Tuesday, April 19, 2005
Merger?
There was a discussion on indystar.com last Saturday speculating on what a schedule might look like if the IRL and CCWS decided to unify. Here is my prediction...MARCH11-Homestead18-St. PeteAPRIL1-Richmond15-Long Beach29-MotegiMAY27-IndianapolisJUNE3-Milwaukee17-Texas24-NashvilleJULY1-Watkins Glen8-Kentucky22-Elkhart Lake29-MichiganAUGUST12-Toronto26-ChicagoSEPTEMBER2-Kansas16-Portland23-SonomaOCTOBER7-Mexico City21-Las Vegas
Friday, April 15, 2005
Mid April 2005
Okay, we’re nearly a week removed from the Long Beach race and there is still another week before the next F1 round so it makes it kind of tough to write about anything going on in auto racing. But I will attempt it!First up is F1. A meeting between the ‘teams’ and the FIA took place today. As expected, not all of the teams attended the meeting. What is a surprise is that Jordan and Red Bull did attend as did Ferrari. This shows me the first real crack in the alliance the teams seemed to have just a week ago when they all said they would not show.Well attendance aside, some startling announcements came out of the meeting today. The biggest is that Max has put a date of May 27, 2005 as the day he will be finalizing the regulations for F1 for the 2008 season and beyond. What?The 9 teams (10 sans Ferrari) have been under the impression Mosley can’t do shit until they all agree, regardless of time. Mad Max has called the teams’ bluff and is moving forward with or without a Concorde Agreement. The question now is whether this announcement will galvanize the teams and push them towards the GPWC or will Red Bull and Jordan lead the charge down the path Max has proposed.I have stated here in the past that I felt the issue would be resolved and Bernie would get a new Concorde done and throw the teams more scraps and keep them happy. At times though it is clear that Bernie and Max are on different pages. Time is on Bernie’s side. The longer he waits the more time he has to convince the teams of the virtue of his plan and the value he has put on F1. One thing is certain, love him or hate him, Bernie Ecclestone is THE reason F1 enjoys the success it has around the world these days. It was his vision and planning that raised them above all others on the world stage.That is the main reason I believe the teams will capitulate and stay with the status quo instead of jumping to an unknown and uncertain future with the GPWC. I will also say this, the specter of the GPWC will serve to at least guarantee the teams a better deal when all is said and done.On to the IRL. It was a good week for the league as Newman Haas has entered not one but two cars for the 500. It was originally thought that only Bruno would get a shot, but this week and entry for 2004 CCWS champ Sebastian Bourdais was made. This gives Indy 33 car driver combinations and we are a month and a half away from race day. While there will probably still be a dearth of bumping, there will be some it appears.I think what makes me the most happy is that the doddering old fool Paul Newman is back at Indy after saying he didn’t want to be there. He is an idiot and we can all be thankful Carl Haas is running the team. Look for Haas to be in the IRL full time as Newman retires. Good riddance Fast Eddie!Finally there is no news per se out of the BPCCWSPF. They ran their race. Estimates on the crown are widely varied, but does it really matter. I have nothing against CC, but their fans are complete assholes. Apparently, one of their drivers, and one I have rooted for the past couple of years, is one as well. Here are a couple of stories that have been making the rounds the past couple days. (Thanks to the provider)….Beleaguered grand prix driver Cristiano da Matta has lashed out at F1 and Michael Schumacher. The diminutive Brazilian, who returned to American Champ Car racing at the weekend having last year felt the Toyota boot, called the pinnacle of motor sport 'too political.'And he told the Detroit Free Press: 'I never liked the way (world champion Michael) Schumacher conducted himself." 31-year-old da Matta, who left the US as 2002 CART champion, said Schumacher spent more time 'making his job easier' than genuinely trying to beat the opposition. "If Schumacher was a real champion," Cristiano slammed, "he wouldn't cry about things. It's good to be back in Champ Car. It's about racing and you know you have a chance to win."Then this……Departed, Cristiano da Matta is showing he's not afraid to aim fire at Formula One and Toyota. Last time, the little Brazilian - back in Champ Car - slammed Michael Schumacher and the Paddock's fabled politicking.Now, the 31-year-old's lining up Cologne-based Toyota, who gave him the boot mid last year. ''They needed a scapegoat,'' he told Associated Press, ''and I was it.'' Toyota, only now starting to reap the benefit of a more than billion-dollar investment in F1, boast pitlane's biggest ever budget. Da Matta said: ''There was tremendous pressure on them. ''It would have bothered me more ... if I knew the problem was me. But nobody else did better with that car.''Add to all of this the fact he finished 10th of 19 last Sunday at the LBGP behind such notables as Timo Glock, Justin Wilson, Ronnie Bremmer (who the fuck is Ronnie Bremmer) and Jimmy Vasser who has been washed up for about 9 years now. On the bright side he did beat such heavyweights as Ricardo Sperafico, Nelson Phillippe, Andrew Ranger, Fabrizio Del Monte, Marcus Marshall and the ever popular Oriol Servia.Sounds like CDM needs to shut the fuck up!!!
