text:
Hot News
Thanks for visiting our Hot News page
Please visit our
Rumors page for all the scuttlebutt. If you have some
news, or can supply more information about one listed here,
e-mail us with as much supporting information as possible
and we may post it.
User agreement & disclaimer. Newer rumors supercede older ones of the same topic. Go to our
forums to discuss any hot news.
Go to our
to discuss this news.
News (chronologically)
Maia dominates in Cleveland
Leo Maia of Oakland, California, led from flag to flag at
Burke Lakefront Airport to take his fourth win of the season
with a dominating performance that saw him cross the finish
line 17.542 seconds ahead of second place Dan Di Leo. Maia's
fastest race lap of 1:13.661 seconds bested the previous race
lap record, held by current Toyota Atlantics Championship
points leader and 2002 Barber Dodge Pro Series champion A.J.
Allmendinger. Laguna Seca round winner Di Leo scored his third
podium finish of the season with his second place result, as
German Quiroga of Mexico City, Mexico, made his first ever
appearance on the Barber Dodge podium with a third place
finish. Second round race winner David Martinez finished
fourth, with Luis Pelayo of Mexico City, Mexico outdragging
Burt Frisselle to the finish line for fifth place. Memo Rojas
lost out at the start and fell back in the order but finished
seventh, with Scott Poirier matching his eighth place
qualifying effort with an eighth place finish. David Wieringa
finished in ninth in his second Barber Dodge race of the
season, with Portland podium finisher Colin Fleming finishing
in tenth.
race sold out
UPDATE The attendance was
announced officially as 58,471 for the race and 112,232 for
the three days, both up significantly from 2002. The
place was packed. 7/5/03 - As far as we could
tell every grandstand seat was sold out in Cleveland for the
inaugural night race, and the general admission and suites
were full as well. There is no question that moving the
race to the night was the best thing CART could have done.
The fans didn't have to endure the oppressive sun and the race
was much more of a spectacle under the lights. Photo by
Mark C.
Argent to sponsor Miami race
The Grand Prix Americas announced today that Argent Mortgage
Company, LLC will become the Official Mortgage Company of the
GRAND PRIX AMERICAS and title sponsor of its season-finale
CART Toyota Atlantic Championship race, scheduled for Sunday,
September 28, 2003. Argent Mortgage Company, with headquarters
in Orange, California, is also the sponsor of the Team Argent
#24 racecar piloted by rookie driver Danica Patrick in the
CART Toyota Atlantic Series Championship. The Team Argent car
is owned by three-time CART champion Bobby Rahal and talk show
host David Letterman. "We just recently changed our name to
Argent Mortgage Company in January," said Johanna Padberg,
Vice President of Marketing. "We have used the CART Toyota
Atlantic Championship through our team sponsorship with driver
Danica Patrick and owners Bobby Rahal and David Letterman to
convey our new brand identity, and are excited about being
a part of the final round of the 2003 Toyota Atlantic
Championship as the title sponsor of the event."
Allmendinger wins again
In a wild one at Cleveland's Burke Lakefront Airport, American
rookie sensation A.J. Allmendinger (#4 RuSPORT) took the lead
from Michael Valiante (#19 Lynx Racing) in Turn 1 on Lap 17
and led the rest of the way en route to his third victory of
the season and the third of his CART Toyota Atlantic
Championship career in the Argent Mortgage Toyota Atlantic
100k (SPEED Channel, July 6, 1:00 p.m. ET). By winning his
third race in just his sixth career Toyota Atlantic start,
Allmendinger became the quickest rookie to get three victories
since Greg Ray won three of his first four Toyota Atlantic
races in 1994. In the process, Allmendinger swept all 23
available championship points from the weekend and extended
his lead in the 2003 CART Toyota Atlantic Championship point
standings. He now holds a 15-point advantage (102-87) over
Scotland's Ryan Dalziel (#28 Pro-Works/Discovery Lake/Daily
Record) with half of the season now in the books.
Afterward Allmendinger said, "It was a great race and a lot of
fun. I didn't have a great start, falling back to second and
then with my teammate Aaron getting a great start and getting
around me down the back straightaway. But after the first two
laps and when my tires came around, my car was just excellent.
Then it was just a matter of pacing myself. The key for me was
just getting around Michael (Valiante) clean, and then
securing the move. Michael and I had a great battle for the
lead and it was great racing- clean, and just fun. Overall,
the team had a great weekend."
Monteiro may not start race
Tiago Monteiro was complaining of a slight headache after
hitting the wall in warm-ups for tonight's Cleveland Champ Car
race. He was sent to Metro Health Hospital for a
precautionary CT Scan of his head. It's possible he
could still race tonight. Mark C.
More trouble for Tracy
This Toronto Sun
article talks about the confrontation between Chris
Pook and Paul Tracy on the pit road in Cleveland.
Pook was not happy with Tracy's actions on the track and he
let him know it. Players/Forsythe team members were
furious at Pook's actions, especially that it took place on
the race course. The team felt Pook had crossed the boundary
between sports administration and on-the-field action. "It
would be like NHL commissioner Gary Bettman going on the ice
to yell at Mats Sundin during a game," a team source told The
Sun. Michael Bonelli, an executive from Player's head office
in Montreal, was brought in yesterday to deal with what the
team called a serious breach of racing protocol. "Chris Pook
has no business coming up to our driver on the race course,"
Bonelli said. Bonelli was livid Pook was even on pit road in
the first place. "Chris Pook's job is to make sure the
grandstands are full and that they don't blow over when a wind
comes up," Bonelli said. "If there is a problem with Paul
Tracy on the track it is the job of the series chief steward
(Chris Kneifel) to deal with it, not Chris Pook," Bonelli
Team bosses to meet Sunday on
Fighting Fund The Formula 1 team bosses will meet
tomorrow morning at Magny-Cours to try to come up with a
solution to the problem of the "fighting fund" with Minardi
team boss Paul Stoddart saying that he is going to run cars
without any driver aids at Silverstone.
CART fans want turbo
At CART's fan forum in Cleveland today Paul Gentilozzi asked
for a show of hands as to whether CART should stay with the
turbo engine or move to a V-10. Everyone raised their
hand for the turbo. Not a single fan raised their hand
for the V-10.
Fittipaldi thinks more street
races a good thing
At Cleveland today Emerson Fittipaldi said that CART's goal of
racing on primarily urban street races was the right
Fittipaldi confirms move to two
car team
At Cleveland today Emerson Fittipaldi reiterated his goal of
expanding to a two-car Champ Car team in 2004. Paul
Gentilozzi meanwhile, stated he would probably stay as a 1-car
team in 2004.
Gentilozzi responds to Roger
At Cleveland today, Paul Gentilozzi was asked to respond to
Roger Penske's comment this week that CART's demise was
inevitable. Paul said, "Roger is going to have blisters
on his hand trying to dig CART's grave. Roger is doing
what Roger has to do (to justify his move to the IRL).
When he was in CART he was shaking his pom-poms over here."
Pantano wins in France
Giorgio Pantano became the only International F3000 driver
this season to become a double winner with a lights to flag
performance at Magny-Cours this afternoon. As a result, he has
breathed fresh life into his title challenge after two
non-scoring races at Monaco and the Nurburgring. The
Italian, in his Durango entered Lola headed home points leader
Bjorn Wirdheim by just over 4-seconds on the now slightly
longer Nevers track. His second 10 points of the season see
him elevated to 2nd in the points table, although Wirdheim
actually extends his lead to 16 points by dint of fellow
protagonist and last weekend's winner - Enrico Toccacelo
(Jordan Junior) finishing an uncompetitive 13th.
Despite trying to live with Pantano early on, Wirdheim
steadily dropped back in the second half of the race and
registered his third runners-up position of the year.
Maintaining the impressive consistency that was only broken by
his altercation in Germany last weekend with Sperafico, who
finished a lonely 3rd today, the Arden driver has the
advantage going in to the final 4 races of the year. His Arden
International teammate Townsend Bell fared less well and lost
time when he went off the road at Grande Courbe, leaving him
to finish in a lowly 12th place. The only non finishers in
France were the two Den Bla Avis cars of Phil Giebler and
Nicolas Kiesa. Giebler was unable to start the race after
aggravating the shoulder injury that he sustained at Monaco
last month. Kiesa, who was hoping to reignite his title push,
pulled into the pits to retire after an altercation with Zsolt Baumgartner's Coloni Lola. "We were quite optimistic of
some points but unfortunately he tangled with Baumgartner and
spun," said DBA team manager Paul Jackson. "We hope the team
will be back to full strength at Silverstone and we hope for
better fortune there." Both BCN Competition cars, run by
former Lotus F1 designer Enrique Scalabroni finished, with
American Will Langhorne coming home in 14th, whilst teammate Valerio Scassellati followed him in 15th position. The
7th race of the 10 round series moves on to Silverstone on
Saturday 19th July.
Bridgestone hurts itself by
favoring Ferrari Michelin motorsport boss Pierre
Dupasquier says that because Bridgestone has only one top team
Michelin has been able to pull ahead of them. By putting all
their eggs in one basket, neither Ferrari or Bridgestone know
what the real competitive problem is. 'Having three top
teams,' he said, 'it just means that we know more where the
result is coming from.' He refers to Williams, McLaren and
Renault, all of whom run on the French boots. He says of
Bridgestone's approach: 'When you deal with one machine and
you are slow, you don't know really where the problem lies.
'Is it the car, is it the tire, is it the aerodynamics, is it
the engine, the gearbox? You don't know. If the result is
good, it's fine. 'If it's bad, sorry.'
Comptech getting beat in CART
support series
Toyota Atlantic driver Danica Patrick of Team Rahal has
struggled to keep up with the pack all weekend. She qualified
11th and was 1.8 seconds off the pace yesterday. She said
earlier this week the team has struggled with its engines, and
her engine blew during yesterday's practice round, limiting
her to eight laps. She is the only driver using engines built
by Comptech. Cleveland Plain Dealer
Hornish to test Cosworth again
Sam Hornish will test the Cosworth (soon to be Chevy) engine
at Kansas City Monday and at Brooklyn, Mich., on Thursday. The
Cosworth ran comparable laps to the Toyotas and Hondas during
a June 12 test in Joliet, Ill. We quizzed a Cosworth
engineer in Cleveland this weekend for the CART race on how
the Cosworth IRL test went in Chicago and he gave us a big
smile and two thumbs up. The fact that they are testing the
engine further leads us to believe Chevy and Cosworth will do
the deal and we hear the first race could be at Michigan later
this month (July 27). Mark C.
RuSport to step up to Champ
Cars or IRL
RuSport Toyota Atlantic team owner Carl Russo in the past has
stated his goal was to advance to a senior open wheel circuit
- either CART or the IRL - in one to three years. Russo told
the Cleveland Plain Dealer newspaper yesterday this season's
success has shaved that third year off the timeline. He said
he is committed to Toyota-Atlantic next year, but might also
test the waters on a limited basis in CART or IRL. Russo also
is committed to developing American, or at least North
American, drivers because "there aren't a lot of American
drivers competing in what is an American series," he said.
Giebler at Magny-Cours, maybe
not 2nd UPDATE
After completing a sponsorship deal in the eleventh hour that
would see Phil Giebler run in his fifth FIA/F-3000 race
driving for Den Bla Avis in this weekend's round at
Magny-Cours as part of the French Grand Prix...His shoulder
injury from Monaco has once again shown up to spoil his
efforts. Giebler originally had raised enough sponsorship to
run in the past four events and attracted a new sponsor that
would hopefully fund the balance of the season. Due to it's
recent arrival, there was a concern that there would not be
enough time to complete the deal in time for this weekend's
event. A forty-eight hour marathon resulted in a deal in time
for this morning's first practice round. Upon entering
the car, Phil's shoulder began to stiffen and became
unresponsive. He had dislocated it during a visit to the wall
at the swimming pool section of the Monaco circuit, five weeks
ago while qualifying. The injury had sidelined him in lap one
of the race when his shoulder "came apart" under load. After a
four week period of therapy, he felt good enough to drive in
last week's race in Germany...during the race, the car picked
up a major vibration that transferred directly into his upper
arms causing extreme pain and numbness. He managed to finish
in ninth place and once again sought medical help. Although
stiff, he felt capable of driving. Phil missed the morning
practice session and worked with a physio. He attempted to
qualify the car in the afternoon and simply could not fully
use his left arm and had to drop out after twelve laps.
"I hope to be able to race tomorrow but have no idea if my
shoulder will be up to the task...I'm ready to go but this has
been the most agonizing and mysterious injury of my entire
career. One moment I feel fine and the next my left arm just
stops working. I'll return on Monday to work with the
orthopedic specialist I've been seeing since the accident and
sincerely hope to be 100% by Silverstone" stated Phil.
