has signed developmental deals with two local
drivers. Kyle Krisiloff, 18, of Indianapolis and Boston Reid, 22, of
Logansport will have opportunities this season to compete in
stock-car races for Hendrick Motorsports. Hendrick has an agreement
with Indianapolis-based SS Racing to run Krisiloff, grandson of Mari
Hulman George, in 13 ASA events. Reid will be paired with Blake
Feese, 22, of Saybrook, Ill., in an ARCA deal with Bobby Gerhart
Racing.
Indy Star
4/22/04
Formula BMW
Hinchcliffe
complete successful test
James Hinchcliffe completed his first test in his Formula BMW ride this past
weekend at Shannonville Motorsports Park. Located near Bellville, Ontario the
17-year old turned some fast test runs under dry conditions on the legendary
Canadian circuit. After signing with the AIM Autosport race team on
April 2, Hinchcliffe and his race team received delivery of their FB2 car the
following week. After some preparation work, pedal and steering adjustments
and the pouring of a proper seat, the plan was made to shake the car down and
make minor handling changes to get the feel of the BMW design.
“It was hard driving around at the slow speeds when I knew that car could do
much more,” stated Hinchcliffe, who was forced to run the necessary 50 mile
break-in procedure. The young Canadian was ready to turn some test laps at
speed and compare himself to the other BMW drivers who were in attendance.
The
team did several runs logging over 165 miles in the first day with short runs
and many testing adjustments. “We were doing a lot of changes to the set-up of
the car just to gather as much information as we could about how the car
reacts. I was really impressed with its set-up capabilities”, explained
Hinchcliffe. The AIM Autosport team was looking forward to day two where
longer and faster runs were in the plans. One session Saturday morning is all
Hinchcliffe could get in before the skies opened and the rain began to fall.
With the late signing and arrival of the car, rain tires and wheels were not
yet ready as the team was forced to stay off the track.
“The car is outright awesome,” explained Hinchcliffe. “With other teams here
we were able to see how we stack up against the competition. We got enough
data to take and analyze before our next test to see where we can improve. The
AIM Autosport squad is so professional in the way they approach motorsports
and I can’t wait to get the season started.”
The twelfth grade Oakville Trafalgar Secondary School student will look to
continue the success garnered by last year’s Fran-Am Championship winning
team. Due to logistic reasons, the AIM Autosport group will be forced to miss
the Putnum Park test. Two more tests planned at Shannonville and Mosport will
take place as Hinchcliffe will look to become even more comfortable with his
ride in the hunt for the first ever Formula BMW USA Championship.
The young Canadian is looking forward to the upcoming season. Hinchcliffe will
compete in the entire Formula BMW USA championship, selected Formula Ford 1600
races and karting events throughout North America in 2004. Stars of Karting
and SKUSA events are on the schedule for Hinchcliffe as he will continue to
train and hone his skills in the shifterkart ranks.
4/22/04
Interview with Mark
Taylor and Ed Carpenter
INDY RACING LEAGUE
WEEKLY TELECONFERENCE
TRANSCRIPT
Ed Carpenter and Mark Taylor
First Champ Car race on Spike
TV bombsUPDATE A
reader responds, Dear AutoRacing1, While it would be terrific to have
Champ Car races on network, let's be realistic. The only way Champ Car
can get onto one of the big 4 is via enormously expensive time buys.
Open Wheel racing just isn't drawing viewership numbers big enough to
justify any other scenario. The IRL may be on ABC, but that's purely a
byproduct of the Indy 500 - if they were to try to get a separate TV
package for their other races it would be on a time-buy basis, the
viewer numbers just aren't there. So it's a chicken and egg situation.
Champ Car has to rebuild its fan base, stabilize its market identity,
improve its marketing and gradually build viewership numbers until the
networks come knocking. Any other approach is unsustainable, as
established by that bankrupt company known as CART. Don't forget to
add in Fox Espanol along with HDNet, and be sure you consider the
whole International TV package once that's established and stabilized.
How about a number for total households in North America - Canada and
Mexico included? It would have been nice if your headline were "Spike
Long Beach ratings increase 235%" rather than "ratings bomb". The
glass is half full, my friend. Lando Magee, Houston, Texas
Dear Lando, While you make some good points (especially about
combining all the various ratings to give a total no. of viewers -
OWRS needs to publish this), you must know that we look at it on a
cost per viewer basis. Certainly CBS costs much more per
broadcast when in a time buy situation. However, CBS races
generally garner from 1.5 to 1.8 million viewers for each Champ Car
race. Compare that to the 319,000 that tuned in last Sunday.
That's 5 times more viewers. If the cost on CBS isn't five times
more (it's not) than CBS is cheaper on a per viewer basis. How
does a team walk into a potential sponsors office and try to sell them
with a 0.2 TV rating? How many engine manufacturers are going to
want to build engines for a series with 0.2 TV ratings? Of course TV
ratings are not everything, but they are the cheapest way to reach
eyeballs, which in turn helps to sell sponsorship. It's a
vicious circle. Since most of the races are taped delayed on
Spike in the majority of households anyway, they would be better off
broadcasting the races in Prime Time on Sunday evenings. The
ratings would be far higher. The Indy 500 used to get ratings of
14 and 15 when it was taped delayed in Prime Time on ABC. When
they made it live in the afternoon the TV Ratings plummeted to under
10 and now down to 4+. Mark C.4/21/04 - We made a big pitch last year about
why OWRS needed to move more races to CBS, not less.
Well they decided not to put any on network TV and now they
are paying the price. The final rating on Spike TV for
this weekend's Champ Car race in Long Beach was a 0.2/0.5
Share with 205,000 households (319,000 viewers) tuned in.
This number does not include those tuned in to HDNet and to
the internet broadcast (we will attempt to get a cumulative
number). Dangerous Curves got an additional 175,000
households at 10:30 AM Sunday morning. While
pathetically low, last year's Long Beach race on SPEED TV
garnered only 87,000 households, so it's 235% higher in
2004. Paul Gentilozzi said Viacom was really going to
get behind Champ Car. Well they had better start
advertising the race broadcasts on CBS and MTV soon, because
if they don't embrace Champ Car fully, forget about it.
Mark C.
4/22/04
Horner:
Enge belongs in Champ CarUPDATE
Put Enge in a car, ASAP! I was severely disappointed to find out
that Marques was getting the ride than Enge. If Champ Car wants to
become tier number two to F1, the F3000 drivers need to clearly see
that Champ Car is the way. Furthermore, the respect for driver quality
will soon be quelled by scooping up all the F3000 and Atlantic
champions into Champ Car. At that point, clearly Champ Car would be
the way if you want to race the best and to give you a shot at F1
(that is not to say that many F1 drivers would have an easy time in
Champ Car anyway). If Enge was to get a ride in Champ Car, the top 3
drivers over the past 3-4 years from F3000 would be in Champ Car
(Junqueira, Bourdais, Enge). Give the guy a ride and a chance....I'm
sure he can do better than many others in the series. D. Hughes,
Jacksonville, FL 4/21/04
- This
week's Autosport Magazine has quotes from Arden team owner Christian
Horner and Tomas Enge regarding Enge's choice to race in F3000 again.
Driving for Arden International, Enge (pictured right) should have
been the Formula 3000 International champion in 2002, but he was
docked his win and 10 points in Hungary for failing a drugs test.