Friday, April 8, 2005
Champ Car and The World
As we gear up for the opening round of the Bridgestone Presents the Champ Car World Series Powered by Ford Sunday, rumors are swirling about the future of the IRL, the BPCCWSPF, F1 and the trying to be upstart GPWC. It appears as though the fate of one may have an impact on at least one, if not all of the other series.
First of all this could truly be CC’s last hurrah at Long Beach. If it is it could really sound the end of time for the league. I’d be rather sad to see them go, but they are killing themselves. They have an ardent and loyal fan base, but it isn’t enough to sustain the league. Also there is a distinct possibility that the IRL could be in at LB next year.
This leads to some other speculation. For one, Dover Corp. of Dover Downs in DE owns the rights to the LBGP as the Grand Prix Association. Dover has shown interest in selling the entity. If, however, they decide to stay on and bring in the IRL there are more questions to be answered. First and foremost is what to do with the IRL race at Fontana. The IRL raced there the past few years with small crowds. It is close enough to Long Beach that an IRL presence in the LBC would make being in Fontana rather redundant.
Face it folks, unless the track in NYC gets built the IRL is done looking for oval track venues. I suppose it is entirely possible they could go back to Vegas if the conditions were right, but I doubt it. Besides, with the exception of Indy and the tracks that force season tickets on the fans, attendance at the ovals is sickening.
No, the IRL is going gunning for Canada and hopefully will pick the track in Montreal over the street course in Toronto. God I hate that course.
What is interesting is some of the thoughts about the future of the CCWS and their relation ship with the GPWC.
For those not in the know, the GPWC is a group made up of engine manufacturers and teams from F1 who have been threatening to break away from the F1 series for a few years now. Unclear in their ultimate goal, one thing is clear, they want a bigger slice of the pie Uncle Bernie now keeps for himself. They want TV rights, rules allowances etc. With the new long term rules of the sport to go into effect in 2008, these teams have made it clear they will be heard.
How does this affect CC you ask? Well quite simply, the BPCCWSPF would go away as we know it. The GPWC would effectively merge with the CCWS. With races in Mexico, the US, Canada and Australia, not to mention proposed races in South Korea and China, the GPWC would have a decent set of tracks to run on to start out. This credibility would remove the stigma from the stooges at CC and would effectively kill F1.
Now is this going to happen? I would say not, but there is that possibility. In my opinion Uncle Bernie knows exactly the comfort level of each team in F1. He also knows that he has taken far more than his share for far too long. What Bernie will do is intervene with the teams and the FIA and grant the teams a bigger share of the pie. It may come as a last minute deal, but I think Bernie gets the deal done and the new agreement is signed and in effect by 2008.
Of course, if the GPWC takes all of the teams except Ferrari, who has held out so far, then F1 dies alongside the CCWS leaving the IRL and the GPWC as the only true open wheel leagues in the world. One thing I might add is that any consolidation of power is bound to hit at NASCAR, but to what affect? Frankly I think they’ll kill themselves, but that’s another story.