7/4/03 - Phil
Giebler's has qualified 16th for tomorrow's race, despite
earlier concerns he may not take part at all. Earlier the
American's manager admitted the short gap since the last race
had made it hard to find sponsorship. Giebler sat in the
garage throughout this afternoon's free practice session. In a
statement earlier he said: "It'll be disappointing if we were
not in the car this weekend, as I'm finally at a circuit that
I know quite well and I am beginning to feel comfortable in
the car and with the team." "But I've been here before and
I'll just shake it off and begin focusing on Silverstone...if
that's how everything works out." 7/4/03 - As of this writing...It doesn't look good for
Phil to be in the car for Magny-Cours this weekend. Giebler's
F-3000 program had found enough funding to run the past four
races. A new American based deal surfaced very recently, but
due to the short period of time between The European GP and
this weekend's race (one week), plus the Fourth of July
Holiday in the US...it's going to be a long shot to get
everything done in time. We hope to have everything complete
in time for Phil to reenter the Den Bla Avis car in time for
Silverstone. There is a remote possibility that Giebler will
run this weekend, stay tuned and be sure to watch the race
this Saturday morning live on Speed. "It'll be disappointing
if we're not in the car this weekend, as I'm finally at a
circuit that I know quite well and I am beginning to feel
comfortable in the car and with the team...but I've been here
before and I'll just shake it off and begin focusing on
Silverstone...if that's how everything works out," stated
Williams duo dominate final
French GP practice
Position/Driver Team Fastest Lap
1 Ralf Schumacher Williams 1m14.966s
2 Juan Pablo Montoya Williams 1m15.577s
3 David Coulthard McLaren 1m15.600s
4 Michael Schumacher Ferrari 1m15.918s
5 Kimi Raikkonen McLaren 1m16.012s
6 Fernando Alonso Renault 1m16.039s
7 Mark Webber Jaguar 1m16.112s
8 Olivier Panis Toyota 1m16.133s
9 Rubens Barrichello Ferrari 1m16.345s
10 Jarno Trulli Renault 1m16.376s
11 Antonio Pizzonia Jaguar 1m17.036s
12 Jacques Villeneuve BAR 1m17.101s
13 Cristiano da Matta Toyota 1m17.690s
14 Heinz-Harald Frentzen Sauber 1m17.776s
15 Jenson Button BAR 1m17.808s
16 Giancarlo Fisichella Jordan 1m17.908s
17 Nick Heidfeld Sauber 1m18.057s
18 Ralph Firman Jordan 1m18.670s
19 Jos Verstappen Minardi 1m18.696s
20 Justin Wilson Minardi 1m19.044s
Latest F1 news items
Cheering For Minardi
Williams And Bud
Team Up
BAR File
Counter-Claim Against PPGI
Minardi So Close
To A Perfect Day
Angry Webber
Doesn't Blame Michael
Stoddart Drops
Another Bombshell
Bridgestone Defend
One-Team Approach
Montagny's Baptism
Of Fire
Webber Not Looking
For Switch
News tidbits from the
Magny-Cours paddock
Renault ace JARNO TRULLI chose to leave his traditional helmet
design at home this weekend. New Helmet
The Italian is wearing a new silver helmet: 'One of my Dutch
friends, Martin Koene, worked with me in karting,' he
explains. 'Martin asked me to adopt his colors for a single
event,' explains Jarno. 'Magny-Cours is special to me, but
I'll also do it at Silverstone, too.' Flying
Dutchman It took Jos Verstappen nearly ten years and
101 grands prix, but finally the Dutchman took provisional
pole in Formula One. 'Well obviously it doesn't happen
too often in this [Minardi] team because we know what our
situation is,' the Dutchman said. 'But when you
get the opportunity,' as the 30-year-old did in changeable
weather at Magny-Cours, 'you have to take the advantage.
'The first 100 Formula One races are behind me, and now we
have opened a new account.' Inspiring Lap BAR
driver Jacques Villeneuve's flying lap for sixth place was
almost as inspiring as Jos's.
With all the off-track legal kafuffle, the Canadian hadn't
tasted one practice lap when he attacked first qualifying on a
wet, and modified, Magny-Cours track. 'I had no idea how
it will be under braking and, actually, where is the optimum
braking point,' the former world champion explained of his
'frustrating' day. 'There were also some really greasy
parts of the track which I was discovering for the first time
today.' New Compound And finally,
Michelin have unveiled an all-new option of dry weather tire
in Magny-Cours this weekend. Motorsport boss Pierre Dupasquier
said it featured a fresh construction method but it is most
radically different in terms of compound. 'It is very
easy to make faster tires,' he explained, 'but the trick is to
do so without compromising durability. 'Everything I
have seen so far leads me to believe that we will supply our
five partner teams with competitive tires this weekend.'
More on NASCAR escape hatch
NASCAR's stock cars may soon have escape hatches. ''You
mean alternative exits,'' said Gary Nelson, NASCAR's managing
director of competition who is now headquartered in NASCAR's
new research and development center at Concord. Several
drivers tried out the car equipped with the roof exit. It's
almost like a T-top. NASCAR plans to take a car donated by
Michael Waltrip's team and fit it with the new exit to take to
its testing facility in Nebraska next week. If it passes the
safety tests, Nelson said it will become an option for
drivers. The cost is minimal. ''It's for some of the bigger
guys,'' Nelson said. ``Small guys maybe don't need it. I saw
Matt Kenseth a year ago jump out of his car in a blink of an
eye. Maybe he wouldn't see the need for it, but it would maybe
be good for the bigger guy who has to shoehorn himself in and
out.'' Winston Cup drivers Tony Stewart, Jeff Burton and Ken
Schrader and Busch Series driver Coy Gibbs have all tried it,
and Nelson said they liked it.
Miami Herald
More on AT&T's team sponsorship
NASCAR executives are still studying AT& T's
sponsorship program with #49 car owner Beth Ann Morgenthau
[driver, Ken Schrader qualified 4th for the Pepsi 400], who
has had a contract this season allowing AT&T to become
primary sponsor whenever it desires. AT&T wanted to up
its stake in NASCAR in 2004 by putting its Wireless division
on the quarterpanel of a Jack Roush [#99] car or a Dale
Earnhardt Inc. [#1] car. But NASCAR insists that the new
series sponsorship contract with Nextel precludes any such new
deal, that only current wireless sponsors Cingular and AllTel
could be 'grandfathered' in, and that Cingular and ALLTEL
could only remain in the sport as long as they remain with
current car owners Richard Childress and Roger Penske. But
AT&T officials are not willing to be pushed out of the picture
so easily. Even now, two weeks after NASCAR and Nextel signed,
NASCAR officials have been unable to resolve the AT&T
situation. The specifics at issue with AT&T are unclear, but
NASCAR faces a situation where it must avoid the appearance of
one set of rules for powerful car owners like Childress and
Penske yet another set of rules for less powerful car owners
such as Morgenthau. The AT&T situation has stunned observers
in the Winston Cup garage because AT&T is currently one of
NASCAR's 'official' sponsors and thus presumably in close
contact with the sanctioning body. There are also a number of
legal issues related to the Nextel-NASCAR-AT&T affair - does
NASCAR have the legal right to read any car owner's contract?
Winston Salem Journal
2004 Taurus on way to approval
NASCAR's John Darby told TFR, that the new 2004 Taurus
has met the requirements set forth in the rulebook as they
pertain to new car submissions. The NASCAR rulebook clearly
states that all cars that are to be considered for competition
in the following calendar year must be submitted to NASCAR no
later than July 1 of the current event season. "The submittal
process is well underway," said the director of NASCAR. "We've
seen the first iterations of nose and tail and things like
that and have worked through that process. From there they're
going back to clean some real small minor issues up."
Estimating when he'd get the car Darby said, "I think probably
mid-August we'll have the car where we'll be able to track and
tunnel test it." The track and tunnel test are a sure sign
that the '04 Taurus is well on it's way to NASCAR's final
scrutiny, including a visit to Atlanta Motor Speedway for
on-track runs. Once those laps are completed the car will be
loaded onto a hauler and transported to the Lockheed wind
tunnel for aero testing. [Editor's Note: How
silly. All the cars are identical due to body templates.
Just put new decals on a 2003 Chevy and call it a 2004
Both pathetic Petty cars miss
Daytona field
Why did two Petty Enterprises cars [#43 and #44] miss
the Pepsi 400 at Daytona? What went wrong? Simple, Kyle Petty
said. The engines weren't up to snuff. "It's the way things
go, especially at a restrictor-plate race," Petty said.
"Somewhere, we've gotten behind on our engines, and we just
ain't caught up. It's been showing everywhere we've been, but
it really showed up here. Mike's engines have been really,
really good, but these are the same cars that we ran here
before. We lost ground this time. You can't say it's got a lot
to do with the cars. I've got to put all this on our engine
department." Petty Enterprises engines are built by Mike Ege
Racing Engines, a company started before the 2002 season to
exclusively construct engines for the Pettys. Ege came from
Robert Yates Racing, long known as one of the best
engine-building companies in NASCAR. But Ege hasn't gained any
horsepower on restrictor-plate engines. That doesn't sound too
bad, but when you consider everyone else is gaining a few
horsepower, the Pettys slide backwards.
Pruett wins again Two
veterans and a young up-and-comer dominated Friday's Trans-Am
on the Tarmac, Round 6 of the 2003 Trans-Am for the BFGoodrich®
Tires Cup Championship, at Burke Lakefront Airport. At the
head of the pack was Scott Pruett, whose dominating
performance was only matched by the consistent efforts of
runner-up finisher and rookie sensation Jorge Diaz, and
veteran Max Lagod. Paul Gentilozzi, who finished a provisional
second, was placed fourth after the race. Gentilozzi, driver
of the No. 3 Jaguar R Performance XKR, was penalized two
positions for violating Trans-Am Series Rule 1.8.13:
"Unjustifiable Risk." The penalty was assessed due to
incidents during the race, which involved Michael Lewis (No.
12 Westward Tools/The Crank Jaguar XKR) and Bobby Sak (No. 10
Revolution Motorsports Chevrolet Corvette). Pruett simply
turned in a dominating performance Friday. The driver of the
No. 7 Jaguar R Performance XKR lead all 48 laps of the race
from the pole, set the fastest race lap (1:13.475), earned his
fourth victory of the season, and retained the lead in the
Drivers' Championship. In the process, Pruett won the
BFGoodrich® Tires Take Control Award for leading the most laps
and the $2,000 Flowmaster American Thunder Challenge Award.
Montoya says it was proper
racing Juan Pablo
Montoya passionately defended his audacious overtaking move on
Michael Schumacher during the European Grand Prix. Ferrari
technical chief Ross Brawn called the 27-year-old 'a madman'
who lacked style and class for knocking his rival into a spin.
'I don't really care what he - or anyone - says,' Juan Pablo
added in Nevers, a quiet countryside region in France. 'I
thought it was a pretty good move. I was a bit surprised that
I managed to pass him on the outside, but I didn't mind! I was
pretty happy afterwards.' Montoya pointed out that 'it's not
the first time we've clashed. 'And it won't be the last,
either,' he added with a flash of white teeth. 'It's good for
racing, good for the fans. The sport needs it. I was pleased.'
Montoya said the move also excited his boss Sir Frank
Williams. 'Just before the race he said he wanted to see some
proper racing. So I was pleased that I could do it for him.'
And he responded to criticism that despite notching up seven
pole positions last year, he hasn't yet filled the P1 slot in
2003. 'I have been pretty calm this year,' said Juan. 'I was
flat-out at the start of the year but then [technical boss]
Patrick [Head] told me to calm down to ensure I don't make any
Salles to miss next two races
Dale Coyne confirmed with us today that Gualter Salles can not
race in the next two CART races due to previous commitments.
Alex Sperafico will fill in at Toronto and possibly Vancouver.
Sperafico, who competed in the International F3000 series last
year after racing in North America in the Barber Dodge Series,
tested with Coyne at Mid-Ohio earlier this week.
Seoul just won't work
A reader writes, Dear AR1, I've read with interest the
articles about CART expanding to Seoul or China. I'm stationed
at Youngsan Garrison, Seoul, which is right in the middle of
downtown Seoul. After being here several weeks I do not see
any way to stage a street race in this town or even a race in a
park. The traffic gridlock here is unbelievable (almost every
person here has a car and they all drive like they are trying
to qualify for the Monaco GP). To close down a section of the
town to stage a race would be an undertaking that would cost
way too much money and unless it was on a stretch of highway
by the Han River there would be no place to set up a track.
Don't get me wrong its a neat city with a lot to offer, I just
don't see it happening. China, with a tie in to the Olympics
would work though. Now that I no longer can watch the Speed
Channel, all my racing comes from the net, and AutoRacing1 is
the first place I look. LTC Mel Hull, USA Army Youngsan
Garrison, Seoul.
up in Cleveland, credit night race
Moving CART's Cleveland race to Saturday night was one of the
smartest things CART has done in awhile. While the
afternoon sun was unbearable on Friday, the qualifying under
the lights was run in comfortable temperatures and the lights
were spectacular. The grandstands were all 60% full by
the time qualifying began and all stayed to watch the
fireworks afterwards. Although the race lost its
title sponsor, ticket sales are up. However, there are
less grandstands for this race as there once was.
Grandstand seating is no more than 30,000. All were
enthused about the race moving to night, but none more than
Rahal. "I think this night thing is going to be huge," he
said. "And you can only do it here. You can't do it at any
other road course. It would take 100 lights. I think it is
going to be a great show. I think this will be more
interesting than the ovals. You'll see more brakes glowing,
and the titanium studs, we used to use them in the old days
and they banned them, which I thought was a joke. When you
bottom out, they put on a hell of a show. It's like
Road racers continue to kick butt in the IRL
While the USAC dirt trackers continue to wear their
Road to Indy hats while watching from the sidelines, road
racers Tomas Scheckter and Scott Dixon registered the top two
practice times in each of today's two practice sessions in
preparation for Sunday's Kansas Indy 300, after dominating the
last two races. In fact road racers dominate everything
about the all-oval IRL series. Even Sam Hornish started
out as a road racer in CART's ladder system. The fact of
the matter is that driving front engine cars on dirt are a
total waste of time when trying to move up to rear-engined IRL
cars on pavement. Every short tracker who has tried it has
failed miserably. Time to put those Road to Indy hats
away guys, because the road to Indy is through a proper road
racing background where you truly learn to become a good
driver. Back to Kansas - overall, Toyota's occupied five
of the day's top-six places. Scheckter led Dixon in both
practice sessions with the fastest overall time of 218.264
mph. Dixon, who has won the last two IndyCar Series events,
placed second just .0604 seconds behind the South African.