As a result he finished third in the championship, six points behind
champion Sebastien Bourdais. His team boss from that year, Christian
Horner, believes his Czech charge proved enough back then to make this
year’s return unnecessary. “It is a waste of Tomas’s
talent putting him in F3000 again,” says Horner. “Someone with his
ability should be in Champ Cars or Indy Cars. It’s great he sees F3000
as a step back to the top, but he’s already shown us enough.”
Horner also fears that Enge’s return can only harm his reputation. He
says: “He had a great season with us in ’02, winning four of 12 races.
This year he needs to exceed that just to make an impression. Even
then, if he wins everyone will say it’s because he’s got so much
experience. If he doesn’t he will be written off. “He’s up
against it too, joining a new team and with pit-stops to be taken into
account. A year in sports cars won’t have slowed him down, but he’s
going to find a bunch of youngsters coming through capable of having a
go at him. Tomas isn’t the sort of person who’s afraid of anyone, but
the pressure is on him to perform.” Enge goes on to say,
“I have heard everything since signing,” he shrugs. “Some people think
it is a good thing, others think it is a bad thing. But rather than
talk about it I want to shut people’s mouths with my results. That’s
the target for a racing driver, isn’t it? It’s all about beating other
people on equal terms. So let’s see what happens when the season
starts.” Some, including Christian Horner, Enge’s
team boss at Arden International in 2002, argue that the 27-year-old
has already done more than enough to justify his place higher up the
racing ladder. After all, he has raced against and beaten the likes of
Justin Wilson and Sebastien Bourdais on a regular basis in the past.
“It doesn’t matter who has been faster than who in the past,” counters
Enge. “I am not jealous, because these people are racing in the series
they are in because they belong there, and I don’t think that just
because I beat them I deserve to be there too. You can say that in ’02
I drove as well as Sebastien [Bourdais], that’s a fact. But if I can
get a seat in Champ Cars, it doesn’t mean that I would automatically
be as fast as him again. I need to work at it, prove again that I
deserve the chance, and then get out there and do the job.”
“We know that there are a few possibilities in America or F1 for next
year, or maybe even later this season. The goal is to do the best job
possible and use F3000 to get me back to where I want to be.”
4/21/04
Rahal to be inducted
As a child, Bobby Rahal dreamed of racing cars on the same tracks as his
heroes Dan Gurney and Graham Hill. He never thought he would become a
racing hero. On April 22, Rahal, the 1986 Indianapolis 500 winner, will reach
another racing dream when he becomes the newest member of the prestigious
International Motorsports Hall of Fame. In a special presentation in
Talladega, Ala., Rahal will be inducted along with "Red" Farmer, Bill France
Jr., Shirley Muldowney and Bill Muncey. Rahal retired from competitive driving
in 1998 but still owns three racing teams.
4/21/04
Rossi stuns F1
establishment in first F1 testUPDATE Added photo of Rossi with Michael
Schumacher courtesy of Ferrari. 4/21/04 - This Autosport
article says, Moto GP World Champion Valentino Rossi is
lapping the Ferrari test track at Fiorano today and the Italian
superstar has already shown a massively impressive aptitude for
Formula 1. Rossi had never driven any kind of single-seater before
today's outing in a F2003 behind closed-doors at Fiorano, but he has
already gone faster than Ferrari tester Luciano Burti's mark for the
day. Rossi is reported to have made a huge impression in lapping the
track in 59.0s - that's only three seconds off Michael Schumacher's
record.
4/21/04
PUMA
extends deal with PKV Racing Following a successful
first season, PKV Racing today announced an extension of their
existing supplier agreement with PUMA that will renew the global
athletic brand’s services to provide the second-year Champ Car team
with fireproof racing suits, footwear and racewear for drivers Jimmy
Vasser (#12 Gulfstream Ford-Cosworth/Lola/Bridgestone), Roberto
Gonzalez (#21 NII Holdings, Inc. Ford-Cosworth/Lola/Bridgestone) and
their respective PKV crew members (Photo above by Adriano Manocchia).
“We thank PUMA for the ongoing support they have shown us over the
winter, and for turning around a sizeable order even after a late
start to the 2004 Champ Car season,” said PKV General Manager Russell
Cameron. “It became evident in Long Beach that PUMA’s product line for
PKV Racing complemented the team’s new livery, as the eye-catching
racewear drew its fair share of attention in the paddock.” PUMA
representatives were on hand last weekend for the season opener in
Long Beach, and were once again proud to display their logo on the duo
of 750hp Lolas for PKV Racing. “At PUMA we are delighted to continue
our partnership with PKV Racing” said PUMA Sport Promotion Manager
Motorsport Bruno Vaglienti. “The team was PUMA's first racewear
partner in the US and we are very happy to continue working with them
in the upcoming season.”
PKV Racing
4/21/04
Senna feared Schumacher's
car was illegal
This week's Autosport Magazine is a special edition on Ayrton Senna.
In it is a piece on what we have heard for years, that Michael Schumacher's
car was using traction and launch control. Senna pushed too hard to stay
ahead of the illegal car and crashed, killing himself. The Autosport
piece - "Sources close to Ayrton Senna have revealed the Brazilian’s
final grands prix were overshadowed by his conviction that arch rival Michael
Schumacher’s Benetton was illegal. Although the 1994 Benetton was never
found to be outside the regulations in post-race checks, former teammate Alain
Prost and team boss Ron Dennis both claim Senna did not feel he was competing
on a level playing field during that season. Prost said: “After I
retired we started to talk about a few things, personal things… he called me a
few times, sometimes for no reason. He just wanted to talk a little bit. He
had problems with the car, and he was convinced that Benetton was cheating,
and he was very upset about that. I don’t say that – it was him saying that to
me!” Dennis was not as specific about Senna’s beliefs, but he did hint
that the Brazilian was not entirely supportive of Schumacher. “He
[Ayrton] felt that there was a part of Formula 1 that was prepared to win at
all costs and there was a group of people that fell into that category, not
just drivers but elements of teams or whole teams,” he said. “He felt that
certainly Michael fell into that category. That was never his way of doing F1;
it was never mine or my team’s way of doing F1.” The suspicions about
Benetton revolve around the possible use of traction control and launch
control, which had both been banned before the start of the 1994 season.
The FIA, motorsport’s governing body, analyzed the team’s software systems at
the time and found options to engage the banned systems, but it concluded that
there was no definitive proof they had been used during a race. Benetton
was warned that year after illegal modifications were found on its refueling
equipment. Interestingly, many of those same people are still with
Schumacher at Ferrari and their domination continues.
4/21/04
Portland testing update No
test times for some teams today from Portland. It rained all
night and into this morning. Most will run tomorrow when weather
should be a bit better. May see a few times from today.
Stay tuned....
Mark C.
4/21/04
Haug admits they
were too ambitious
Mercedes sports chief Norbert Haug has admitted the McLaren-Mercedes
Formula One team were too ambitious in their development for the
2004 Grand Prix season. "Yes, we made mistakes. We have problems
with the whole package. We wanted to take a giant stride in
development and perhaps it was too big," he told Stern magazine.
McLaren have notched up a paltry four points after the opening three
races but Haug ruled out a major new development of chassis and
engine for the German Grand Prix at Hockenheim on July 25. Instead,
they plan to work on the existing model.