I’ll have more of this when more comes out of today’s meeting of the GPWC would be members.
First of all this could truly be CC’s last hurrah at Long Beach. If it is it could really sound the end of time for the league. I’d be rather sad to see them go, but they are killing themselves. They have an ardent and loyal fan base, but it isn’t enough to sustain the league. Also there is a distinct possibility that the IRL could be in at LB next year.
This leads to some other speculation. For one, Dover Corp. of Dover Downs in DE owns the rights to the LBGP as the Grand Prix Association. Dover has shown interest in selling the entity. If, however, they decide to stay on and bring in the IRL there are more questions to be answered. First and foremost is what to do with the IRL race at Fontana. The IRL raced there the past few years with small crowds. It is close enough to Long Beach that an IRL presence in the LBC would make being in Fontana rather redundant.
Face it folks, unless the track in NYC gets built the IRL is done looking for oval track venues. I suppose it is entirely possible they could go back to Vegas if the conditions were right, but I doubt it. Besides, with the exception of Indy and the tracks that force season tickets on the fans, attendance at the ovals is sickening.
No, the IRL is going gunning for Canada and hopefully will pick the track in Montreal over the street course in Toronto. God I hate that course.
What is interesting is some of the thoughts about the future of the CCWS and their relation ship with the GPWC.
For those not in the know, the GPWC is a group made up of engine manufacturers and teams from F1 who have been threatening to break away from the F1 series for a few years now. Unclear in their ultimate goal, one thing is clear, they want a bigger slice of the pie Uncle Bernie now keeps for himself. They want TV rights, rules allowances etc. With the new long term rules of the sport to go into effect in 2008, these teams have made it clear they will be heard.
How does this affect CC you ask? Well quite simply, the BPCCWSPF would go away as we know it. The GPWC would effectively merge with the CCWS. With races in Mexico, the US, Canada and Australia, not to mention proposed races in South Korea and China, the GPWC would have a decent set of tracks to run on to start out. This credibility would remove the stigma from the stooges at CC and would effectively kill F1.
Now is this going to happen? I would say not, but there is that possibility. In my opinion Uncle Bernie knows exactly the comfort level of each team in F1. He also knows that he has taken far more than his share for far too long. What Bernie will do is intervene with the teams and the FIA and grant the teams a bigger share of the pie. It may come as a last minute deal, but I think Bernie gets the deal done and the new agreement is signed and in effect by 2008.
Of course, if the GPWC takes all of the teams except Ferrari, who has held out so far, then F1 dies alongside the CCWS leaving the IRL and the GPWC as the only true open wheel leagues in the world. One thing I might add is that any consolidation of power is bound to hit at NASCAR, but to what affect? Frankly I think they’ll kill themselves, but that’s another story.
I’ll have more of this when more comes out of today’s meeting of the GPWC would be members.
Wednesday, April 6, 2005
Early April Racing Items
F1
In what has to be considered a surprise, Gil de Feran, 2003 Indianapolis 500 winner is set to be named the head man at BAR F1. de Feran’s title will be “Sporting Director” and will be responsible for the team at all F1 events.
This is fantastic for Gil who was always one of my favorite guys on the track. He was always steady and fast and a proven winner. Gil started out in Jim Hall’s Pennzoil car back in the day eventually graduating to Roger Penske’s Team Marlboro stable where he won Indy and two CART championships.
Even though I liked Gil as a driver I have been less than enamored of him in his role as color man on the IRL races. The past couple of races he has just rambled on and on and has added very little. Still though, he was always likeable.
You may recall Bobby Rahal taking a similar position with Jaguar a few years back only to be blown out six months later. Of course there should be a major difference between back-marking Jaguar and BAR.
From what I have heard, Gil will be running the team and basically coordinating all of the technical elements. It is a new position and one the team feels is necessary to get back to last years pace. So far this year neither Takuma Sato nor Jensen Buttons has finished a race and the Brackley tam is desperate to join the chase before Renault runs away with it and hides.