It should be noted that AJ Foyt IV, who did not have proper
road racing training, was once again slowest of all the Toyota
powered drivers.
Industry News
UPS to set up operations in
mainland China
United Parcel Service (UPS) has moved responsibility for its
Greater China operations from Hong Kong to Shanghai to stay in
closer touch with expanding mainland business opportunities.
UPS, which saw the volume of mainland cargo it handled in the
fourth quarter last year jump a comparative 60 per cent, until
last month managed China operations from Hong Kong. It said
the move would not result in any retrenchments in Hong Kong.
"The Shanghai market has been requiring a lot more management
time lately so we came to the realization that we have to
monitor our China business from the mainland," Greater China
district senior vice-president Perry Chao said. "Hong Kong
remains a very important market to us and there will be no
reduction in the size of our office there. It's just that we
feel the size of the opportunities on the mainland in the next
few years means you have to be there. If you're not, you may
miss something."
VW to double production in
Volkswagen and its partner China FAW Group plan to invest one
billion euros (HK$9 billion) to build a new plant in China,
more than doubling the venture's capacity. The plant in
the northeastern city of Changchun would have an annual
capacity of 330,000 cars when completed in 2007, said Wang
Miye, a spokesman for FAW-Volkswagen Automobile, which is 40
per cent owned by Volkswagen, Europe's biggest carmaker.
The partners would also expand production capacity at their
existing venture in Changchun to 330,000 cars a year from
300,000. "They're running at capacity to meet demand, so the
expansion will allow them to make new models and not lose
customers," said Gu Qun, who tracks carmakers at industry
consultant Automotive Resources Asia in Shanghai. "More
overseas automakers may follow suit and increase production."
Volkswagen, General Motors and other overseas carmakers are
expanding production in China, where one person in 120 owns a
vehicle and private incomes are rising. Sales in China may
almost triple to 5.8 million vehicles, including cars, trucks
and buses, by 2010, according to a forecast from McKinsey in
Shanghai. Volkswagen said in December it aimed to double
vehicle sales in China, its biggest market outside of Germany,
to one million units in 2007 from about 500,000 last year.
Volkswagen and FAW's 11 billion yuan (HK$10.3 billion)
Changchun venture now makes Jetta and Bora models and Audi
brand cars. Bloomberg in China
Maia repeats pole winning
Leo Maia of Oakland, California, took the pole position in
final qualifying for Saturday's Barber Dodge Pro Series race
with a 1:14.118 second lap on the 2.106 mile temporary circuit
on Burke Lakefront Airport. Canada's Dan Di Leo qualified
second with a 1:14.302 second effort while David Martinez took
third position with a 1:14.598. The Barber Dodge Pro Series
demonstrated again how competitive qualifying is as the top
eleven drivers had times within just second of the pole time.
Memo Rojas of Mexico City, Mexico, matched his position from
Thursday with his fourth place effort in the second session.
Burt Frisselle improved his qualifying form to move from
eighth on the grid up to start in fifth, with Mexican German
Quiroga starting alongside in sixth. Luis Pelayo and Barber
Champ Car Scholarship Scott Poirier will take the green flag
from the fourth row, with Ryan Millen making his first top ten
start in his nascent Barber Dodge Pro Series career from
ninth, alongside of Portland round podium finisher Colin
Grid Pos/Car
#/Driver/Hometown/Best Time/MPH
1/6/Leonardo Maia/Oakland, Calif./01:14.118/102.291
2/19/Dan Di Leo/Markham, Ontario, Canada/01:14.302/102.038
3/47/David Martinez L./Monterrey, Mexico/01:14.598/101.633
4/15/Memo Rojas/Mexico City, Mexico/01:14.630/101.589
5/24/Burt Frisselle/Kihei, Hawaii/01:14.871/101.262
6/33/German Quiroga/Mexico City, Mexico/01:14.894/101.231
7/49/Luis Pelayo/Mexico City, Mexico/01:14.961/101.141
8/67/Scott Poirier/Deerfield Beach, Florida/01:15.005/101.081
9/39/Ryan Millen/Newport Beach, Calif./01:15.011/101.073
10/28/Colin Fleming/North Hills, Calif./01:15.035/101.041
11/16/Antoine Bessette/St. Bruno, Quebec/01:15.102/100.951
12/31/Al Unser/Corrales, New Mexico/01:15.217/100.796
13/26/Nelson Philippe/Valence, France/01:15.227/100.783
14/96/Chris Green/Beaconsfield, Quebec/01:15.259/100.740
15/18/Robbie Montinola/Laguna Niguel, Calif./01:15.506/100.411
16/14/David Wieringa/Chicago, Illinios/01:15.801/100.020
17/88/Greg Long/Markham, Ontario, Canada/01:18.612/96.443
The fall of Laguna Seca
Officially, the Sunday attendance for CART's race at Laguna
Seca was 28,000 for Sunday and 42,000 for the weekend.
That was announced and the track must pay the county a certain
dollar amount per attendee per their agreement with the
county. The track is actually in a park. The three-day
attendance was 118,000 in 2000, dropping to 91,000 in 2001,
74,000 in 2002 and 42,000 in 2003. 2001 was the last
year the race was run in the autumn, and we understand the
promoter has requested a move back to that time of year. They
also need to improve the fan amenities. Fans won't put
up with sitting in the sun on dusty hills any longer.
carrying Terminator 3 colors in Kansas
Hollywood once again will come to an IRL IndyCar Series
event as two-time series champion Sam Hornish Jr. will race in
the Kansas Indy 300 in a car with a special paint scheme
featuring the new action film "Terminator 3: Rise of the
Machines." Hornish will take to the 1.5-mile Kansas
Speedway in his specially painted No. 4 Pennzoil Panther
Dallara/Chevrolet/Firestone. "Terminator 3: Rise of the
Machines," starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, is in theaters
nationwide now. Hornish and nearly 300 guests attended a
"Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines" premier July 2 in Kansas
City, Mo. The new look for Hornish's car is a part of a
program spearheaded by Action Performance Companies Inc. in
cooperation with Warner Bros. Pictures, C-2 Pictures and
Intermedia Films. "Terminator 3" schemes can also be seen on
cars in the National Hot Rod Association and NASCAR events.
Allmendinger takes pole
position in Cleveland RuSPORT rookie A.J.
Allmendinger (#4 RuSPORT) provided a few early fireworks on
the Fourth of July as he shattered the Toyota Atlantic track
record at Burke Lakefront Airport with a lap at 1:04.927
(116.771 mph) to retain the pole position for Saturday's
Argent Mortgage Toyota Atlantic 100k (SPEED Channel, July 6,
1:00 p.m. ET). Allmendinger, the current points
leader in the CART Toyota Atlantic Championship, already
earned one point for taking the provisional pole in Thursday's
first round of qualifying. By going quicker to retain the pole
today, Allmendinger earned a second championship point,
extending his lead to eight (81-73) over Scotland's Ryan
Dalziel (#28 Pro-Works/Discovery Lake/Daily Record) heading
into the race.
Dominguez fastest in final
Cleveland practice Mario Dominguez was fastest in
this afternoon's first practice, while Paul Tracy sits on
provisional pole for the U.S Bank Presents the Cleveland
Grand Prix, but rookie Sebastien Bourdais set the pace when
the sun went down last night. Darren Manning was second
fastest with a 59.362-second lap, but the English rookie was
one of several drivers to stop the Friday afternoon session
for a tow-in. Others included Adrian Fernandez and Max Papis.
Ominous-looking clouds moved into the Cleveland lakefront area
toward the end of the session, but the rain held off until
after the Champ Cars were off-track.
Darkness may lead to mistakes
We spoke to Ryan Hunter-Reay and Oriol Servia about the
lighting at Cleveland. Both said it's harder to see than
at Milwaukee, a 1-mile oval that was easier to light. "I think
the darkness is going to lead to more driver errors and more
overtaking opportunities," stated Hunter-Reay." In some
corners it's hard to see where the track ends and the grass
begins, especially when you are going at such high speeds and
your head is bounced about by the bumps," said Servia.
Some of the lights have been moved by Musco in time for
tonight's qualifying session, especially in turns 7 and 8,
where lighting was the worse. Musco claimed they were
not able test the lights down that end of the track due to
limited FAA access to the airport, so they were flying blind
the first night. Mark C.
First run in F1 for Montagny "I'm quite pleased after this first run in the
car at Magny-Cours, and had a good time out there today.
Circumstances weren't ideal today, with the engine problem and
the weather conditions, but I did my best. With an extra
hour's running, I think I could have adapted completely to
running in the rain, but in the event, it was impossible.
Nonetheless, it was a useful and enjoyable experience, and
that's perhaps the most important thing."
IRL year-end banquet at Disney
The stars of the IRL IndyCar™ Series and Infiniti Pro
Series will travel to Epcot at Walt Disney World Resort on
Oct. 25, 2003 for the annual Indy Racing League Championship
Celebration, league officials announced July 4. The
invitation-only event, themed "Magical Moments of the Indy
Racing League," will take place in Epcot's World ShowPlace,
the largest dedicated group facility ever created inside a
theme park. "Walt Disney World is a unique venue in which our
teams and sponsors can relax and celebrate the 2003 season,"
said Tony George, Indy Racing League president and CEO.
"Specifically, Epcot World ShowPlace will provide the setting
for a magical evening. "Everyone that travels with the league
deserves time at the end of the season to get away from work,
enjoy great company and reflect on the season. Traveling to
different destinations each year to honor our champion is a
unique way to celebrate the season. I have no doubt that
Orlando will make for one of the more memorable stops for the
celebration." Orlando, Fla., is the fourth city the Indy
Racing League Championship Celebration has visited this
millennium. In 2000, the champion was crowned at the Murat
Theatre in Indianapolis. The following year the celebration
took place at The Speedway Club in Fort Worth, Texas, while
last year the event was staged at the House of Blues in
Chicago. From 1997-99, the awards ceremony took place in
Indianapolis, home of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and Indy
Racing League corporate office.
Pantano wins pole in France
Pos. Name Team Time
1 Giorgio Pantano Durango 1:28.888
2 Bjorn Wirdheim Arden 1:28.933
3 Jaroslav Janis Superfund ISR Charouz 1:29.077
4 Ricardo Sperafico Coloni 1:29.357
5 Vitantonio Liuzzi Red Bull 1:29.434
6 Tony Schmidt Astromega 1:29.554
7 Yannick Schroeder PSM Charouz 1:29.643
8 Patrick Friesacher Red Bull 1:29.672
9 Zsolt Baumgartner Coloni 1:29.683
10 Jeffrey van Hooydonk Astromega 1:29.802
11 Townsend Bell Arden 1:29.811
12 Nicolas Kiesa Den Bla Avis 1:30.192
13 Derek Hill SuperNova/Jordan Junior 1:30.195
14 Enrico Toccacelo SuperNova/Jordan Junior 1:30.343
15 Raffaele Gianmaria Durango 1:30.658
16 Philip Giebler Den Bla Avis 1:31.040
17 Will Langhorne BCN 1:31.501
18 Valerio Scassellati BCN 1:32.474
BAR cars impounded by French
police 4th UPDATE
This pitpass
article sheds more light on the situation.
7/4/03 -
The judge has granted BAR a reprieve so they will be able to
run this weekend. However, they have missed the first
practice session and will go into Friday qualifying with no
preparation. 7/4/03 - Dave
Richards is in the Nevers courthouse this morning trying to get the
seizure order overturned. 7/4/03 - A reader
writes, Dear Autoracing1, Another BAR chapter was just written.
How dumb must Richards be, everybody in Montreal knew that the cars
would be seized, it should have been after Monaco but Richards just
packed things and left from the backyard... How can one have faith in
such a system, such a rotten organization... I personally think that
Jacques is being dragged in mud to the advantage of Button, an
Englishman just like B.A.T. Now that B.A.T. has
surprisingly closed its plant in Montreal a couple of weeks ago, the
next step is to terminate our driver? Bull, and I hope the next
step is HONDA buying the team and Bernie cleaning the paddocks
these fools, pouring dirt on the series. F1 does not deserve B.A.R. and Richards. Jacques doesn't either... Regards,
Victor Beaudoin, Montreal 7/3/02 - Grandprix.com
that the three British American Racing Formula 1 cars have
been seized by the French authorities in relation to the
dispute between the team and the Monaco-based PPGI company,
which claims that BAR owes it over $3 million in commission on
a sponsorship deal in 1997. Team boss David Richards is due to
arrive at Magny-Cours shortly to try to sort out the problem.
The team is expected to make an announcement later this
evening but at the moment there is no official comment at all.
A French court will decide on Friday if BAR can race at the
French GP.
French GP - Webber fastest in
wet practice session Mark Webber was the fastest in
the first official practice session for the French Grand Prix.
Ralf Schumacher was second followed by the two Renaults of
Fernando Alonso and Jarno Trulli and Antonio Pizzonia in the
second Jaguar. Webber was run into in the pitlane by Michael
Schumacher, but still was fastest.