4/21/04
Dalziel test at Portland Fresh
from a victorious season-opening weekend at Long Beach,
California, Toyota Atlantic Championship leader Ryan Dalziel
flew north to the Portland International Raceway, Oregon to
test his #28 ProWorks Sierra Sierra Enterprises car
yesterday in preparation for Rounds 4 and 5 of the series
there in June (18-20th). As the only double-header event on
the 12-race Toyota Atlantic calendar, the Portland weekend
could be crucial to championship challenges. With this in
mind several of the teams in the series flew directly to
Oregon following Sunday’s opening round in the glamorous
surroundings of Long Beach. Dalziel and Sierra Sierra
Enterprises dominated events in California with the ‘flying
Scot’ leading home a team 1-2 finish for the Nevada-based
sophomore squad. Portland holds happy memories for Ryan as
he enjoyed an equally dominant weekend there last year
capturing pole position before going on to score his second
win from three races. The 22-year-old’s margin of victory
over Joey Hand in second was an impressive 14.4 seconds!
Testing at the 1.9-mile permanent road course yesterday
Dalziel and the team concentrated on fine-tuning the set-up
from last year’s triumph despite the changing dry to wet
conditions. At the end of the day Ryan and team-mate Andrew
Ranger were once again placed at the top of the time sheets,
continuing to set the pace as they have done since testing
commenced back in March.
Reflecting on his preparations Ryan commented: “We enjoyed a
couple of hours solid running before the rain fell. This
isn’t unusual for Portland so it was good to be able to test
both dry and wet set-up’s as we could encounter similar
conditions when we return to race in June. My car was good
straight off the back of the truck from California. We
worked on last year’s set-up and really there wasn’t a lot
else to do as we set the pace once more. I think with all
the experience gained from last year’s campaign we’re really
in great shape for this season. Long Beach was the perfect
result to kick start the year and I know we’ll be
competitive at every track. There are a couple of races to
run before we get back to Portland and they both hold good
memories for me. I finished second in Monterrey, Mexico in
my Toyota Atlantic debut and I won Milwaukee last season, my
first win in the series and all the more special as it was
from pole and on an oval!” Ryan leads the Toyota Atlantic
Driver Standings with 34 points. Monterrey, Mexico hosts
Round 2 of the 2004 Toyota Atlantic Championship on 23rd
May.. Sierra Sierra Racing
4/21/04
Tracy's secretUPDATE
A reader responds, You are spot on about how Tracy passes
the backmarkers. Standing on the new permanent bridge we
could watch passing at both turn one and turn six. I got to
comparing Tracy’s passes to those of Bourdais. There was to
be a clear difference. Tracy passed with intimidating
authority. The corner worker never had to wave his blue
flag. But it seemed that many times Bourdais needed the
assistance of the blue flag. And please note, I picked
Bourdais to win the race and the championship – so I’m not
dumping on him. I’m just reporting on what I clearly
witnessed. However, I am aware that N/H had resolved
themselves to accept the two lower spots on the podium, so
why not wait for a safe pass. And it will be a long time
before we forget how Tracy put his championship in
“unnecessary” danger with his passing attempt in Miami.
On a related note, while there are many things involved in
da Matta’s lack of success, I continue to believe that he
needs to sharpen his passing. Jeff Skinner,
Northridge, California4/21/04 - Studying
the lap times last Sunday - on cold tires/heavy fuel Paul
Tracy is clearly the best....really, no one else is
close...also, he really lays down the times late in the
session...those two attributes are going to make him tough
to beat this year...A few guys have his outright pace over a
lap but no one is doing it as consistently...the other thing
we noticed is that when he laps guys you can tell they are
intimidated...as if they are scared to get in his
way...almost like Michael Schumacher...It is up to the
others to really step up their game...right now, none of the
other drivers are the complete package Paul Tracy is.
Can they meet the challenge? We shall know in a few
short weeks. Mark C.
4/21/04
Sabates lashes
out at NASCAR Chip Ganassi Racing part-owner Felix Sabates
lashed out at NASCAR Tuesday for stripping 25 driver points from
Jamie McMurray as a result of his car being confiscated March 26
during the race weekend at Bristol. The violation was similar to
those of the teams of Tony Stewart and Kyle Busch last season, which
resulted in NASCAR confiscating both of those cars. Stewart did not
have any points taken. Busch did. However, it was the only Cup race
Busch entered in 2003, making the penalty virtually meaningless.
"This is pure, unadulterated (BS)," Sabates fumed. "You have got to
be consistent in this sport. NASCAR is not too consistent right now.
"(Joe) Gibbs (Stewart's owner) didn't get any points taken from him
when this happened to Tony last year and Tony was in the hunt for a
championship." Sabates said he and primary owner Chip Ganassi asked
for an explanation of the penalty from NASCAR President Mike Helton
but didn't receive a satisfactory response. "The only sorry excuse
they had was that they took points from Kyle Busch. Well, big
(expletive deleted) deal. He was running one race and the penalty
came out after the damn season was over," Sabates said. "We are in
the middle of a championship battle with an even greater priority
this season with the 26-race deal and we lose points for the same
violation as someone else and they didn't lose points. That is
(BS)." Sabates was also livid at the slow response time of the
penalty, which came three weeks since the cars were taken. "They
told us that day what was wrong. What the hell have they been
doing?" he said. "This is just sorry--- management, sorry
management."
ThatsRacin.com
4/21/04
Berger to drive
Senna Lotus
Ayrton Senna's McLaren teammate Gerhard Berger will drive a lap of
honor of the Imola circuit on Sunday, in honor of the Brazilian who was
killed at the Italian track in May 1994. Berger will driver Senna's 1986 Lotus 98T, a car in which he won two rounds of the
World Championship. The main grandstand at Imola will be renamed 'Tribuna
Ayrton Senna' in honor of the three-time World Champion.
4/21/04
Schumacher blamed
himself for Senna accident
This Planet F1
article says, Ten years after the death of Ayrton Senna the
question still remains, what or who was responsible for his untimely
death at the San Marino GP. But Michael Schumacher believed at the
time that he knew the answer - he was to blame.
According to Di Spiers, who was in charge of the Benetton motor home
in 1994, Schumacher was very upset after the race despite having won
it. The German's distress caused by the fact that he felt
responsible for Senna's accident, which cost the Brazilian his life.
"He cried his eyes out," she told The Times. "He said it was his
fault because he pushed Ayrton too hard, which it wasn't, of course.
But he was heartbroken and we tried to comfort him."
Schumacher and Senna had often pushed one another hard on track
striving to get the upper hand as the young Benetton driver
attempted to surpass the three-times World Champion. But Schumacher,
won went on to win the 1994 World title, does not regret their
battles as he feels they won him Senna's respect.
"There were many circumstances where I felt I was not respected at
all by him and at certain times he tried to teach me a lesson on the
circuit," he said. "But from this base, at the beginning of my
Formula One career, I believe I became respected by him and I can be
proud that we got on well at the end."
While some of the drivers flew to São Paulo to attend Senna's
funeral Schumacher opted not to. However, it's a decision he now
regrets.
"To feel what I felt at that time it was not necessary to go to
church or be present at the funeral," he said. "I don't go to
church, but I know what I believe, what I think and what my emotions
are. It would have been easy to be there because Ayrton was my idol
from back when I saw him in a go-kart race."
Explaining why he didn't attend he said: "At the time, my emotions
and feelings about racing were confused. I didn't know if I wanted
to continue racing. It was only after a test at Silverstone that I
felt I could go on. Without that test I would not have been able to
go to the next race feeling sure I could drive normally."
4/21/04
One small - but crucial step -
for series This
SPEED TV
article talks about how making the Long Beach race
was a small, but crucial step, toward restoring the Champ
Car series to its former greatness.
4/21/04
Champ Car show goes on This
Portland Oregonian
article talks about about Champ Car's upcoming race
in Portland and how glad the Portland folks are that the
Long Beach race was a huge success.