Best wishes to Gil and his family!
NASCAR
This week marks yet another BS move by the powers that be at NASCAR. I will refer to is as 35/8. What is 35/8 you ask? Well let me tell you. It is a formula where the top 35 in the points chase are automatically guaranteed starting spots in Sunday’s race. BTW, this will go on the rest of the season. Technically it has gone on all season already, but only now do the current season’s points count. Prior to Bristol, it was based on last years points.
So in effect the top 35 in points are guaranteed a spot as long as they are entered on time and attempt to qualify, the remaining spots will go to drivers not in the top 35 who have the fastest of the top 42 times. The final position will go as a provisional for a former champion only and only if the car is entered on time and the driver drove in 2004.
Confused about the system? Probably not. Confused as to why they would do such a thing? Probably. NASCAR has become a joke and I sense it is in real danger of losing its real fans. It will always be big in the south and will always attract rednecks. Look at my friends who still think it is so great! But look at the friends of mine who look at NASCAR as just another race series that has lost its way and is trying to win over everyone. It just won’t work.
NASCAR was born in the south and was popular with hot rodders for a long time. Then some genius in the marketing department came up with the idea that women and children should be involved and even catered to. They said fuck you to the guys and welcomed the gentler sex. I don’t care how many women go to the races, but the racing itself has been manufactured to be close and “exciting”. About as exciting as an old sofa. With their timed yellows and silly rule books the haves get richer and the have nots will never get there. If you don’t get the call, forget about being a star.
NASCAR will experience a backlash like they could never comprehend. They are losing their core fans and it will be left with an ignorant and lame fan base.
CCWS
Well the CCWS gets under way this weekend at Long Beach. Rumors of anything from 15 to 18 cars have swirled so only tuning in will tell for sure. One thing is for sure, this is Toyota’s last season as sponsor, at least contractually. It is also the last year of the contact between the CCWS and Long Beach. The IRL has made it clear they are interested in the event and the CCWS has even offered to run the event for free next year to keep it. They are trying to settle into a three year contract with Long Beach.
For its stance, Long Beach and the Grand Prix Association have said it will not make any contracts until after this weekend’s event.
Long Beach has been the traditional season opener for CART, OWRS and now the CCWS for years. It is considered their marquee event and generally draws excellent crowds. However, the IRL is coming off of its first street course race that can only be described as a success in St. Petersburg, FL. LB and the GPA will have to weigh carefully the future of both series and the contracts presented before making the decision. I have been saying the IRL won’t last two more years, but events like St. Pete could be the ultimate death knell for the CCWS.
IRL
Memo to IRL: DO NOT HIRE AL UNSER JR. TO DO COLOR ON YOUR RACES!!
In what has to be considered a surprise, Gil de Feran, 2003 Indianapolis 500 winner is set to be named the head man at BAR F1. de Feran’s title will be “Sporting Director” and will be responsible for the team at all F1 events.
This is fantastic for Gil who was always one of my favorite guys on the track. He was always steady and fast and a proven winner. Gil started out in Jim Hall’s Pennzoil car back in the day eventually graduating to Roger Penske’s Team Marlboro stable where he won Indy and two CART championships.
Even though I liked Gil as a driver I have been less than enamored of him in his role as color man on the IRL races. The past couple of races he has just rambled on and on and has added very little. Still though, he was always likeable.
You may recall Bobby Rahal taking a similar position with Jaguar a few years back only to be blown out six months later. Of course there should be a major difference between back-marking Jaguar and BAR.
From what I have heard, Gil will be running the team and basically coordinating all of the technical elements. It is a new position and one the team feels is necessary to get back to last years pace. So far this year neither Takuma Sato nor Jensen Buttons has finished a race and the Brackley tam is desperate to join the chase before Renault runs away with it and hides.
Best wishes to Gil and his family!