1. Mark Webber Australia Jaguar-Cosworth 1:26.915
2. Ralf Schumacher Germany Williams-BMW 1:28.082
3. Fernando Alonso Spain Renault 1:28.260
4. Jarno Trulli Italy Renault 1:28.296
5. Antonio Pizzonia Brazil Jaguar-Cosworth 1:28.442
6. Michael Schumacher Germany Ferrari 1:28.681
7. David Coulthard Britain McLaren-Mercedes 1:28.718
8. Olivier Panis France Toyota 1:28.773
9. Giancarlo Fisichella Italy Jordan-Ford 1:28.782
10. Heinz-Harald Frentzen Germany Sauber-Petronas 1:28.803
11. Kimi Raikkonen Finland McLaren-Mercedes 1:28.846
12. Nick Heidfeld Germany Sauber-Petronas 1:29.317
13. Juan Pablo Montoya Colombia Williams-BMW 1:29.608
14. Ralph Firman Britain Jordan-Ford 1:29.640
15. Rubens Barrichello Brazil Ferrari 1:29.813
16. Cristiano Da Matta Brazil Toyota 1:30.791
17. Jos Verstappen Netherlands Minardi-Cosworth 1:32.091
18. Justin Wilson Britain Minardi-Cosworth 1:32.535
19. Jacques Villeneuve Canada BAR-Honda No Time
20. Jenson Button Britain BAR-Honda No Time
Alonso leads Friday test
1. FERNANDO ALONSO Spain Renault 1:16.709
2. MARK WEBBER Australia Jaguar-Cosworth 1:17.017
3. JARNO TRULLI Italy Renault 1:17.323
4. ANTONIO PIZZONIA Brazil Jaguar-Cosworth 1:17.946
5. GIANCARLO FISICHELLA Italy Jordan-Ford 1:18.771
6. FRANCK MONTAGNY France Renault 1:18.823
7. JOS VERSTAPPEN Netherlands Minardi-Cosworth 1:19.289
8. JUSTIN WILSON Britain Minardi-Cosworth 1:19.636
9. RALPH FIRMAN Britain Jordan-Ford 1:20.259
Olivier Panis: Leaner And Meaner?
'03 Approach May Cost Kimi
Police Move In On
Don't Bet On Me, Warns
David Detests One-Lap
Montoya's 'Lesson' For
Ralf Schu
Ralf Backs Team-Mate Over
Fernando Pleads Innocence
Ford Change Tune On Cheap
Villeneuve Slams
Magny-Cours Circuit
Montoya Defends Audacious
Alonso Backs Wide-Angle
IRL Richmond TV rating UPDATE
The final Richmond IRL rating was a 0.48, which was rounded up to
0.50. 411,000 households tuned in across the entire USA.
The Local Richmond Times Dispatch newspaper had this to say about the
rating - "It doesn't get much smaller than that. An ESPN spokesman
called that "about average" for an IRL event. The local numbers
weren't available, which probably is a good thing." 7/4/03
- The
preliminary rating for last Saturday night's IRL race on ESPN was a
0.48, down from 0.60 last year, also on ESPN on a Saturday night.
We don't expect the final rating released tomorrow to be much
different....from what we hear. The IRL TV ratings have trended
downward all year, this despite getting many teams, sponsors and
manufacturers from CART. What's confusing is that the IRL TV
announcers keep saying the series is growing leaps and bounds.
Who are the fans to believe, the announcers or the statistics?
Homestead (ABC) 1.5
Phoenix (ABC) 1.2
California (ESPN) 0.5
Nazareth (ABC) 1.3
Indy (ABC) 4.8
Texas (ESPN) 0.6
Pike's Peak (ABC) 1.0
Richmond (ESPN) 0.6
Kansas (ABC) 1.3
Nashville (ESPN2) 0.5
Michigan (ABC) 1.2
Kentucky (ABC) 0.9
Gateway (ESPN) 0.8
Chicagoland (ABC) 1.1
Texas (ABC) 0.9
Homestead (ABC) 1.8 (Up 20%)
Phoenix (ABC) 0.9 (Down 25%)
Japan (ABC) 0.9 (First Time Event, but down from a 1.0 for CART on ABC
in 2001)
Indy (ABC) 4.6 (Down 4.1%)
Texas (ESPN) 0.4 (Down 33%)
Pike's Peak (ABC) 0.7 (Down 30%)
Richmond (ESPN) 0.48 (Down 20%)
Wrong the first time, Penske again says
CART's days are numbered UPDATE
Dear AR1, Again Roger Penske speaks with his usual arrogant "forked
tongue". Who is he kidding that IRL's "All Oval" format is cheaper
than CART's Road Racing. IRL has totaled numerous cars every
year. FOYT IV has done over $1 Million's worth of damage alone. Penske
has severely damaged cars at Phoenix, Motegi and Richmond and his
driver Gil de Ferran has suffered a broken back and has been knocked
senseless on two separate occasions. I know many fans who
"LOATHE PENSKE" and his distortions, but this is absolute nonsense. The
only thing "GOING UP" in the IRL are the cost of
MEDICAL/HOSPITALIZATION INSURANCE Premiums"! Steve Levinson
7/3/03 - The latest edition of National
Speed Sport News has an article titled "CART's Days are Numbered."
In it Roger Penske says - "As we appraise the current situation in the
IRL, 18 months ago we didn't have Michael Andretti's team, we didn't
have Bobby Rahal's team, we didn't have Adrian Fernandez's team so
some good teams have migrated to the IRL," Penske said at Richmond
Int'l Raceway, site of Saturday's SunTrust Indy Challenge IRL race.
"These teams came on their own. The real crunch time will come at the
end of 2003 when CART has to make a decision about their future."
Penske believes that CART's current business situation has led to its
potential downfall. "Right now, they have elected to be a series that
has mostly international venues with road races," Penske said. "They
had also been supporting the teams through the capital base of CART
and that can only go on so long. One of the worst things we found is
any business that is subsidized can't stand on its own two feet. At
some point, you ended up hitting the wall. It took time to divide this
sport and it will take time to bring it back together. I think it's
obvious where they need to be." Penske believes a sale of CART could
be the solution and he stressed that he is not interested in any
involvement in the rival series, either as an owner or a participant.
"I made it clear many months ago what my position was when I moved to
the IRL," Penske said. Penske believes the IRL does not need to add a
lot more races. He believes the series should stop at 16 races. If
that includes a few road races, he believes they need to be near major
markets for the sponsors and fans. He also believes the IRL needs to
evaluate its options in terms of speedways. "I don't see any type of
merger between the IRL and CART because right now, CART has Mexico
with two races, they are in Germany and England and I think that would
be problematic for our sponsors and costs would escalate for our
teams," Penske said. "If CART is going to be part of another series,
then the IRL needs to stay the course. From what I understand from the
IRL people is they want to support the tracks that have supported them
from the beginning and that is the key." Penske believes oval racing
has the closest races a fan could see and points out how ovals have
helped NASCAR increase its fan base. He said it's more expensive to
run on road courses than ovals because of the gearbox, brakes and
suspension as well as different wing packages that would require two
different setups for oval and road courses. "If CART continues on its
road, there is no place in that for the IRL," Penske said. "If CART
goes away, then the IRL may need to add a few road courses." Penske
believes Saturday night's crowd of 50,000 spectators at Richmond
International Raceway -- deep in the heart of NASCAR country -- is a
very positive sign for the IRL. "I was surprised to see how many
people were out in the campers waiting to come to the race," Penske
said. "Something was going to happen here tonight. These are new fans,
too. We've only had three races here. When NASCAR had its first three
races here, they probably didn't have the number of fans that we had
here tonight. If we can start drawing 50,000 or 60,000 fans regularly,
then I think open-wheel racing can be in good shape." [Editor's
Note: 18 months ago Roger Penske predicted there would be only
one open wheel series in the USA in 12 to 18 months. 18 months
have passed and there are still two series and the IRL TV ratings
continue to drop at a precipitous rate. We await Roger's next
prediction of CART's demise in 12 to 18 months. It's also
interesting to note the pro-IRL anti-CART slant this article took vs.
the Kansas City Star article we referenced in an article on our Home
page titled What Did Roger Penske Really Mean? NSSN and
writer Bruce Martin have been anti-CART for years, so it's not
Allmendinger takes Toyota Atlantic pole
After a "disappointing" Portland race where he finished fourth, rookie
A.J. Allmendinger (#4 RuSPORT) re-established himself as the man to
beat in Thursday's provisional qualifying session for the Argent
Mortgage Toyota Atlantic 100k (SPEED Channel, July 6, 1:00 p.m. ET) at
Cleveland's Burke Lakefront Airport by throwing down a blistering lap
of 1:05.757 (115.297 mph) to take the provisional pole. The lap was
more than six tenths of a second faster than his next closest
competitor, and allowed Allmendinger to guarantee himself a front row
starting position for Saturday's race and extend his streak of
top-three starting positions. The rookie has not started outside the
top three in any race thus far in his Toyota Atlantic career. More
importantly, Allmendinger earned a bonus championship point for his
efforts, and now leads Ryan Dalziel (#28 Pro-Works/Discovery
Lake/Daily Record) by seven markers (80-73) in the chase for the 2003
Toyota Atlantic title. Qualifying second on the provisional grid was
Mexican Luis Diaz (#33 Telmex/Dorricott Racing), who turned in a best
lap of 1:06.400 (114.181 mph). It was the best qualifying performance
for Diaz since he took the pole position for the season-opening Tecate/Telmex
Monterrey Grand Prix in his native Mexico. Diaz currently stands ninth
in the 2003 CART Toyota Atlantic Championship, 42 points adrift of
Allmendinger, so today's performance was certainly a welcome boost for
Diaz and the team.
SARS warning removed from Toronto
Just in time for next weekend's CART race in Toronto, the World Health
Organization has removed their SARS warning for the City of Toronto.
Maia takes provisional pole
Leo Maia of Oakland, California, took the provisional pole position in
first round qualifying for Saturday's race at Burke Lakefront Airport
today with a lap of 1:14.124 seconds on the 2.106-mile temporary
airport circuit. Dan Di Leo of Markham, Ontario, Canada, secured
second place on the provisional grid, with David Martinez of
Monterrey, Mexico taking third. Memo Rojas of Mexico City, Mexico
scored fourth, with Barber Champ Car Scholarship driver Colin Fleming
taking fifth. Nelson Philippe of Valece, France, qualified sixth, with
German Quiroga taking seventh on the provisional grid. Burt Frisselle
of Kihei, Hawaii, qualified eighth ahead of Barber Champ Car
Scholarship racer Scott Poirier, with Luis Pelayo taking tenth after
losing his fastest lap of the session when he brought out the red flag
when he spun off course and brought debris onto the racing surface to
end the session. "I was driving the car too hard early in the session,
and once I settled down some, I started getting the times I needed,"
said Maia. "It didn't feel like it was a fast lap, since I didn't feel
like I was really taking any chances, but I guess it was good enough
to take the pole. I know that I could have gone faster on my last lap,
but the red flag came out to end the session, so I knew at least that
no one else was going to beat my time."
Pos/Car #/Driver/Hometown/Best Lap/ Laps Comp/Fastest Lap/MPH
1/6/Leonardo Maia/Oakland, Calif./25/26/01:14.124/102.283
2/19/Dan Di Leo/Markham, Ontario, Canada/14/22/01:14.317/102.017
3/47/David Martinez L./Monterrey, Mexico/21/23/01:14.647/101.566
4/15/Memo Rojas/Mexico City, Mexico 16/23 01:14.839/101.306
5/28/Colin Fleming/North Hills, Calif./20/26/01:15.035/101.041
6/26/Nelson Philippe/Valence, France/26/26/01:15.227/100.783
7/33/German Quiroga/Mexico City, Mexico/18/26/01:15.273/100.721
8/24/Burt Frisselle/Kihei, Hawaii/23/27/01:15.402/100.549
9/67/Scott Poirier/Deerfield Beach, Florida/24/26/01:15.445/100.492
10/49/Luis Pelayo/Mexico City, Mexico/21/22/01:15.540/100.365
11/39/Ryan Millen/Newport Beach, Calif./20/21/01:15.575/100.319
12/16/Antoine Bessette/St. Bruno, Quebec/18/24/01:15.615/100.266
13/14/David Wieringa/Chicago, Illinios/19/22/01:15.801/100.020
14/18/Robbie Montinola/Laguna Niguel, Calif./16/22/01:15.910/99.876
15/31/Al Unser/Corrales, New Mexico 23/23/01:16.115/99.607
16/96/Chris Green/Beaconsfield, Quebec/17/18/01:16.505/99.099
17/88/Greg Long/Markham, Ontario, Canada/25/27/01:19.309/95.596
Champ Car World Series on National
Geographic The Bridgestone Presents The Champ Car World
Series Powered by Ford and the series' most recent winner Adrian
Fernandez (#51 Tecate/Quaker State/Telmex
Ford-Cosworth/Lola/Bridgestone) were recently highlighted on the
National Geographic Channel's documentary "Dangerous Jobs: Need for
Speed" which began its nationally-televised broadcast schedule on
Wednesday evening. A significant portion of the hour-long program–
which is based on the life of a race car driver– tracked Fernandez
through his recovery from injuries sustained last season in Surfers
Paradise, Australia, to his return to the cockpit in the
season-opening Grand Prix of St. Petersburg in Florida. Much of the
footage used in the documentary was shot on location at Champ Car
World Series events in both 2002 and 2003. The broadcast also features
interviews with Champ Car drivers and series medical personnel,
including Director of Medical Affairs Dr. Steve Olvey and Chief
Orthopedic Consultant Dr. Terry Trammell. The documentary will air
again in its entirety on the National Geographic Channel Saturday,
July 5 at 2:00 p.m. ET and again Wednesday, July 9th at 3:00 p.m. ET.
Junqueira paces opening
Bruno Junqueira set the pace in today's opening practice
session for Saturday night's U.S. Bank Cleveland Grand Prix.
The Newman/Haas driver surged to the top of the time sheet in
the closing minutes of the session, lapping in 59.555
(127.304mph). Junqueira edged Player's/Forsythe teammates
Patrick Carpentier and Paul Tracy and his own teammate, and
fastest rookie, Sebastien Bourdais. These four were the only
drivers to lap the 2.106-mile airport circuit in under sixty
to sponsor Bourdais
UPDATE We have added a
photo of yesterday's unveiling taken by Dan R. Boyd/LAT.