4/21/04
McMurray and Foyt
docked points Jamie McMurray and Larry Foyt were docked 25
points apiece Tuesday by NASCAR for bringing cars to Bristol Motor
Speedway that did not meet specifications. The cars were confiscated
March 26 during a pre-event inspection and have been held by NASCAR
at its research and development facility in Concord, N.C. "The
process of gathering data from the two cars we confiscated has been
completed,'' said Nextel Cup series director John Darby. ``In
addition to collecting the data we needed, we have been able to
refine the overall process so that we have the ability to react very
quickly to this type of situation in the future, specifically if
this should occur in the final 10 races."
Lawsuit not
settled, Burton crashes This
Progressive Index newspaper
article says, Despite published reports which say the
lawsuit between NASCAR and Texas Motor Speedway stockholder Francis
Ferko is close to being settled, NASCAR president Mike Helton
insists there is no deal on the table. Ferko is suing
the sanctioning body to get a second Nextel Cup date for TMS, which
has played host to only one race every season since its inception in
1997. "That's still in its process," HeIton said in the garage
area at Martinsville Speedway on Friday. "But our policy is not to
comment on it."...............Haas CNC driver Ward Burton scared
himself on the outskirts of Danville on Monday at 7:30 a.m., when he
feel asleep behind the wheel of his Chevy Suburban heading south on
Route 29, hit a guardrail and tumbled down an embankment. The impact
totaled Burton's ride, but he learned a valuable lesson. "I'm
not sore at all, but it was pretty irresponsible on my part putting
my family through what I did," the 42-year-old said. "I made a
pretty stupid mistake and I'm going to make some more, but I won't
make that one again." Burton became drowsy after completing
his daily workout at 4:30 a.m., but he ignored his body's request
for sleep and tried to make a two-hour trip from his Halifax County
home to the Haas CNC shop in Charlotte, N.C., for a team meeting at
9:30 a.m. "I had my whole day worked out, but I nodded
one time," Burton said, shaking his head with disgust.
4/20/04
Hill: No one to
blame but Senna himself
According to this TSN.ca
article, Damon Hill says no one is to blame for the death of
Ayrton Senna, except the Brazilian himself. "I have listened and
read endless theories about why, or how, he could have crashed on
such a 'simple' corner like Tamburello," the former world champion
and Senna's teammate in 1994 wrote in the Times newspaper on
Tuesday. "I am convinced that he made a mistake, but many people
will never believe he could." Hill says Senna was a great driver who
always pushed the car to the limit when he raced. As for speculation
that the failure of a modified steering column was to blame for the
crash and subsequent death, Hill says that's not possible. "It is
inconceivable to me that Ayrton's column could have broken with the
power steering working normally, which I believe it was from the
data subsequently retrieved from his car," he writes. "In fact, the
column could easily withstand the considerably increased loading for
the whole race distance." Hill added that following the crash, he
drove the remainder of the race with the power steering capability
turned off as a precaution. Recently, an Italian supreme court
re-opened the possibility of a new trial in the Senna death. In the
first trial, team principals Frank Williams, Patrick Head and Adrian
Newey were acquitted of manslaughter charges in Senna's death. "No
one other than Ayrton Senna and me know what it was like to drive
that car, through that corner, in that race, on that day, on cold
tires. Ultimately we will never know what Ayrton was thinking, or
what really happened." Hill says for a long time he questioned
whether or not the race should have continued on that fateful May
afternoon. Teams were not informed of Senna's death until after the
race was completed, which was won by Michael Schumacher. "I thought
for a long time that the blame lay at the feet of those who make the
rules," he wrote. "But now I see it as it is. It is sport. It is
entertainment. "You don't have to do it. Ayrton did not have to do
it. He had a choice on that Sunday and, incredibly sadly, he made
the wrong one."
4/20/04
IRL notes of
interest
Dan Wheldon, 25, who won the Indy Japan 300 at Twin Ring Motegi on
April 17 and has finished in the top 10 in nine consecutive IRL
IndyCar® Series events, responded to a post-race question about a
potential future in Formula One with a stare and snicker. "I
came over to America in 1999 because I thought the way the motor
racing over there, in comparison to Europe, works is there's a lot
more opportunity," said Wheldon, a native of Emberton, England.
"I've certainly been graced with a great opportunity with Andretti
Green Racing, Honda, driving the Jim Beam car. This
league is truly amazing. I mean, there is no championship in the
world that you can compete in knowing that probably 12 to 15 cars
can actually win the race. To win is so, so difficult, but it makes
it so, so rewarding when you do. I mean, I just love being part of
it. We have great teams. There are a lot of good
drivers. We have great engine manufacturers. I just enjoy this
league a great deal and look forward to being here for a long time.
I think now that I won this race for Honda, it will help me stay
here for longer."..........IndyCar Series team owner Michael
Andretti will be interviewed on the premiere episode of "Driving
Force" on Speed Channel. Andretti, who fields the IndyCar
Series entries of Tony Kanaan, Dan Wheldon, Dario Franchitti and
Bryan Herta, will be interviewed during the one-hour program.
"Driving Force," which is hosted by Dan McLaughlin and Heather
Pennell, airs at 8 p.m. (EDT) on April 21.
4/20/04
M'Ville truck
ratings on SPEED The NASCAR Craftsman Trucks Series race
from Martinsville scored a .77 (470,000 households) on SPEED
Channel. Ratings for the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series are up 61
percent from 2003 (.69 three-race average in 2003, 1.11 three-race
average in 2004).
4/20/04
SAFER going up at
Lowe's The most extensive SAFER barrier installation at
any NASCAR-sanctioned speedway is underway at Lowe's Motor Speedway.
Approximately 6,100-linear feet of the steel and foam
energy-reducing barrier will be in place for the Coca-Cola 600 Month
of May race events. LMS PR
4/20/04
Photos of Tom Cruise at Long
Beach Actor
Tom Cruise was a guest of Paul Newman at last weekend's
Champ Car Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach. The photos
below were taken by Dan Boyd. Cruise is the passenger
in the 2-seat car shown.
4/20/04
Newman/Haas car at McDonald's
convention Newman/Haas
Racing is very well represented at the McDonald's Worldwide
Convention which is going on now in Orlando, Florida. The
Newman/Haas McDonald's car (Sebastien Bourdais) is displayed
prominently at the convention. Paul Newman will make an
appearance with Mike Roberts, President of McDonald's USA,
in front of all 9000+ attendees.
4/20/04
Martinsville
overnight TV rating The overnight TV rating for this past
Sunday's Nextel Cup race from Martinsville on FOX was a 4.4/11
share, down from a 4.6 rating last year. However, because the
red flag caused the race to run late the rating from 5 to 6:45 PM
went up to 5.4/11 share. The final last year was 5.3/14 share.
We suspect the final rating will be down again, which means NASCAR
will be batting 1,000 for 2004 - every race has had lower TV ratings
than the year before, on average 5% lower.
4/20/04
Panoz factory
team to enter GT-LM class
According to this Motorsport.com
article Panoz Motor Sports, one of the most successful
entrants in the history of the American Le Mans Series, will return
to the series and race a new Panoz Esperante GT-LM in the June 25-27
event at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course. The full factory entry in the
GT class of the ALMS will be driven by Gunnar Jeannette of Palm
Beach Gardens, Fla., and David Saelens of Belgium as Panoz Motor
Sports returns to action for the first time since the end of the
2002 season.