NASCAR
This week marks yet another BS move by the powers that be at NASCAR. I will refer to is as 35/8. What is 35/8 you ask? Well let me tell you. It is a formula where the top 35 in the points chase are automatically guaranteed starting spots in Sunday’s race. BTW, this will go on the rest of the season. Technically it has gone on all season already, but only now do the current season’s points count. Prior to Bristol, it was based on last years points.
So in effect the top 35 in points are guaranteed a spot as long as they are entered on time and attempt to qualify, the remaining spots will go to drivers not in the top 35 who have the fastest of the top 42 times. The final position will go as a provisional for a former champion only and only if the car is entered on time and the driver drove in 2004.
Confused about the system? Probably not. Confused as to why they would do such a thing? Probably. NASCAR has become a joke and I sense it is in real danger of losing its real fans. It will always be big in the south and will always attract rednecks. Look at my friends who still think it is so great! But look at the friends of mine who look at NASCAR as just another race series that has lost its way and is trying to win over everyone. It just won’t work.
NASCAR was born in the south and was popular with hot rodders for a long time. Then some genius in the marketing department came up with the idea that women and children should be involved and even catered to. They said fuck you to the guys and welcomed the gentler sex. I don’t care how many women go to the races, but the racing itself has been manufactured to be close and “exciting”. About as exciting as an old sofa. With their timed yellows and silly rule books the haves get richer and the have nots will never get there. If you don’t get the call, forget about being a star.
NASCAR will experience a backlash like they could never comprehend. They are losing their core fans and it will be left with an ignorant and lame fan base.
CCWS
Well the CCWS gets under way this weekend at Long Beach. Rumors of anything from 15 to 18 cars have swirled so only tuning in will tell for sure. One thing is for sure, this is Toyota’s last season as sponsor, at least contractually. It is also the last year of the contact between the CCWS and Long Beach. The IRL has made it clear they are interested in the event and the CCWS has even offered to run the event for free next year to keep it. They are trying to settle into a three year contract with Long Beach.
For its stance, Long Beach and the Grand Prix Association have said it will not make any contracts until after this weekend’s event.
Long Beach has been the traditional season opener for CART, OWRS and now the CCWS for years. It is considered their marquee event and generally draws excellent crowds. However, the IRL is coming off of its first street course race that can only be described as a success in St. Petersburg, FL. LB and the GPA will have to weigh carefully the future of both series and the contracts presented before making the decision. I have been saying the IRL won’t last two more years, but events like St. Pete could be the ultimate death knell for the CCWS.
IRL
Memo to IRL: DO NOT HIRE AL UNSER JR. TO DO COLOR ON YOUR RACES!!
Tuesday, April 5, 2005
Red Bull, JV and DC
A couple of pieces if news came out of Europe today as Vitantonio Liuzzi was named to drive the Red Bull-Cosworth at the next three races in lieu of Christian Klien who has struggled so far this season, but still brings a boatload of cash to the table. Liuzzi, who has been the test driver at Red Bull this year will make his race debut in the car next Sunday at Imola. Klien will test the Red Bull at test sessions away from the track, but he is not eligible to drive the third car on Fridays at the Grand Prix events due to his race experience in F1.
While drivers are moved up and down all of the time in F1 Kliens demotion comes at a time when David Coulthard has made great progress with the Red Bull car this season. Klien brings so much Red Bull money to the team it is surprising he would get the hook this quick, but the team seems to be serious.
What this does is open the door for American Scott Speed to take the testing seat for race weekends. Speed, who won Danny Sullivan and Red Bulls contest to find an American to be in F1 is a Texan who moved to Florida. He is currently competing in F3000 and F2 this season, but seemed to be a heart beat away from the A team. The Milton Keynes team has said they are not unhappy with Klien, but one really has to wonder about that.
What a great opportunity for Scott Speed. While Red Bull is not the top of the grid, DC has proven this season that they can be competitive.