7/2/03 - Leading global food service retailer McDonald's® and four-time
championship-winning team Newman/Haas Racing today announced
an alliance for select 2003 Champ Car World Series events.
McDonald's will join Eli Lilly & Company as the co-primary
sponsor of the No. 2 car driven by rookie sensation Sebastien
Bourdais as an extension of their launch of the Premium Salads
that feature Newman's Own® Salad Dressing at races in
Cleveland on July 5, Denver on August 31 and Miami on
September 28.
Thursday French GP Press
Fernando ALONSO
Olivier PANIS
Kimi RAIKKONEN
Ralf SCHUMACHER
Jarno TRULLI
paint schemes for Wallace and Wimmer
NVE Pharmaceuticals, the parent company of Stacker 2,
"The World's Strongest Fat Burner," has announced it has
created special paint schemes for Kenny Wallace and Scott
Wimmer in NASCAR events at Daytona International Speedway this
weekend and at Dover International Speedway in September. The
special schemes will coincide with the launch of new energy
drink YJ Stinger, an extension of NVE's current Stacker 2
product line. Kenny Wallace will drive the No. 23 YJ Stinger
Red Dodge in the Winston Cup Series race while Scott Wimmer
will pilot the No. 23 YJ Stinger Green Chevrolet in the Busch
Series race. YJ Stinger is a new energy drink that comes in
three great tasting flavors: Pounding Punch, Sinful Citrus and
Enraged Raspberry. It is scheduled to launch in stores around
the country the middle of July. "Stacker 2 is about
marketing programs that inject enthusiasm for our brands into
our consumers, and we know they'll be revved up about YJ
Stinger when we unveil the YJ Stinger cars that Kenny and
Scott will drive," said Bob Emilian, Vice President of
marketing for NVE Pharmaceuticals. "Once we have the fans
energized, we'll give them ample opportunities to use up that
energy at our interactive exhibits outside the tracks. I've
seen some slick paint schemes in The Winston before, but the
new YJ Stinger cars are the most original I've seen yet,"
Wallace said. "The collectors are going to go nuts." Wimmer,
slightly more subdued than Wallace, spared no emotion when he
explained his car. "Those cars are going to be hot," Wimmer
said. "I've never seen anything like them on the track.
Special paint schemes get better every year, and this is the
best one I've seen this year."
Panis labels Magny-Cours corner
dangerous Toyota's Olivier Panis has branded the
redesigned final corner at Magny-Cours dangerous. The corner,
previously a tight hairpin, has been modified into a fast
sweeping turn in a bid to encourage overtaking. The Frenchman
is not pleased with what he saw. He said: "I feel the way the
corner at Magny-Cours has been redesigned makes it extremely
dangerous. "It only needs someone to lose control and cut
across the grass and they will fly straight into the path of
other cars. "If it's raining any car going off at the start of
the bend would skid across the wet grass."
Carpentier breaks arm in
bicycle accident
For Patrick Carpentier driving a race car is safer than
riding a bicycle. Carpentier, who will defend his title at
this week's CART Cleveland Grand Prix, feels fortunate to
still be driving after crashing into a tow truck while riding
his bike on June 24. "I'm so lucky," said the Joliette, Que.
who estimated he hit a trailer being pulled by the truck at 35
m.p.h. "I've hit the wall in a car at 200 mph, and this was
worse." Carpentier was training with his friend, motorcycle
rider Miguel Duhamel, when they were cut off by the truck
while racing down an incline on bikes like those used in the
Tour de France. Duhamel was able to see the truck drifting
over in time and pulled to the left, narrowly avoiding a
collision. Carpentier, however, was drafting behind Duhamel
and had his head down when he plowed into the side of the
trailer. "Boom!" Carpentier said, slamming his fist into his
hand. "It really shook me up." Carpentier suffered a hairline
fracture in his right arm as well as bumps, bruises and
scrapes. "But nothing to keep me from racing," he said. "It
split my glasses in half. I was wearing a helmet, so it could
have been a lot worse." After the near disaster, Carpentier
can't wait to race. He's also eager to see the brilliant
sparkling colours and hear the deafening roar this holiday
Robert "Bootie" Barker added to
TV lineup
NASCAR Winston Cup Series crew chief Robert "Bootie"
Barker has been added to SPEED Channel's on-air team and is
scheduled to host a regular segment each Saturday as part of
SpeedNews - NASCAR Edition. The new segment - Bootie Call --
debuts this weekend from Daytona and will be an insider's look
at what's going on in the NASCAR garage area from week to
week. "Most of what is said about what's going on at the track
is from an outsider's perspective," said Barker, crew chief
for the No. 77 Jasper Motorsports Ford piloted by Dave Blaney.
"This will be an effort to get the SPEED Channel viewers even
closer to the action." SPEED Channel expects Barker's role to
grow with the network. "We're excited about getting Bootie on
the team," said Rick Miner, SPEED Channel Sr. VP Programming &
Production/Executive Producer. "Viewers can expect to see him
on more of our shows in the near future."
SAFER wall at Richmond
A major safety upgrade awaits Richmond International Raceway, which
will become the first short track fitted with the energy-absorbing
Steel and Foam Energy Reduction barrier in the coming weeks. The
0.75-mile oval, where a handful of NASCAR's most violent crashes have
occurred the past two years, will have the SAFER system in place for
its NASCAR triple-header Sept. 4-6 [Cup, Busch, Trucks]. The barrier,
which relies on steel tubes and foam to absorb the impact of a crash,
will be attached to the outside walls in two 1,100-foot sections that
will cover the track's four turns. RIR President Doug Fritz said
construction would begin a few weeks before the race weekend, which
will feature NASCAR's top three touring series. "We're proud to be one
of the first tracks to have the system installed," Fritz said. "The
installation of this state-of-the-art safety system is an example of
Richmond International Raceway and International Speedway Corp.'s
ongoing commitment to driver safety." The "soft wall technology" has
proved highly effective since being installed at Indianapolis Motor
Speedway in May 2002. Several Indy Racing League and Winston Cup
drivers have endured hard collisions at IMS in the past year, but
there have been no serious injuries. Because the barrier originally
was designed for Indianapolis' 2.5-mile oval, months of testing were
required to adapt SAFER for shorter tracks. Dr. Dean Sicking, who was
commissioned by the IRL in 1998 to build the barrier, led a team of
researchers that conducted several tests on a replica of an RIR wall
at the Midwest Roadside Safety Facility in Lincoln, Neb. NASCAR
President Mike Helton recently said the goal is to erect the SAFER
barrier at several tracks by next spring. New Hampshire International
Speedway, a 1-mile oval where Adam Petty and Kenny Irwin Jr. were
killed in separate crashes in 2000, likely is next to implement the
SAFER barrier, possibly for its Sept. 15 Winston Cup race.
Richmond Times Dispatch
Industry News
Cunningham dies Briggs Swift Cunningham, an icon of American
road racing, died Wednesday of complications related to Alzheimer's
Disease in Las Vegas at the age of 96. Cunningham was at the forefront
of the rebirth of road racing in America following World War II, and
was renowned as a sportsman of the highest caliber. He represented
America superbly in the 24 Hours of Le Mans throughout the 1950s and
'60s as a driver and team owner, both with cars bearing his own name
and others. His induction this year into the International Motorsports
Hall of Fame at Talladega, Ala., was richly deserved and long overdue.
He is survived by his wife of 40 years, Laura, of Las Vegas, son
Briggs S. Cunningham III of Danville, Ky., daughters Lucie McKinney of
Green Farms, Conn., and Cythlen Maddock of Palm Beach, Fla.,
stepsons Bill Elmer and Joe Elmer, 19 grandchildren and 31
great-grandchildren Services will be held at 2:30 p.m. on
August 8 at the Pacific View
Cemetery, 3500 Pacific View Dr., Corona Del Mar, Calif. The family has
requested that donations be made to the Alzheimer's Association in
lieu of flowers. More at
Labonte edges de Ferran Marlboro
Team Penske driver Gil de Ferran finished second to NASCAR Winston Cup
standout Bobby Labonte in second-quarter voting for the Driver of the
Year Award. Labonte edged 2003 Indianapolis 500 winner de Ferran by
just three points, 75-72, in balloting of 18 media experts and one
cumulative fan vote taken from Internet voting at
Teams to test at Nashville Many
IRL IndyCar Series teams will participate in an Open Test on
Wednesday, July 9 at Nashville Superspeedway, preparing for the series
event July 19 at the 1.33-mile concrete oval. Testing will take place
from 1-8 p.m. (CDT). Admission is $5 and free to Nashville
Superspeedway season-ticket holders.
Home sweet home for Michelin
Michelin motorsport director Pierre Dupasquier says : "We scored a
superb victory at the Nürburgring last Sunday. Will we be able to summon
up a repeat performance on home soil? That's not really a question we
have asked ourselves. Reflecting on the past few races it certainly
appears as though we have provided our partners with extremely
competitive tires and they are making good use of them. For us,
though, the French Grand Prix is a race just like any other. We don't
have a great deal of track experience, either, because we don't do any
private testing here. Teams are adopting a variety of tactical
approaches this season and there have been a number of race incidents.
As a result, every event has had a slightly different flavor and
everybody has enjoyed this element of unpredictability. Some cars work
more effectively at certain circuits than others and competition
between the tire manufacturers and leading drivers means that almost
anything can happen at each event. We don't know what the weather
will be like this weekend at Magny-Cours, but there is no guarantee of
blazing sunshine. We'll just have to see what fate has in store,"
concluded Dupasquier. BMW Williams driver Juan Pablo Montoya added
this comment about the Michelin tires : "Our tires should be really
competitive in Magny-Cours. As we have seen especially in the last few
races, Michelin has gained the upper hand in the tire war and on their
home ground they might aim to perform at the top even if they might be
a bit more under pressure. With the help of our tires I hope I'll be
able to double the pole position I set there in 2002 and possibly take
advantage of it, unlike I did last year, when I finished fourth."
Is McNish Still Bitter?
Kimi To Forget French
Montoya Expects Michelin
To Fly
Alonso Blames Coulthard
Ferrari Admit French
Montoya Ready To Take On
Rivals Have More Hunger:
Hot Action Expected In
Jordan: Turn For The Worse
In France
McNish Seeks F1 Racing
Tobacco Teams Look For
Montoya: I'm Still In The
CART stock watch
MPH closed at $2.51 UP $0.01 p/shr. on Volume of 35,500
11,400 shares or 32% of total Volume traded in the last 30
minutes of the session.
$1.86 Bid - $2.82 Ask on close.
Session Low/High $2.45/$2.60
MPH Value Change UP 0.40%
DOW Jones Up 101.89 or 1.13% on Volume of 1.8 billion shares.
NASDAQ Up 38.6 or 2.35%
S&P 500 Up 11.43 or 1.16%
A safe and restful weekend to all.
Courtesy of C3I.AndersonGroupe - Chicago
HSBC returns as sponsor for
CART's Miami race
HSBC returns as the Official Bank and Financial Services
Provider for the Grand Prix Americas, announced Chuck M.
Martinez, president and general manager, Grand Prix Americas.
The agreement calls for a two-year partnership between the
Grand Prix Americas and HSBC. "We are excited about having
HSBC return as a partner for our event," said Martinez. "The
fact we have companies such as HSBC signing multi-year deals
is a testament to the success of our inaugural event." "We are
proud to once again partner with the Grand Prix Americas,"
said Manuel Diaz, president of HSBC Republic International. "Last
year's event was a tremendous success for us with our clients.
We look forward to a long-lasting partnership with the race."
Headquartered in London, HSBC Holdings plc is one of the
largest banking and financial services organizations in the
world. HSBC's international network comprises over 9,500
offices in 80 countries and territories in Europe, the
Asia-Pacific region, the Americas, the Middle East and Africa.
Junior looks for Daytona sweep
Out of the 23 tracks that host NASCAR Winston Cup Series
races, Dale Earnhardt Jr. singles out historic Daytona
International Speedway as the Mecca of stock car racing. "This
place is a great race track with a lot of history," Earnhardt
Jr. said. "It has such an impact on the sport. There are other
tracks on the circuit that are important to NASCAR and that
are cornerstones of the foundation. But this place here is a
pillar. This place really represents everything that I like
about the sport. I really like coming here." Earnhardt Jr.'s
love for Daytona is reflected by his busy schedule for the
upcoming July 2-5 Pepsi 400 weekend. He'll race under the
lights in both the second annual Winn-Dixie 250 Presented By
PepsiCo on Friday, July 4 and the 45th running of the Pepsi
400 on Saturday, July 5. Earnhardt Jr., whose late father Dale
Earnhardt is the winningest driver at the famed 2.5-mile
tri-oval, just can't get enough racing at Daytona. "When you
come in (through the tunnel), you can't get here fast enough
and then when you leave, you drive out real slow - getting
every little last bit you can because it's going to be too
long before you come back," Earnhardt Jr. said. "I love it."
In the last two years, Earnhardt Jr. has turned the "World
Center of Racing" into his personal playground posting five
victories. After finishing second in the 2001 Daytona 500,
Earnhardt Jr. captured his first career victory at the famed
track winning the 2001 Pepsi 400. In 2002, he captured his first
win in the Koolerz 300 NASCAR Busch Series event. During
Speedweeks 2003, Earnhardt Jr. pulled off an amazing string of
victories, winning the inaugural nighttime running of the
Budweiser Shootout, a Gatorade 125-mile qualifying race and
his second straight Koolerz 300 Busch Series race. Earnhardt
Jr. thrives on the restrictor-plate tracks at Daytona and its
sister track Talladega Superspeedway. He likes the
close-quarters racing and understands how to manipulate the
draft to his advantage. He also has resources of Dale
Earnhardt Inc., which devote more time and research into
restrictor-plate racing than any other team in the garage.