The GT-LM is based on the Panoz Esperante road car built by Panoz
Auto Development and is powered by a 5.0 litre modular V-8 engine
from Elan Power Products. It will race on Pirelli Tires. The car has
been under development and testing for several months in
anticipation of its competitive debut. "We're back," said Don Panoz,
owner of Panoz Motor Sports. "We wanted to build and race a car that
is more in line with the cars that we sell for the road, so we took
some time away to make that happen. We're looking forward to racing
at Mid-Ohio."
4/20/04
Jos' camp feeling
'positive' after Jordan meeting
According to this Planet-F1
article Jos Verstappen's agent Raymond Vermeulen is feeling
confident about the Dutchman's future after meeting with Eddie
Jordan on Monday. Vermeulen and Jordan met for the first time since
negotiations to get Verstappen into this year's Jordan broke down
two weeks before the season-opening Australian GP. They were both
invited to the Dordrecht headquarters of Trust, who sponsor both the
driver and the team, at the request of the company's CEO Michel
Perridon.
Although Verstappen's website is quick to insist, "no conclusions
should be drawn" from the meeting Vermeulen admitted he is feeling
optimistic about The Boss' chance of returning to the F1 grid.
"My presence at that meeting has to been seen as a positive signal
and comes as a result of the renewed co-operation between Trust and
Verstappen, that is why Michel Perridon invited me," said Vermeulen.
"Both parties have underestimated the faith of this co-operation.
That is why we can still see a future for Jos Verstappen in Formula
One."
4/20/04
Ecclestone secures
rights for Silverstone GP
According to this BreakingNews.ie
article The future of the British Grand Prix appears to be
secure after Formula One supremo Bernie Ecclestone bought the rights
to the race. Ecclestone has long been a critic of Silverstone, the
circuit which hosts the race, but has used his own money to improve
facilities there and has taken that a step further today by taking
control of the event itself. The Englishman, through his Formula One
Administration company, has bought the rights to the grand prix off
Interpublic, who owned them until 2015. Silverstone’s owners, the
British Racing Drivers’ Club, welcomed today’s news and said they
expected the race to continue to be held at the Northamptonshire
track.
A statement read: “The BRDC believes it is of paramount importance
to the sport and industry in the UK that we retain the British Grand
Prix at Silverstone. “We are continuing discussions with our
partners, including Formula One Administration, the Interpublic
Group and the British government, and remain committed to playing
our part in retaining the Grand Prix. “In the expectation that Mr
Ecclestone wishes to retain the British Grand Prix at Silverstone,
we welcome the acquisition of the rights to the event by FOA. “We
look forward to hearing Mr Ecclestone’s plans for the future success
and stability of the British Grand Prix.”
4/20/04
Schwan’s Dodge
Boasts New Paint Scheme The
#49 Schwan’s Home Service Dodge of driver Ken Schrader will take on
a new look beginning this weekend at the 2.66-mile Talladega (Ala.)
Superspeedway. The car, fielded by BAM Racing, brings a darker blue
to the front end and roof of the Schwan’s Home Service Dodge, making
it stand out even more on the race track.
“This jazzes it up a good bit and I think our fans are going to
really like it,” said Schrader. “It will be a lot easier to find on
the race track, and the ‘Schwan’s’ stands out a little bit better
too. We don’t want anybody missing that part of it!” Said Howard
Miller, Vice President of Corporate Relations, Schwan’s: “We chose
to brighten up the car to more closely match Kenny’s wonderful
personality. In addition, we believe our employees and customers
will find the new color scheme more appealing and more quickly spot
their favorite driver.”
Is the change permanent? “Yeah, about as permanent as anything can
be in this sport,” said Schrader. The new paint scheme will first
hit the track for pole qualifying Friday at Talladega (Ala.)
Superspeedway.
4/20/04
Resurfacing may
get more extensive at Martinsville
According to this Slam!
articleA resurfacing job scheduled to begin next week at
Martinsville Speedway may get a lot more extensive if inspection
crews find more evidence of failing spots in the concrete turns. A
large chunk of cement came loose in the lower groove of the third
turn during Sunday's NASCAR Nextel Cup race, leaving a pothole about
a foot wide by a foot long and a depression as deep as 7.6
centimeters. The race was red-flagged after Jeff Gordon ran over the
chunk and damaged his car, and repairs to the track took over an
hour.
Track president W. Clay Campbell said Monday he still doesn't know
what caused the cement to come loose. He said the track had been
inspected after a truck race Saturday night and nothing appeared
wrong. "If we could have seen that problem ahead of time, it
wouldn't have been a problem," Campbell said. "We inspect the track
every night."
The cement that came loose was at an expansion joist where grooves
filled with flexible material allow the track to grow and shrink in
extreme weather. The cement had been in place since 1976, Campbell
said, and had been ground down for leveling purposes just over a
year ago. That work turned the .526-mile oval into a two-groove
racing surface, a development heralded by drivers as a big
improvement.
Crews will begin removing all the asphalt from the track next
Monday, Campbell said, but he's not yet sure whether the concrete
repairs can be restricted to the affected area or need to be more
extensive. "I don't want to hit the panic button over one problem,
but while it may be a small problem, it caused a big problem," he
said of the delay. "I don't want to have to redo everything just
because of one issue."
The asphalt replacement will cost about $250,000 US. The repair of
the pothole could prove as easy as cutting out an area 60 cm wide by
60 cm long and pouring concrete to match the rest of the surface.
The turns at Martinsville were milled last year to remove some lumps
and add small grooves that evened the racing speeds in both grooves.
Campbell, who was part of the crew that laid the lower groove in
1976, said the grinding could have compromised the concrete that
broke off, and that softer tires used in the race could have been a
factor, too.
4/20/04
Interpublic to
ditch British GP
This Autosport
article says, The Interpublic Group is to terminate its
contract to run the British Grand Prix at Silverstone following this
year's race in July. As part of the termination, Interpublic will
pay $93million to Formula One Administration.
Interpublic, the world's second-largest advertising company, was
bound under the contract to promote the event until 2015. In its
annual report last month, it estimated that this would cost
approximately $460million.
Following this year's event, Interpublic and its subsidiary,
Silverstone Motorsports Ltd, will be released from their obligations
as the promoter of the British GP. Interpublic will pay the
$93million to Formula One Administration to terminate the contract,
but will remain bound under its Silverstone lease and its
obligations to the British Racing Drivers' Club, which is the
landlord of the circuit.
Interpublic will continue to honor its Silverstone lease until the
end of 2007, and has estimated further costs of $62million, which
includes payments of the remaining amounts under the promoters
agreement for the 2004 British GP.
Petty to appear
on CNN Kyle Petty, driver of the #45
Georgia-Pacific/Brawny Dodge, will be interviewed live nationally at
3:15 p.m. (EDT), Wednesday, Apr. 21, by CNN. The interview will be
part of the show Live From . . . with Kyra Phillips and Miles
O'Brien.
4/19/04
Feedback on Champ Car TV Dear
AutoRacing1.com, A few notes following the Long Beach Grand
Prix. First of all, I think the TV production was awesome. I
watched the race on HDNT and it was magnificent, from the
pre-race till the end. I switched to Spike TV to see the
difference and I would recommend people try and get the
HDNet feed, there are no commercials you get to see the
entire race and beautiful pictures. Now, my only problem
with the broadcast has to be Bob Jenkins. I was never a fan
of him being the Indy voice and all, but I am willing to
give him more time to acclimate himself to the series.
