Overheard in Long Beach – 1
04/18/08 The part of this rumor about the extension between Long Beach and ALMS is upgraded to 'fact' with today's announcement – see Hot News page.
04/18/08 Word is that Forsythe Racing are still looking for sponsorship for an Indy Car deal, but unless that happens, (Gerald Forsythe is tired of funding the team fully) they are just going to run their Atlantics program. It is rumored that Forsythe may be helping that series financially………We do hear that Tony George has long coveted a race at Laguna Seca and we hear Laguna is interested……..Alex Figge is going to race a Ferrari for Tafel Racing in the ALMS this year but our sources tell us that he still hopes to be in Indy Car eventually……..We hear that Cosworth is going to focus on the aftermarket car market following this race but there is some doubt that there is enough work there to sustain the business, so don't be surprised if Kalkhoven and Forsythe deep-six that company too, which is a real travesty given Cosworth's history. Given the increased car count and races in Indy Car many cannot believe that Kalkhoven did not include Cosworth in the merger deal with Tony George that would have seen Cosworth helping Honda with engine rebuilds……We hear that the ALMS and Long Beach will soon announce an extension to their deal that will see ALMS race with the Indy Cars in Long Beach for many more years…..The IRL has made no inquiries about using the Panoz chassis as their new car in 2010. Too bad because Panoz is an American company. Instead they will probably do another deal with Dallara and send all the American money overseas to Italy.