Speaking of DC, Sunday’s little tête-à-tête with friend Jacques Villeneuve caused some friction between the two. JV and DC are both under contracts that pay them only when they score points and each point is crucial to them. JV was none too pleased that DC hit him late in the race and said it was Coulthard’s fault he did not score any points. Now we all know JV is done on the circuit and he needs to just ride off into the sunset, but apparently DC felt his friend was correct on this matter and offered to split his earnings with JV. Rumor has it that the two kissed and made up and no money was exchanged.
While drivers are moved up and down all of the time in F1 Kliens demotion comes at a time when David Coulthard has made great progress with the Red Bull car this season. Klien brings so much Red Bull money to the team it is surprising he would get the hook this quick, but the team seems to be serious.
What this does is open the door for American Scott Speed to take the testing seat for race weekends. Speed, who won Danny Sullivan and Red Bulls contest to find an American to be in F1 is a Texan who moved to Florida. He is currently competing in F3000 and F2 this season, but seemed to be a heart beat away from the A team. The Milton Keynes team has said they are not unhappy with Klien, but one really has to wonder about that.
What a great opportunity for Scott Speed. While Red Bull is not the top of the grid, DC has proven this season that they can be competitive.
Speaking of DC, Sunday’s little tête-à-tête with friend Jacques Villeneuve caused some friction between the two. JV and DC are both under contracts that pay them only when they score points and each point is crucial to them. JV was none too pleased that DC hit him late in the race and said it was Coulthard’s fault he did not score any points. Now we all know JV is done on the circuit and he needs to just ride off into the sunset, but apparently DC felt his friend was correct on this matter and offered to split his earnings with JV. Rumor has it that the two kissed and made up and no money was exchanged.
Monday, April 4, 2005
F1 and IRL
F1Renault continues their domination with another win by Fred yesterday at Bahrain. Noticeably absent from the proceedings was JPM who allegedly hurt his shoulder playing tennis. Rumors had it that he actually got hurt in a motorcycle accident. Either way I hope he is back by Imola. His replacement Pedro de la Rosa turned in a nice performance, finishing fifth and garnering fast lap honors.The race itself was nothing to write home about. I do like that track though and the racing should only get better as the years go by.Sunday was another miserable day for BAR. First TS went out with brake issues. He was spewing brake dust almost from the outset and eventually had to pull off. 20 laps later Buttons was out with a clutch problem. BAR continues to struggle and no one seems to be able to explain their situation.Ferrari is still struggling as well. Schummi failed to finish and the Sandwich was 9th and out of the points.IRLThe first right turns fired in anger happened yesterday on the streets of St. Petersburg, FL. In doing so, FTRG has come full circle and is now CART circa 1985. Now don’t get me wrong, I for one and all for some road course and even street course racing and I feel that even one more would be okay for the schedule. I think like most people I would prefer real race courses to temporary street circuits, but 4 out of 18 is okay with me.What is wrong is the hypocrisy of FTRG. Suffice it to say he is just a mumbling dork who seems to have no clue what to do next. With the success of the race yesterday I fear the knee jerk reaction will be to make the series half oval, half road course.As street courses go, St. Pete was pretty good. It’s not Monaco, but nothing is. The course was wide where it needed to be and narrow enough in places that you had to be thinking the whole time. Unfortunately, Little AJ and Mr. Ed found out it ain’t as easy as it looks. Then again, they make driving around in a circle look difficult at times.For the record Andretti Green finished 1-2-3-4 with Wheldon on top. TK had a helluva day by twice climbing through the pack to get to the front. Too bad for Tony when he had a shot at it, he got tangled up with Disco Briscoe and lost the lead to his hard charging team mate Wheldon.AJ and Julio got caught up early and AJ Jr. seemed to be near tears when he was interviewed. He knew the grandson was the cause and he seemed genuinely sorry. Julio for his part was as diplomatic as ever even though you could see his frustration.But as I said, for the most part Sunday came off without a hitch. The league certainly didn’t embarrass itself in its road course debut and there wasn’t a whole hell of a lot of carbon fiber torn up. A shit load less than that demolition derby at Bristol.Now it is on to Japan before the teams head to Indy in May.
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