Jenkins needs to learn the pronunciation of the drivers'
names. You can't be the voice of a series and repeatedly call Tarso Marques (Marquis), and you definitely can't mispronounce
Herdez (one of our biggest sponsors). I think the producers
should have been correcting him during the broadcast. When
the Spike feed went to commercial, there was another
announcer that continued the play-by-play announcement of
the race and that guy was great. I felt like this was a hot
race with close battles, I think that guy should get more
air time, because he was great. Made me feel like I was
watching the Spanish Channel soccer announcer with the Goaaaaallllllllll calls! He has a more British accent and I
frankly looked forward to them going to commercial to hear
this guy call the race. It was great! All said, this race
was great, the production was great. I liked the fact that
the owners of OWRS spoke directly to the fans and this was a
top notch production. Now let's get racing. Ray Jaber,
Florida Another writes, Dear AutoRacing1, I
know it's not your deal, but I thought I'd give some
constructive feedback to Champ Car through you.
1. Dangerous Curves is ok. I think as time goes on Bronte
will become more comfortable and the show will flow a bit
better. The production seemed a bit Mickey Mouse. Also,
showing a clip of Penske in the final segment was a mistake
in my opinion. 2. Bill Jenkins is very stiff as always.
Mispronouncing team names and driver names is bad. The good
banter between Varsha and Kendall last year is gone. Jenkins
seemed like he never called a Champ Car race before and he
was calling it for people that never saw one before. Once
again perhaps as the season winds on he will improve. I just
felt like coming out of the box it was very important to
have it great, for those who were watching for the first
time. 3. Toyota advertisement. What's up with allowing them
to advertise Toyota IRL commercials during the race? They
never mentioned or show the IRL logo, but we knew who they
were talking about. I know money is money, but that just
seemed wrong to me. Why couldn't they do an Atlantic's
commercial instead? I thought you might like to share this
fans perspective. Thank you, Sam Mancuso, Miami, FL
4/19/04
The real winner was Champ Car This
SPEEDTV
article says, Paul Tracy and Paul Gentilozzi took
the checkered flags here Sunday afternoon but the real
winner was Champ Car.
Following a winter of discontent, defections and depressing
news, the series formerly known as CART finally opened its
season with 18 cars.
But the most impressive numbers were in the grandstands,
paddock, pits, convention center and standing at the fence
around the 1.9-mile street circuit.
Despite all the uncertainty just a few weeks ago about
whether Champ Car would even answer the bell in 2004, the
people of southern California turned out just like they have
for the past 30 years.
Sure, it wasn't the largest crowd ever and there were some
empty seats, but the estimated 75,000 fans answered the
biggest question hanging over open wheel racing's most
storied weekend in this country.
The three-day turnout was
somewhere between 150,000 and 170,000, not bad considering
it rained most of Saturday,
"Under the circumstances, I am both surprised and pleased,"
said Jim Michaelian, president and CEO of the Long Beach
Grand Prix Association. "You just can't say enough about how
supportive our fans are and it's great to see them come out
and support this event every year."But, six or eight weeks
ago if you'd told me we'd have this kind of response, well
it would have exceeded all my expectations."
Gerald Forsythe, one of the principals of Open Wheel Racing
Series who also fields a three-car team in the series he now
co-owns, didn't totally share Michaelian's viewpoint.
"I know it's easy for the press to hang on the negatives and
I can see where the public might have wondered what was
going on because they're on the outside looking in," said
Forsythe, who lost at least $30 million as CART's largest
shareholder.
"But I've got two great partners who are determined to see
Champ Car succeed and I have no doubt we'll be successful.
Thanks to our fans and partners we've gotten off to a good
start here and now we can build on that. "To say our work's
done, we know that's not true. But the doomsayers can now go
take a rest."............"Tony George has tried to kill us
but he won't succeed," said Paul Newman, now in his 20th
year as a Champ Car owner with Carl Haas, of the Indy Racing
League founder. "There are too many people out there who
prefer open wheel racing on street and road courses. I
feel a loyalty to these people."
4/19/04
Paul Newman to
skip Indy 500
The Newman half of Newman-Haas Racing doesn't intend to be a part of
the team's return to the Indianapolis 500 next month.
Actor-racer Paul Newman has long been a vocal critic of Tony George
and the Indy Racing League. His ire was raised again in January when
George attempted to purchase the assets of a bankrupt CART so he
could shut down the series.
Asked if he planned to join partner Carl Haas in bringing a team to
the Indianapolis Motor Speedway for the first time since 1995,
Newman offered a succinct reply: "I'm not gonna be there."
Jim McGee, who has spent the past several years as team manager at
Patrick Racing, is heading up the Indy program for Newman-Haas,
where he previously served as crew chief for Mario Andretti. McGee
skipped Long Beach to continue preparations for the May 9 start of
Indy practice.
A Newman-Haas spokesperson said the team is waiting until it has its
car, sponsor and driver set before making an official announcement.
Brazilian Bruno Junqueira, who won the 2002 Indy 500 pole for owner
Chip Ganassi a year after finishing fifth in the race, is almost
certain to be the driver.
Indy Star
4/19/04
Long Beach attendance While
no attendance figures are ever released by the promoter
(Dover) at Long Beach, the estimated attendance for this
year's Toyota Grand prix of Long Beach was 75,000. Add
to that the 52,000 people on Friday and estimated 55,000 on
Saturday and the total 3-day attendance was about 183,000.
4/19/04
MotoGP
Rossi does it again Valentino
Rossi is rewriting the MotoGP record books in the same way
Michael Schumacher is reshaping Formula One history.
Landmarks of all kinds flashed past as the Italian made a
breathtaking debut for Yamaha, only Max Biaggi able to rival
his pace. Could 'The Doctor' operate as effectively in
his new surroundings? Would he take a while to settle into
the job of sorting out the Yamaha? Was this the chink in the
Rossi amour his rivals had been waiting for? Yes, no and no
were the answers to the three big questions ahead of the
opening round of an eagerly-awaited MotoGP series.
Once Rossi had confirmed pre-season potential with the 21st
pole position of his premier class career - the first for
his new marque in two years - the writing was on the wall,
and it spelled out 'Yamaha' in big letters.
Off the line like a startled hare, Rossi had his own game
plan and stuck to it.
"My plan was to get a good start and set a high rhythm and I
managed to do that," said the 25-year-old Italian.
Though last season's main competitor Sete Gibernau tried to
go with the World Champion, it was perennial enemy Max
Biaggi, now the Honda standard-bearer, who carried the fight
to Rossi from the first to the last of the 28 thrilling
laps.
On the final circuit Biaggi looked to have pounced at the
right time, but the indomitable Rossi fought back to assert
his authority three corners from home. It was small
consolation to Biaggi that he eclipsed the lap record with a
best lap of 1m33.208s in his vain pursuit.
Champ Car fans boo Rahal All
weekend long in Long Beach all we heard were cheers except
when Bobby Rahal was introduced as the owner of the Danica
Patrick Toyota Atlantic ride. Then the fans let out a
loud boo because they feel Rahal betrayed the Champ Car
series in the 11th hour. They won't soon forget.
4/18/04
Gentilozzi takes victory at Long Beach
Paul Gentilozzi continued his love affair with the Toyota
Grand Prix of Long Beach Sunday by winning his record fifth
Motorock Trans-Am Series race at the famed temporary street
circuit.
Driving the No. 3 Jaguar XKR, Gentilozzi started fourth and
took the lead from polesitter and Rocketsports Racing
teammate Tommy Kendall (No. 11 Jaguar XKR) in turn one on
the first lap. Gentilozzi then benefited from Boris Said’s
bad luck in turn eight when the driver of the No. 33 Ford
Mustang spun into a tire wall just after briefly taking the
lead from Gentilozzi.