"Anytime you run in a situation with restrictor plate
equipment, you've still got to be able to get the best out of
that equipment," said seven-time Daytona 500 champion and
NASCAR legend Richard Petty. 'Whatever (Dale Jr.) has got on
these kinds of race tracks, he gets the best out of it just
like his dad did." Earnhardt Jr. will look for a Pepsi 400
weekend sweep just like he did recently at Talladega
Superspeedway, where he won the Aaron's 312 Busch Series race
and the Aaron's 499 Winston Cup event.
Jeff Gordon to be "cool" in
It is not easy to stay cool at Daytona in July. However, Jeff
Gordon, driver of the No. 24 DuPont Chevrolet, intends to keep
cool in several different ways as he enters the Pepsi 400 at
Daytona International Speedway this Saturday night. "It does
get extremely hot in the car," said Gordon. "However, we have
ways of dealing with the heat. We have a system that allows
air to flow through our helmets and the crew works to keep me
cool on pit stops with water and ice packs." Off the track
this weekend, Gordon will be involved in a few other "cool"
things. With DuPont's new "Cool2go Wrap" logo on the TV panel
for this weekend's event, Gordon will promote the science
company's new insulated beverage wrap -- label technology that
allows the beverage to remain colder, longer. In addition, the
No. 24 car will sport a special paint scheme that showcases
the cool $1 billion that Pepsi is offering up in a current
promotion. The paint scheme can be seen this Wednesday on the
Today Show on NBC.
finds new way to make money
Fans can now purchase lap sponsorships for the upcoming
Sharpie 500 at Bristol Motor Speedway. Lap sponsors will
receive space for a 20-word-or-less message, which will appear
in the souvenir program, as well as a 1:64 scale die-cast
event car. "Being that we're honoring one of Bristol's
greatest heroes, Dale Earnhardt, with the souvenir program
cover, I'm sure there'll be a lot of fans out there who will
want to sponsor a lap and have their messages added to this
truly collectible publication," said Jeff Byrd, BMS president
and general manager. "Plus, the new feature of having a
personalized program with the name of the lap sponsor printed
on the cover will add something extra special." For the first
time, each lap sponsor's name will be printed on the cover of
the program. Recent technological advances in the printing
industry allow for the personalization. The cost of a lap
sponsorship is $100. The Speedway will take orders for lap
sponsorships through Friday, August 1, 2003. Fans may request
a specific lap number to sponsor. However if that lap number
is taken, BMS will assign the closest available lap number.
A Ford and Cosworth story
This Machine Design magazine
article is an interesting read on the Ford Cosworth CART
engine program, particularly the design changes they did to make a
1200 mile engine from a 400 mile engine.
Tracy's Porsche for sale
Want to own Paul Tracy's Porsche 911? You can, just bid highest
for it
here on eBay. You would be bidding on a very rare
Porsche Turbo owned by Champcar World Series points leader Paul Tracy.
The 2001 Porsche Turbo is fully modified into a Techart Type II GT
Street car. The car comes with a Tiptronic transmission and upgrades
TechArt Type II aerodynamic body kit
TechArt 18" Formula GT alloy wheels
TechArt sport exhaust system
TechArt coil-over suspension kit
TechArt Stage 1 performance kit (470hp)
TechArt interior accessories
GT to return to track
The Ford GT will make its return to the racing world this weekend as
the all-new 2005 Ford GT paces the Champ Car World Series race at
Burke Lakefront Airport in Cleveland, Ohio. This marks the first
public running of the '05 Ford GT outside of the Ford Centennial
Celebration at World Headquarters in Dearborn, Mich., three weeks ago.
At the wheel of the 5.4-liter supercharged V-8 Ford GT in Cleveland
will be legendary driver Mario Andretti. Andretti's ties to the Ford
GT date back to 1967 when he drove it to victory with Bruce
at the 12 Hours of Sebring in Sebring, Fla. "Mario should be used to
running at the front of the pack in a Ford GT, since his experience
with the original GT40 race car includes a win at Sebring," said Neil
GT Chief Program Engineer. The Ford GT gained popularity in the
mid-1960's as a low-slung, muscular racing car built to win on the
legendary Le Mans race circuit. The original Ford GT project was
spearheaded by Henry Ford II, and Ford's project saw great success as
the Ford GT won four straight 24 Hours of Le Mans races during the
1960's, including a 1-2-3 finish in 1966. The Ford GT race car changed
Le Mans forever, and today it signifies a new era for Ford Motor
Company. Over the past year Ford engineers have seen Ford's historic
past turn into the present during the design and development of the
'05 Ford GT. Now they will see the finished product return to what
made it famous. "We're excited about the new 2005 Ford GT returning to
the race track and being part of the pace car fleet during the
Cleveland Grand Prix this weekend, and especially with Mario Andretti
behind the wheel," said Hannemann. "With 500 horsepower, the new Ford
GT shouldn't have a problem staying at the front once again."
Jarrett and Yates press conference
Dale Jarrett, driver of the No. 88 UPS Taurus, has four NASCAR Winston
Cup victories at Daytona, including a win in the 1999 Pepsi 400.
Jarrett was this week's guest on the weekly teleconference, along with
general manager Doug Yates.
ConAgra to sponsor Kansas
The nation's second-largest food company signed a four-year agreement
Tuesday to sponsor the NASCAR race at Kansas Speedway. The first
Banquet 400 presented by ConAgra Foods, a Winston Cup event, will be
held Oct. 5 at the track in Kansas City, Kan. "We're pleased to be
teaming with a national, Midwest-based company like ConAgra Foods and
its Banquet brand," speedway president Jeff Boerger said.
Mario Andretti to drive pace car
When U.S. Bank presents the Cleveland Grand Prix this Saturday night,
there will be a CGP favorite standing on the gas at the head of the
pack. Mario Andretti, the driver who won arguably the most thrilling
race in CGP history in 1988, and the man with the most podium finishes
in CGP history (seven), will drive the pace car for the pre-race
parade and pace laps. Andretti, an outspoken supporter for both the
Cleveland race and the CART series, ranked the 1-2-3 battle with Bobby
Rahal and Danny Sullivan in 1988 as one of the best in his career.
Mugen Honda boss put in slammer
UPDATE Hirotoshi Honda has stepped
down as president of Mugen after being arrested yesterday on suspicion
of a massive tax evasion. He is accused of dodging $8.3 million in
corporate taxes by hiding $25m of income in a separate company and
creating false accounts to cover the money. Honda and Mugen's auditor,
Norio Hirokawa, allegedly doctored the books for three years between
1997 and 2000. Hirokawa was also arrested. The Honda Motor Company,
which was founded by Hirotoshi's father Soichiro, did hold a 40% stake
in Mugen until 1999 when the shares were returned to Hirotoshi Honda.
Honda Motor said that the company was "very surprised" at the arrests
but said in a statement that it had been aware that Mugen was under
investigation. In a separate case on Monday in Tokyo Hirotoshi Honda
was ordered to pay $14.8 million to an automotive parts supplier.
7/1/02 - It's reported in France that Hirotoshi
Honda, president of the former F1 engine supplier Mugen Honda,
and the son of Honda Motors founder has been arrested in
connection with an investigation into tax evasion. "Our lawyer
was informed by prosecutors about the arrest of our president
today," said a spokesman for Mugen, according to French news
agency AFP. "We believe he is innocent as there is no evidence
proving his involvement. Facts will become clear after
investigators probe the case carefully." The same news agency
reported that the company's auditor was also arrested.
Schu Parties Into The Night
Jacques Dejected
Renault Praise Michelin
Jaguar Boys Rest Before
Toyota Boss Refuses To
Michael's Surprise Present
Frentzen Fond Of France
Rubens To Struggle In
Todt Doesn't Play Blame
EJ Pleads For More Cake
Montagny Previews 'New'
Renault Expect Pace At
More Races, Less Testing:
Penske Racing to make historic 1000th
start Marlboro Team Penske drivers Gil de Ferran and Helio
Castroneves will be making Penske Racing's historic 999th and 1000th
open-wheel starts (mostly CART, some IRL) this weekend at the Kansas
Indy 300 at Kansas Speedway. Whichever driver starts further on the
grid will reach a new milestone for the most successful team in
American motorsports by adding one more statistic to the record book
for Penske Racing. Penske Racing's legacy began on June 15, 1968
when the late Mark Donohue climbed into the driver's seat marking the
Team's first start at Mosport. Donohue would go on to finish the race
in fifth, but Penske Racing would continue to succeed for the next
three and a half decades. In the 35 years that Penske Racing has
been competing in open-wheel racing, the Team has amassed several
incredible records. Following is a brief summary of the results the
Team has produced in its first 998 starts:
115 Race Wins
11 National Championships
13 Indianapolis 500 Wins
12 Indianapolis 500 Pole Positions
141 Pole Positions
44 Wins From the Pole
32 1-2/1-2-3 Finishes
24 500-Mile Race Wins
50 1-2 Starts
CART's Patrick Racing is the Team with the second highest number of
starts with 777, which includes 45 victories, three Indianapolis 500
wins and two National Championships.
Tickets sold out in Kansas City Because
all NASCAR Winston Cup ticket holders must also buy an IRL ticket,
tickets are sold out for the Kansas Indy 300 and Aventis Racing For
Kids 100 on July 6, and tickets also are sold out for qualifying for
both races July 5. Tickets for practice for both series July 4 are
available by calling (913) 328-7223.
IRL title race wide open The
IRL IndyCar Series is reaching the halfway point of its 16-race 2003
season with the Kansas Indy 300 on July 6 at Kansas Speedway, and
there are a few trends that can be pinpointed easily. Scott Dixon is
the hottest driver in the series, having won the last two races, on
June 15 at Pikes Peak and June 28 at Richmond in the No. 9 Target Chip
Ganassi Racing Panoz G Force/Toyota/Firestone. He could become only
the second driver to win three consecutive IndyCar Series events,
matching the feat set by Kenny Brack en route to winning the 1998
series title. Series points leader Tony Kanaan is a model of
consistency. Kanaan has led at least one lap in six of seven races
this season in the No. 11 Team 7-Eleven Dallara/Honda/Firestone and
has recorded six top-five finishes in seven starts. Target Chip
Ganassi Racing is arguably the leading team in the series right now,
with Dixon the only driver to earn more than one victory this season.
He has three victories. Dixon and teammate Tomas Scheckter have
combined to lead 702 of 1,431 laps this season, 49 percent of the laps
turned in the series. Defending series champion Sam Hornish Jr. won't
go down without a fight. Hornish put in two stirring drives in June to
finish fifth at Pikes Peak and fourth at Richmond despite less power
in his No. 4 Pennzoil Panther Dallara/Chevrolet/Firestone compared to
drivers with Toyota and Honda engines. Hornish is eighth in the series
standings, 93 points behind Kanaan. But the one trend that's most
obvious entering the third annual trip for the IndyCar Series to
Kansas Speedway is that no driver has a clear claim to the series
title. Just 27 points separate leader Kanaan and second-place Dixon,
with only 60 points separating the top six drivers. Combine the
searing championship chase and the recent series trends, and the
Kansas Indy 300 figures to be one of the most interesting races of the
season. The race starts at noon (CDT) Sunday, July 6 and will be
broadcast live by ABC and the IMS Radio Network. The Kansas Indy 300
marks a return to a 1.5-mile oval, the most frequently raced circuit
length in the series. Seven of the 16 races in the IndyCar Series in
2003 take place on 1.5-mile ovals, with three – Homestead-Miami
Speedway, Twin Ring Motegi and Texas Motor Speedway – already
completed. A glance at the results from those races could help predict
which drivers and teams will be strong at Kansas. Only one driver has
posted a top-10 finish at each of the races on 1.5-mile ovals this
season – Hornish. He was 10th in March at Homestead-Miami, sixth in
April at Twin Ring Motegi and 10th in June at Texas. Hornish also has
fared well in the past at Kansas, finishing second each of the last
two years.
Industry News
Volvo revs up sales in China Ford
Motor's Swedish car making arm Volvo plans to launch two new models in
China this year as it aggressively steps up sales in the world's
fastest-growing car market. The models would be the limited-edition
sports saloon S60R and the newly upgraded S80 sedan, the China
Business Weekly reported yesterday, quoting Volvo's president of China
operations Ong Eng Song. The move is part of the company's global
strategy to boost its worldwide sales to 600,000 vehicles in the
coming years, up from 408,000 last year. Last month, Volvo began
delivering its XC90 sports utility vehicle to Chinese customers and
said it hoped to sell more than 2,000 cars this year. Volvo already
exports the XC70 and C70 vehicles. "As China's car market is opening,
competition has depended more on sales networks and after-sales
services than on products," Mr Ong said.
Chicago Motor Speedway auction This
link will take you to the auction company that will
begin liquidating the assets of Chicago Motor Speedway next
Tuesday. This
link will take you to a Chicago Sun Times article on
the pending auction and the fate of the facility.
CART stock watch MPH
closed at $2.50 Unchanged for the day on Volume of 55,300
$2.43 Bid - $2.50 Ask on close.
Session Low/High $2.37/$2.50
MPH Value Change 0.0%
DOW Jones Up 55.51 or 0.62% on Volume of 1.80 billion shares.
NASDAQ Up 17.26 or 1.06%
S&P 500 Up 7.81 or 0.82%
Courtesy of C3I.AndersonGroupe - Chicago
Herta getting back into swing
of things Bryan Herta is still getting his feet wet
in the Indy Racing League IndyCar Series, making only his
third career start Saturday at Kansas Speedway. Herta was
tabbed to drive the #27 Archipelago/Motorola
Dallara/Honda/Firestone last week, as the replacement for
Dario Franchitti, who will undergo back surgery this summer.
Like many of the tracks on the IndyCar Series schedule, this
will be Herta's first visit to Kansas Speedway. The
33-year-old Herta is glad that he will have plenty of practice
time to log laps around the 1.5-mile oval. "The
Archipelago/Motorola crew tested at Kansas, so we have some
data to work with," said Herta. "We should be in good shape
right off the truck. I'm glad the Kansas event is a three-day
weekend. That will help me because I haven't been there yet
and the more track time I can get the better."
Bike ride with Paul Tracy
Race fans and cycling enthusiasts will have the unique
opportunity this Saturday night, July 5, to ride with CART
Champ Car star driver Paul Tracy around Burke Lakefront
Airport's 2.106-mile course to celebrate the Champ Car World
Series points leader's 200th career race start. The event,
titled the "PT200" in honor of the 22-time race winner's 200th
start in a career that began in 1991, allows up to 200
cyclists to join Tracy in a one-lap tour of the track before
the U.S. Bank Presents The Cleveland Grand Prix later that
evening. Tracy, an avid cyclist who trains for Bridgestone
Presents The Champ Car World Series Powered by Ford events by
riding, will lead the pack around the lakefront airport
circuit from a CART Champ Car pace vehicle. The PT200 is open
to any and all cyclists over 13 years old but only the first
200 will make the cut by registering online at
email@example.com. All
participants will get a free ticket for Saturday night's race.
Detailed instructions will be sent to all confirmed
participants through a return email. On-site registration will
open at 5:00 p.m. on Saturday and the PT200 goes off at 7:15
HDNet confirmed for Road
America Officials from HDNet and CART Champ Car
announced today that television coverage of the Mario Andretti
Grand Prix at Road America Presented by Briggs & Stratton on
Sunday, August 3 will be shown exclusively in the United
States on HDNet. The broadcast will be the biggest undertaking
in the history of auto racing in the high definition format,
as 16 high definition cameras and two HD mobile units will be
spread throughout the 4.048-mile permanent road course to
capture all of the action in crystal clear quality. "It seems
fitting that one of the most challenging and picturesque
venues in motor racing will be broadcast in this fascinating
new format," said CART Champ Car president and CEO,
Christopher R. Pook. "The United States government has
mandated that all television networks will be required to
broadcast in high definition within the next few years, and I
am proud that our series is once again ahead of the curve as
it relates to the use of new technologies. I fully expect this
to be the best looking broadcast we will have this season."
HDNet will offer more than 12 hours of live and original
programming throughout the weekend at Road America, including
extensive coverage on both qualifying days on August 1 and 2,
in addition to all of the action on race day, August 3. The
broadcasts will be available through HDNet's cable & satellite
distributors, including DIRECTV, DISH network, Charter
Communications and other cable affiliates; and in addition -
by special arrangement with CART - on any other
high-definition cable and satellite distributors who wish to
make it available to their customers. The race will be
rebroadcast several times on HDNet throughout the month of
August. "HDNet is thrilled to bring the spectacular experience
of high definition to CART auto racing," said Mark Cuban,
co-founder and president of HDNet. "Thanks to the incredible
picture and sound quality, the television audience will feel
the excitement of every turn and every pit stop like they were
there. Once again, HDNet is leading the television industry in
applying HDTV to yet another sport." The opportunity to
provide television coverage via HDNet was made considerably
easier thanks to the fact that Road America officials had a
fiber optic "ring" installed around the legendary road course
a few years ago. The decision to broadcast the Mario Andretti
Grand Prix at Road America Presented by Briggs & Stratton on
HDNet resulted from the network's flexibility in scheduling in
connection with the event's removal from and subsequent
reinstatement to the 2003 Bridgestone Presents The Champ Car
World Series Powered by Ford schedule. While HDNet offered
Champ Car coverage last season for the Cleveland and Denver
events, using a combination of four high definition cameras
and conventional cameras to supplement the high definition
pictures, the Mario Andretti Grand Prix at Road America
Presented by Briggs & Stratton will be the first time that an
entire race broadcast will be done using high definition
cameras. Mario Andretti will serve as a co-host during the
broadcast, with play-by-play and commentary being provided by
the CART Champ Car International Broadcast team of Jeremy Shaw
and Stephen Cox.
CART weekly teleconference
This week's guests included Adrian Fernandez, driver of the
#51 Tecate/Quaker State/Telmex Ford/Cosworth/Lola/Bridgestone,
winner of the last race in Portland, and CART Toyota Atlantic
driver Ryan Dalziel.
Only one works Mercedes in F1
Mercedes boss Norbert Haug confirmed that the German car
manufacturer is prepared to supply a second team with Formula
1 engines, but only those used by McLaren will be known as
'Mercedes.' "We need to put all the effort behind it, to
supply an additional team, and that is the maximum," said Haug.
"Everything else would compromise our own efforts and we
cannot afford that. We were approached by more than one team
but we did not go into the details so far. This will happen
within, I would say, the next six weeks." According to Haug,
any team which might be supplied with engines, would have to
re-brand them, as only McLaren will run an official Mercedes
power unit.
What did Roger Penske really
mean?t UPDATE
Two more readers respond - Dear AR1, Regarding the "Revlon
duty" under Delaware law, there does appear to be a few
situations where it does not apply. From my somewhat limited
research, it appears that Revlon doesn't normally apply in a
stock-for-stock acquisition. I'm not sure if anybody in the
ranks of rumored potential buyers would be considering a stock
swap (News Corporation, Ltd. is publicly traded on the NYSE),
but I suppose that it is a possibility. Additionally, Revlon
typically only is held to apply when the company is up for
auction or when the sale is "inevitable." What the courts use
to determine inevitability of sale isn't generally defined,
but since CART does have operating funds to continue for
roughly the next 18 months the sale may not be considered
inevitable yet. There are also other methods of defense
against unfriendly takeovers under Delaware law. The two most
commonly cited defenses are the Unocal and Cheff defenses. In
general terms they appear to allow company directors to take
"reasonable" efforts to protect against a hostile takeover.
While "reasonable" is another legal grey area, one might think
that it is considered reasonable to allow CART to complete a
friendly buyout with a potential long-term business partner
(like Formula 1, or Rupert Murdoch) that would allow CART to
fulfill the obligations of it's numerous promotional and other
contracts, especially if the alternative would be sale to a
company or individual who only intends to break the company
up. Frankly, I'm not particularly worried about the
possibility of George buying CART just to shut it down.
There's nothing to indicate any particular interest on
George's part for doing so, and the potential for antitrust or
other legal claims from disgruntled shareholders (not to
mention defensive actions from the CART board) might be enough
to make him want to pass on it. Finally, keep in mind
that an outright sale isn't the only possible outcome of CARTs
enlisting Bear Stearns & Company. They are looking for
"strategic alternatives," which could include additional
investment from a new long-term partnership. While taking CART
private would probably be the best long-term option, there's
nothing to say that it would have to happen immediately if
other partnership and long-term business plan could be
developed that keeps CART financially viable. Kevin
McCarrin Another writes, "The Stockholders" are a
very real wild card in this process. Those individuals (hard
core fans and supporters like me) who own "respectable"
positions, not in the Vannini/Forsythe league mind you, could
be a real pain in the ass of a possible sale. It can be
assumed we will NOT support a sale that puts CART out of
business regardless of how rich the offer might be. It can
further be assumed we will side with Forsythe and Management.
Vannini will sell to the highest bidder, does not care about
CART's future any more than Tony does and generally can't be
trusted beyond is own personal interests. Which is perfectly
OK. He has always been up front about his motivations and
preferences. If someone offered him $8.00 per share he'd be
gone tomorrow and he wouldn't care if he was selling to
Penske, George, France or Bernie. In addition, "Stakeholder
Rights" has taken on a very new meaning and the courts, since
Enron et al, are inclined to support minority shareholders at
least to the point of slowing down the process so their
positions and concerns can be heard and considered. Add
this to the dynamic: The France Family. Deep, deep pockets.
Interests in road racing that are under performing as they
have no credibility in road racing. Tony George blustering
about making the IRL bigger than NASCAR. NASCAR's strong TV
relationships. Penske's out of ISC. What is to prevent the
France family, not ISC or NASCAR, from buying up as much MPH as they
can get their hands on under $4.00 per share. Buy
enough to insert themselves in the process and maybe buy CART
along WITH Bernie! Talk about "unification!" Can you say a
mass exodus of sponsor support from the IRL. Bernie/F1/CART
controls the road racing. NASCAR/ISC controls the oval racing.
The IRL is put to rest. The F1 race at Indy: GONE! NASCAR does
not assign a date to Indy. CART refuses to run the Indy 500.
Soon the France family is offering to buy IMS and the George
family will be powerless to stop it! The game is truly afoot!
JN Anderson, Chicago IL 7/1/03 - A reader writes, Dear AR1,
With regard to
Mark Cipolloni's latest article titled
What did Roger
Penske really mean?, I believe that shortly after assuming his
current position, Chris Pook approached Tony George about some sort or
unification and was clearly rebuffed. I'm not sure the board of
directors is compelled to accept the highest offer. They can accept a
lower offer if they feel it's in the best interest of the company.
Don't you think any buy out amount is likely to represent a loss to
most of the current shareholders? If they're going to lose most of
their investment anyway, why give in to TG? Do you remember
Mr. George's "I bring my hammer" statement. George Cappello,
Rockville Centre, New York Dear George, That was the
conventional wisdom until the Revlon lawsuit, whereby the
courts ruled that a Board of Directors must accept the highest
bid received, and literally nothing else. The shareholders
then vote on the board's recommendation and they can choose to
vote for another bid. Mark C.
Waltrip in hunt for Daytona
triple Entering the 45th annual Pepsi 400 on
Saturday, July 5, Michael Waltrip has a chance to put his name
next to racing legend Cale Yarborough in Daytona International
Speedway's record book. Waltrip has won the last two NASCAR
Winston Cup Series point events at the historic 2.5-mile
tri-oval - the 2002 Pepsi 400 and the 2003 Daytona 500. The
driver of the No. 15 NAPA Auto Parts Chevrolet will be gunning
for three-in-a-row at the "World Center of Racing" in the
exciting mid-summer classic under the lights on Saturday, July
5. The only driver who previously accomplished three straight
victories was Cale Yarborough, who won the 1967 Pepsi 400 and
the 1968 Daytona 500 and Pepsi 400. But Waltrip, who also
captured the 2001 Daytona 500, isn't getting caught up in the
hype about the record. He simply wants to win. "You don't
worry about stuff like that until it's done," Waltrip said.
"That's not what motivates you. What motivates you is to try
to beat everyone else. I never really thought about being a
two-time Daytona 500 champion. I was just there to win the
Daytona 500. Records are cool. When it's all said and done,
you look at your records. When you're in the middle of it,
you're driven to be the best and outrun everybody." With the
resources and knowledge that Dale Earnhardt Inc. possesses
about restrictor-plate racing at Daytona and Talladega
Superspeedway, Waltrip has an excellent shot of pulling off
the record win. Nobody in the garage spends more time on
restrictor-plate development than DEI. In the last 10
restrictor-plate races at Daytona and Talladega, DEI has won
eight with Waltrip delivering three of those victories.
Cleveland ticket sales We
quizzed the Cleveland GP folks about ticket sales for this
year's race. While they would not give us a number, they
did say the phones have been ringing off the hook this week
for people wanting to buy tickets. Mark C.
Compton to drive #4 at Daytona
Morgan-McClure Motorsports named Stacy Compton as the driver
of the #4 Kodak Pontiac for the upcoming Pepsi 400 at Daytona.
Compton, who currently races weekly in the Busch Series [#59
Kingford/Johnsonville Chevy], has 87 Winston Cup starts with
one top-10 and two pole positions to his credit. Both poles
were at Talladega Superspeedway in 2001. Compton will drive
the #4 Kodak Grand Prix featuring Disney's epic motion
picture, Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black
Pearl. The special "wrap" will be the first time a
Kodak-sponsored race car has featured a motion picture theme.
Stacy Compton quotes: "I am excited to get a chance to work
with Larry and Morgan-McClure Motorsports. Larry and I have
known each other for many years. I raced at Lonesome Pine
Speedway every weekend and would stop by their shop on the way
to the track. It is nice having a Virginia-based team paired
with a Virginia driver. Morgan-McClure is a good organization.
To have the opportunity to work with a sponsor the caliber of
Kodak is exciting also. The Pirates of the Caribbean car is
probably one of the coolest cars I have ever seen. It is sure
to be a big hit." Morgan-McClure Motorsports PR
NASCAR knows how to make
drivers heroes While some other racing series
have difficulties getting exposure for their stars, NASCAR can
even get its second tier series drivers in the media. Kyle
Busch, driver of the Busch Series No. 87 ditech.com Chevrolet,
and younger brother of Kurt Busch, is featured in the current
issue of ESPN The Magazine (July 7), on newsstands now. Writer
Hali Helfgott and Pulitzer Prize-nominated photographer Les
Stone followed the 18-year-old driver to document his Busch
Series debut at Lowe's Motor Speedway in May. The piece,
entitled "TOTAL ACCESS: TEST DRIVE," features nine full-color
pictures, including Busch brushing his teeth and decaling his
own race car.
Racy Racer This
Cleveland Plain Dealer
article on Danica Patrick was front page in the Sports
section of today's newspaper.