Gentilozzi then held off a hard-charging Greg Pickett (No. 6
Jaguar XKR) for the victory. Pickett, who started second to
last due to a technical infraction in qualifying, made up 14
positions and battled Gentilozzi through the final lap to
finish second, a record .233 of a second behind.
“This is a special place for me,” said Gentilozzi, the only
multiple-time Long Beach winner. “Boris raced me for awhile,
then he backed off. Then I would race him and he’d back off.
We were going back and forth, then at the end, as is always
the case at Long Beach, something exciting happened Boris
spun, and I just made it through the corner.
“Then, I thought I was home free,” added Gentilozzi. “That
late caution let Pickett get up behind me, and he had a
really good car. On that last lap he raced me harder and
maybe I backed off too much and he got up next to me. Then
it was just typical Trans-Am, with rubbing and racing.”
“We bought this car from Paul,” said Pickett. “Paul had been
telling me for years to make it easy on myself and buy one
of his cars. I took his advice and it’s really a solid
piece. It is easy to drive. I have a great family to support
me, a business that does well, and this is just a hoot. I
couldn’t be more thankful.”
Said recovered from his late spin—caused by oil laid down on
the track by a cracked oil pan in Kendall’s Jaguar—to finish
third. John Baucom (No. 86 Ford Mustang) recorded his best
career finish of fourth, ahead of Michael Lewis in the No.
12 Jaguar XKR.
“We were having a great race with Paul,” said Said. “We had
a really fast car. We were just pacing the tires at the end.
Paul got into some oil and I passed him. Then,
unfortunately, I made a mistake in the oil, and he got by.”
The 45-lap race ran in one hour, 13 minutes and 59.463
seconds at an average speed of 71.814 miles per hour.
Gentilozzi led every lap and also set the fastest race lap
of one minute, 23.082 seconds (85.275 mph). The race was
slowed by two caution flags for 10 laps.
1. Paul Gentilozzi, Jaguar XKR, 4, Running.
2. Greg Pickett, Jaguar XKR, 16, Running.
3. Boris Said, Ford Mustang, 2, Running.
4. John Baucom, Ford Mustang, 17, Running.
5. Michael Lewis, Jaguar XKR, 5, Running.
6. Mike Davis, Ford Mustang, 7, Running.
7. Max Lagod, Chevrolet Corvette, 15, Running.
8. Jorge Diaz, Jaguar XKR, 3, Running.
9. Philip Simms (R), Chevrolet Corvette, 12, Running.
10. Randy Ruhlman, Chevrolet Corvette, 11, Running.
11. Tommy Kendall, Jaguar XKR, 1, Mechanical.
12. Bob Ruman, Chevrolet Corvette, 10, Running.
13. Joey Scarallo, Chevrolet Corvette, 14, Mechanical.
14. Edison Lluch (R), Chevrolet Corvette, 8, Contact.
15. Tomy Drissi, Jaguar XKR, 6, Contact.
16. Ross Murray (R), Dodge Viper, 9, Contact.
17. Vincent Ashton (R), Chevrolet Camaro, 13, Contact.
4/18/04
Gerald Forsythe: Defeat is not
in my vocabulary
In an exclusive interview with Corsa News and
AutoRacing1.com today in Long Beach, Gerald Forsythe had the
following comments to say:
Q: In the last six months
of saving the Champ Car Series, what was the biggest hurdle?
A: There is no one thing
that stood out as most challenging. I have great
partners. We are going to make Champ Car World Series
the best open wheel series in North America and one of the
best in the world. Q: What do you see as the biggest challenge going
forward?
A: We produce a better TV
show. I am very excited about the Spike deal - we have
all the ingredients for success. Q: What about engines?
A: Hopefully Ford will be
able to step up to continue. We are discussing the
future with them now, but we are also talking to several
other manufacturers around the world. First we must decide
on our next engine formula before we come up with a new
chassis formula. Q: What does the future hold?
A: All the sponsors here
this year want to be here and I think in the next year you
will see a lot of new sponsors come into the Champ Car
series. The future of the Champ Car series is bright. Defeat
is not in my vocabulary.
4/18/04
Quote of the week
After today's race in Long Beach Paul Tracy commented on the
fact that after the first corner melee, the race ran green
the rest of the way. To that Tracy said, "when we had
all the so-called superstars here we had non-stop yellows
because they crashed all the time. We have a great
group of drivers in the series now." Now they are all
over in the IRL where they continue to crash all the time,
only now it's into concrete walls, which destroys cars and
breaks bones.
4/18/04
Damaged track
delays NASCAR race The
Advance Auto Parts 500 at Martinsville Speedway was delayed more
than one hour after a pothole developed in the track's concrete
surface in Turn 3. The Nextel Cup Series race was red-flagged for
one hour, 17 minutes and 28 seconds after 290 of 500 laps, after
Jeff Gordon's DuPont Chevrolet was damaged by a stray piece of
concrete. NASCAR and track officials immediately concocted a patch
of quick-sealant for the hole, which was 12 inches by 12 inches and
"two to three inches deep," applied it and then used jet dryers in
an attempt to dry it more quickly. Officials also sealed two
additional holes "about the size of a baseball," one in Turn 3 and
another at the entrance to Turn 4. "It's a real similar situation to
when you have to make an emergency patch on an Interstate or
something," Nextel Cup director John Darby said. "We have special
patching materials today that dry quickly and are very hard and very
effective."
4/18/04
Tom Cruise in Long Beach
Hollywood superstar Tom Cruise got to ride in the 2-seat
Champ Car today in Long Beach before the start of the 30th
annual Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach. Cruise, a guest of
Newman's along with Paul McCartney, took a ride in Champ
Car's new 2-seater with veteran Roberto Moreno prior to the
start of the race. The "Days of Thunder" star, who got into
SCCA racing after meeting Newman in the late '80s, raved
about the acceleration and brakes upon climbing out and gave
Moreno a bear hug. McCartney turned down the invitation to
take a lap but watched the race from the Newman-Haas scoring
stand with his wife, Heather Mills SPEEDTV.com
4/18/04
Ranger eyes Champ Car
He's only 17-years old and he's only a rookie in the Toyota
Atlantic Series, but already the Canadian sensation says
he's looking to move up to Champ Cars. He said this
during today's post-race press conference where he finished
2nd in his debut.
4/18/04
Dalziel wins Toyota Atlantic
race in LB
Pole sitter Ryan Dalziel of Ireland led flag-to-flag to win
the 2004 Toyota Atlantic series opener in Long Beach this
morning, Second was rookie sensation Andrew Ranger of
Canada. Ranger, in his very first race started 5th and
moved up to 3rd early in the race and then benefited when
Jon Fogarty broke while running 2nd. Lynx driver Brian
Sellers came home third. The level of talent in the
Toyota Atlantic series is higher than we can remember in
years and we predict that all of the top three drivers and
Fogarty are future Champ Car material. When you add in
Bremer (4th), Danica Patrick (5th), Jonathan Bomarito (6th),
Rocky Moran Jr. (7th), etc and you begin to wonder how all
this talent is going to find a seat in Champ Car.
More......
4/18/04
Push-to-pass
loophole uncovered Here's a little tidbit of info about
the push-to-pass button we bet you did not know. As
advertised, each driver gets 60 seconds of 50 extra HP each race.
However, for safety reasons there's a little loophole in the rules
that we're sure each driver will try to exploit. Recall that
the extra boost stays on until the throttle drops under 85%.
So, for example, if a driver has one second of extra boost coming to
them coming out of the hairpin and they press the button as they
apply full throttle, the 1 second remaining will expire but the
engine will continue to produce 50 extra HP until the throttle drops
to less than 85% - i.e. under braking for the first turn, which is a
good 10 seconds or more down the road from the hairpin. Why
does it work this way? Because they don't want a driver to
suddenly slow down on a straightaway and have a driver who may be right
behind under their rear wing to be caught off-guard and run into the
back of the leading car. Mark C.
4/18/04
Townsend Bell
spotted in Long Beach We ran into Townsend Bell here in
Long Beach and quizzed him on what he was up to. "I'm still
looking for a ride and keeping my options open. There's no
seats available here right now but maybe something will open up
later in the year." We talked about the state of open
wheel racing and how difficult it is to get a sponsor right now.
"Somehow the business model in open wheel racing has to change to
make it more attractive to sponsors," stated Townsend Bell.
4/18/04
F1 people on
Britain's Rich List Bernie Ecclestone is the eighth
richest man in Britain, according to the latest edition of the
Sunday Times Rich List. Ecclestone and his wife Slavica are
said to have a personal fortune of £2.32bn, though this doesn't
include the recent property sales which added another £40m to the
Ecclestone coffers. Thanks to his superb property portfolio,
former Jaguar and Ferrari driver Eddie Irvine is now wealthier than
his former employers. The Ulsterman is (joint) 267th in the rankings
with a personal fortune of £153m. Former racer Martin Birrane,
who now owns Lola, amongst other things, is 372nd (£105m) ahead of
1979 World Champion Jody Scheckter (443rd £90m), who made a killing
in the arms industry. Under-fire McLaren boss Ron Dennis is
491st (£82m) ahead of Frank Williams (527th £76m) and Eddie Jordan
(777th £50m).
More.....
4/18/04
Da Matta
disappointed with season so far Toyota's Cristiano da
Matta confessed that he was unhappy with the season so far after
three races. The Brazilian driver believes the team should have
achieved far more by now. "For me it's been very disappointing to
see where we stand so far," he said. "We'll keep working hard and
keep trying to make it better and hopefully we can find the
solutions as soon as we can because right now we're still not where
we want to be."
More.....
4/18/04
Ford contract
through 2004 only On
or about April 1, Ford notified Champ Car it
would not exercise its option to extend its current contract to
supply Ford/Cosworth XFE engines to the Champ Car World Series
beyond the 2004 season. “They (Ford) don’t want to renew the
contract exactly as is, nor do we,” says Open Wheel Racing Series
principal Kevin Kalkhoven. “So, we’re renegotiating. It’s not a big
deal, although some may try to make it a big deal. There will be a
new agreement.” While Davis stops short of matching Kalkhoven’s
confidence, he sees no major impediments to a new contract renewing
Ford's relationship with Champ Car. “The last agreement was a
two-year deal where we determined the terms in the fall and then
signed the contract in December of 2002,” he says. “So if you go by
history, we’ll wait until the end of the season to decide on the
terms. But I don’t see any gnarling, snarling things in the way.”
SPEED TV [Editor's Note: Let's hope
OWRS can convince Ford to badge the turbo Cosworth engines with more
brands from the Ford family to get a little competition going in the
series. Perhaps the engines can have multiple badges like we
have proposed for years with Volvo, Jaguar, or even Mazda]
4/18/04
Long Beach better than
Mediterranean This Long Beach Press Telegram
article says, Engines howl, crowds pour in; this is
better than the Mediterranean.
We once knew a newspaper publisher who found auto racing
about as exciting as watching paint dry, but you have to
take that in context. He didn't like beer, either. And he
probably never mingled in the crowds, with screaming engines
piercing the air, on a gorgeous Grand Prix race day in
downtown Long Beach.
This is enough to stir anyone's juices, even his. For 70
million Americans who love the sport, there is something
obsessive about superpowered vehicles competing at the edge
of death and destruction, even on an oval track. But street
racing is something else.
Downtown Long Beach isn't Monte Carlo, the Mediterranean
hometown of Formula One racing, it is better. Fewer Greek
magnates and sleek minxes, to be sure, but more earthiness
and more energy. For sure more beer.
And in its own way, more beauty. No casinos, palace or
villas, but from the air, especially, the palms, the high
rises, the sparkling Pacific encircling the Queen Mary, even
the somber harbor cranes in the distance, are a stunning
backdrop.
More beautiful, perhaps, because downtown has come so far
from its low point of years ago, when the open-wheel racers
roared past empty storefronts and a decadent PussyCat
theater. One aging race driver, recalling those early days,
told a newspaper columnist the Long Beach of today with its
new office towers, condos and apartments, some still
a-building, looks nothing like before. He should have lived
here.
He should live here now. We know most of the history, and
most of the yet unsolved troubles, and we could tell him a
lot more about what's special downtown, and not just
downtown.
Among the special things of course is this weekend, race
weekend, the 30th anniversary of the Toyota Grand Prix of
Long Beach. Attendance will be 200,000, more or less, and
the economic impact $40 million or so, but the numbers tell
you nothing. Downtown again is throbbing with noise and
human energy, an extraordinary experience, unlike anything
on the Mediterranean, unlike anything anywhere.
This year is special for another reason. The Grand Prix,
much like its early days of bare survival, almost didn't
make it to 2004 because of infighting in the race industry,
bankruptcy of the sponsoring agency and other problems too
arcane for most of us. Much like watching paint dry.
But it did make it. The trials and preliminary races are
done, the crowds are pouring in, and even from where we sit
blocks away, we hear the rising, faint howling of engines
turning at 15,000 rpm. The excitement is growing. We only
wish that former publisher could see us now.
4/18/04
Klien accident
curtails Jaguar test
Jaguar F1 driver Christian Klien suffered a high-speed spin,
resulting from suspected rear suspension failure, that required
extensive repair work in testing yesterday at Imola in preparation
for next weekend's Imola race . Therefore, the team returned
to base to finalize preparations for the upcoming San Marino GP in
the Milton Keynes based factory.
4/18/04
Champ Car must sell itself
This Indy Star
article talks about how the Champ Car World Series
has gotten past all the BS and now must go about selling
itself to sponsors, TV viewers and manufacturers.
4/18/04
So much for the
close racing For the side by side, most competitive series
in the world, or so they say, we've got bad news. Now that the
aerodynamics have been altered to string the cars out so they don't
crash together as much, the last two races had stats are as follows:
PHOENIX; Tony Kanaan Led 191 of 200 laps 95.5%
MOTEGI; Wheldon Led 192 of 200 laps 96.0%
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PacifiCare
to sponsor Junqueira for 500 Newman/Haas Racing
unveiled its program for the 88th running of the Indianapolis 500
today at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in advance of a two-day open
test scheduled for April 27-28. Brazilian Bruno Junqueira, who has
competed for the team since 2003, will drive a PacifiCare-sponsored
Honda/G-Force/Firestone entry in the event set for May 30.
ALMS
teams, drivers lead way in LeMans test Racing teams from the
American Le Mans Series led a record-shattering day in the GTS and GT classes
and two former series driving champions were in the fastest overall car of the
day Sunday as 52 teams tested for the 72nd running of the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
The world's most famous endurance race will be held June 12-13. Former series
driving champions Allan McNish and Frank Biela were aboard the Audi Sport UK
Team Veloqx Audi R8 that was the fastest car of the day in eight hours of
testing at the 8.46-mile Circuit de La Sarthe.
Much
More...click on 2004 archives button below