Sparks will fly in Cleveland
The 10-turn "Roar by the Shore" course is unique. It is the only
two-mile road circuit in the US where fans can view the entire track
from their grandstand seats. The addition of Musco Lighting to enable
the second night race on the 2003 Champ Car World Series schedule
represents the world's largest outdoor lighting project. The track
itself provides plenty of challenges. Just ask Adrian Fernandez. After
struggling with setup problems throughout the weekend last year,
Fernandez remarked that it was probably the worst race of his career.
The circuit is wide offering drivers a variety of lines as they
contend with the grip level afforded by the airport runways as well as
the bumpiness of the circuit itself. Fernández Racing Race Engineer
David Watson, who was not witness to the team's struggles last year at
Cleveland, notes that this is the least smooth race track the Champ
Cars run on all year: "Last year was a disaster, so we need to stay
focused on our gains so far this year. As usual, our hopes are high
and we are aiming for another podium position. Our starting setup will
be very similar to our final Portland setup with a few gear and ride
height changes to suit the Cleveland circuit. This is a special track
that really tests how good your shock package is. This is our first
night race here, so fans can look forward to entertaining sparks and
hot brake discs glowing in the dark!"
Champ Car On-Track Activities
Thursday, July 3
Practice 1:00 pm - 2:00 pm
Qualifying 4:30 pm - 5:30 pm
Practice 8:00 pm - 8:50 pm
Practice 9:40 pm - 10:30 pm
Friday, July 4
Practice 2:45 pm - 3:45 pm
Qualifying 8:20 pm - 9:20 pm*
Saturday, July 5
Warm Up 4:30 pm - 5:30 pm
Race 8:30 pm
*Broadcast Live on Speed Channel beginning at 8:00 pm ET.
Fernández Racing
Fans react bitterly to 'George has turned the IRL into
the little series that could' article Dear AutoRacing1.com, I
tried to write this to the editor of the Kansas City article, but
could not find an email address (The sports editor for the
Kansas City Star can be reached via email at
email@example.com). Let's see here. Tony George's IRL has
less attendance over an entire season and per race than the so claimed
"weak" CART series (and that includes the Indy 500, without that race
the difference is much greater). The TV ratings are now virtually
equal to the "weakened" CART ratings when they are both shown on
network stations, yet the IRL ratings are still behind what CART used
to draw on ABC only 2 years ago (not to mention anywhere close to what
CART drew before the IRL created the "split"). The IRL and George's
self-proclaimed "greatest spectacle" race, the Indy 500, no longer is
a sellout, is awash with controversy and claims of biased and unequal
officiating, continues to lose TV ratings year after year, and now
garners only half the TV rating it did before the IRL was created (4.8
rating this year, which is about the AVERAGE for one NASCAR race--- as
I said, they are the SELF-PROCLAIMED "greatest spectacle in racing").
Let's not mention that there is no sound fan base for this series.
Most of the people who do attend the IRL races are there because they
have to buy an IRL ticket if they want to go to the NASCAR race....it
would be interesting to see how many would actually show up if they
had to buy the IRL ticket by itself. And the people who are the true
fans of American open-wheel racing, HAVE been keeping up with "the
split." They generally have no respect for the "grandma could drive
high downforce, low powered racecars they use in that series. They
know that Mr. George has OVERHYPED his series. They have seen the
races and notice the inflated talk about this and that during the IRL
races that the casual observer wouldn't notice. They despise how he
has tried to destroy CART in the name of "saving?" open-wheel racing.
They all know it really is all about the spoiled little rich kid
wanting all the power and control. They know what he said was his
reason for creating the IRL in the beginning. They also know how those
"reasons" have all been thrown aside the first moment he could gain
control and power, and has now left him with the exact same thing he
despised and told the world was the reason he had to create the IRL.
In other words, a hypocrite hoping the casual observer will not
remember his claims of atrocity.
You journalists and casual observers may still buy into the hype. But
the people who are really suffering, the true hard-core fans, know the
truth. We WILL make the truth come out and we WILL remember the truth.
The funny thing is that George actually believes that if he destroys
CART, the CART (or true open-wheel racing fans) fans will support the
IRL. I, for one, at that point, will do everything in my power to make
sure the IRL fails. I will avoid any sponsor in that series and
anything even remotely resembling the IRL. I will trash the IRL to
anyone who asks me anything about open-wheel racing and any sponsor
involved in the IRL. Even if it means supporting NASCAR races, I will
do it if I see it as hurting the IRL. I will turn all attention to F1
(but you sure won't see me at an F1 race at Indy!- nor watching it on
TV!). How is that for the "big" support George has for the IRL? D.
Hughes--Jacksonville, Florida
Another writes, Look, most open wheel fans have gotten use to this
kind of shilling on the part of the media, especially local papers in
smaller markets just before "the big" IRL event. But the
characterizations and assertions put forth by Mr. Pedley amount to
nothing less than a total embarrassment for your publication. Was Mr.
Pedley pulled off of some other beat, like local restaurant and movie
reviews, to cover the IRL? Is this the first time Mr. Pedley has
written about motorsports? Mr. Pedley's article (advertisement) is
pure "media kit journalism" and true fans of the sport really resent
To assert the IRL has roared past CART to become the leading
form of open wheel motorsport in the U.S. is laughable and
ludicrous. Ask the IRL about PAID attendance, not the
thousands and thousands of tickets routinely given away by
Phillip Morris, Honda and Toyota. If your track happens to be
one of the ISC controlled facilities that
"bundles" (that is, FORCES NASCAR fans to buy IRL tickets that would
otherwise go unsold in order to get their precious Cup tickets) their
ticket sales, then go out to the race and ask those fans if they would
have actually bought tickets to the IRL race separately. You will
quickly learn from their answers that it is the IRL, not CART, that
faces a questionable future. But those of us who actually follow open
wheel motor racing could have expected this, given the number of times
Tony George's "vision" for the IRL has changed. J.N. Anderson,
Chicago, Illinois
Ralf Targets Back-To-Back Glory
McLaren To DC: Shape Up Or
Ship Out
Webber Courts Driving
Sleepless Nights For F1
DC Still Furious With
Tensions Ease Between BMW,
Schu Defends 'No Class'
Franck Feels The Pressure
Williams' Sympathy For Ron
Dixon Blazes Trail
Towards F1
Yoong Demands Cash From
Montoya: No Intention To
Jag Not Taking On 'Big
Boss: Watch Out When
Juan's About
Bright.net named internet service
provider for Cleveland GP
CART Champ Cars are not the only thing running fast at this year's
U.S. Bank Presents the Cleveland Grand Prix. As the "Official Internet
Service Provider," Bright.net Internet Providers will be setting up
Cleveland's first public Internet HotSpots at the event, July 3-5.
Race fans can bring their PDA's and Wi-Fi enabled devices and any
other wireless computing apparatus for high-speed connectivity at the
Grand Prix. A number of Bright.net HotSpots will be positioned around
Burke Lakefront Airport offering spectators the ability to access the
Internet or send a video e-mail to a friend. This is a free service
while at the event. "Public Access Wireless Access (HotSpots) is the
next big advancement in Internet technology," said John Clarke,
general manager of Bright.net. "In the near future, Bright.net plans
to deploy Public HotSpots in the Cleveland and Akron areas. We're
excited to showcase this technology in a fast-paced, public setting
for the first time at the premier summer event in the City, the
Cleveland Grand Prix."
Bobby Allison to be featured
Former NASCAR great Bobby Allison is going to be featured on Celebrity
Wings on the The Discovery Wings Channel tonight at 8:00 EDT.
Road Atlanta garners 1.0 overnight
The American LeMans Series race scored a semi-respectable 1.0
overnight rating on CBS from 4:00 - 6:00 p.m. on Sunday, according to
Nielsen Media Research. We have long maintained that any
respectable race series will garner a 1.0 +/- on network TV and ALMS
is not different. Ditto for CART, IRL, F1 and Trans-Am.
The only series that commands higher ratings in the USA is NASCAR.
CART Stock Watch
MPH closed at $2.50 Up $0.01 on HUGE Volume of 441,100 shares.
Multiple trades in excess of 5,000 shares during the final 30 minutes
of session. Is the game afoot?
$1.87 Bid - $2.82 Ask on close.
Session Low/High $2.40/$2.51
MPH Value Change Up 0.40%
DOW Jones Down 3.61 or 0.04% on Volume of 2.28 billion shares.
NASDAQ Down 2.46 or 0.15%
S&P 500 Down 1.72 or 0.18%
Courtesy of C3I.AndersonGroupe - Chicago
Canadian Triple Crown announced
The three Canadian Molson Indy CART Champ Car Barber Dodge Pro
Series races - Toronto, July 13; Vancouver, July 27; and
Montreal, August 24 - mark the debut of an all-new racing
scholarship, thanks to Dodge Canada and its dealer body. The
Dodge Trans-Canada Challenge is a championship within a
championship, one that rewards the three drivers who perform
best in the three Molson Indy Barber Dodge races.
George has turned the IRL into
the little series that could
This Kansas City Star
article It would be hard for Brian Barnhart to forget
the shots that were taken at Indy Racing League founder Tony
George a decade ago. That might be because Barnhart, IRL
senior vice president for operations, has a good memory -- or
it might be because the words were so appalling. Without
getting into the obscene specifics, Barnhart just said, "Those
attacks were unfounded, untrue and extremely unfair." As it
turns out, they weren't prophetic. IRL senior vice president
for operations in the IRL, might well have included
"prophetic." That's because George's baby, the object of scorn
and derision 10 years ago, has become the premier open-wheel
racing series in North America. It has roared past the rival
CART series. And now, it has nothing less than that 900-pound
gorilla of auto racing -- NASCAR -- in its sights.....He told
those associated with the Championship Auto Racing Teams
series, which was then the premier North American open-wheel
series, that he didn't like the way they were doing things. He
told them they could either join him -- or not. People
freaked. George, whose family had owned the speedway since
buying it from World War I flying ace Eddie Rickenbacker in
1945, was accused of ruining open-wheel racing in this country
for his personal gain. The accusations were liberally spiked
with adjectives. Aside from a few CART people who shared
George's views and joined the IRL when it took to the track in
1995 -- people such as A.J. Foyt, Eddie Cheever Jr., Ron
Hemelgarn and Arie Luyendyk -- those who remained on the CART
side ridiculed George and insisted his series would die a
quick death. Much of the ill feeling towards George and his
series persist today. It persists among competitors: "The
attitude that you had when you were in CART was you couldn't
like the IRL," said driver Scott Dixon, who moved this year
from CART to IRL. And it persists among fans: "CART's
management may have contributed to the animosity," said
longtime open-wheel enthusiast Bill Kuhlmann of Independence.
"But it was George, encouraged by people like A.J. Foyt, a
notorious CART hater, who actually tore things
apart.".....George said that catching NASCAR is indeed the
IRL's goal. The viability of George's goal has its skeptics.
"Not going to happen," said Robby Gordon, an occasional IRL
driver whose current day job is with Richard Childress'
Winston Cup team. "It's the cars, the people, the races (in
Winston Cup). People relate to these cars. Maybe in 25 years
it could happen, but not for the next 15 or 20 years." Jeff
Gordon said that's about right. "We're driving cars that maybe
people can relate to," he said. "Even though they're not real
street cars. And I think our sponsors market the sport
extremely well. I think our drivers...I think our fans can
maybe just relate to them a little bit more than they can in
other sports." Robby Gordon said: "The IRL is getting better,
but it's still not back to where it was (before the split with
CART)." He thinks he knows why NASCAR has gotten as popular as
it has. And George thinks he can do it with the IRL. "I think
they've built such a critical mass that it's taken on its own
momentum and life of its own," George said. "We're trying to
build that critical mass ourselves, and it's taken some time,
but I think we're underway now." Some of the pieces to reach
critical mass are already in place, he said. Foremost among
them is the show. "We have been fortunate the last two or
three years to have really good, close, competitive on-track
competition providing a lot of exciting finishes," George
said. "Just managing that and ensuring that we have a product
that people want is what we're trying to do."....George said
the existence of two series has created confusion among fans
about which series is which. "It would improve chances (of catching
NASCAR) quicker if there wasn't that confusion," he said. To reduce
the number of open-wheel series from two to one, one of two things
must happen. The two must unite, or one must die. Penske is hoping for the former. "I think there will
be some rational combination of the two that will take place,"
Penske said George thinks that may no longer be possible,
which leads to the latter option. CART appears to be ill --
perhaps terminally ill. Robby Gordon believes that there is
something the IRL could do to hasten CART's demise: add a
couple of road races to the schedule. He said that would help
attract road-race fans and some drivers who have been hesitant
about making the IRL their destination series. George
continues to say "maybe" to road racing.
Scott Dixon to get F1 test According
to this Auckland, New Zealand
article, Scott Dixon, will know in the next eight
weeks what Formula One test drives have been organised for
him. The manager of Scott Dixon Motorsport New Zealand, Peter
Johnston, said from Auckland there were two or three options,
and ideally they would be with high profile teams. Johnston
said yesterday that Dixon's Las Vegas-based personal manager
Stefan Johansson, himself a former Formula One racer, was in
Europe negotiating with the teams. The tests, probably in
Europe, would happen once Dixon's Indy Racing League
commitments ended on October 12. They might even involve
glamour teams Ferrari and McLaren with Johansson, a Swede,
well connected. He drove for them in a 79-race Formula One
career between 1980 and 1991. The scenario looked promising,
Johnston said, with Dixon's second successive win on Sunday in
the IRL at Richmond, Virginia, and his third of the season to
take him within 27 points of the overall leader.
Fittipaldi to make night race
Preparing for his third start at NASCAR's most prestigious
track, Christian Fittipaldi, driver of the #44 Bugles Dodge,
heads to the 2.5-mile Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway
this week for Saturday night's Daytona 400. The summer classic
will be the second Winston Cup start for Fittipaldi at the
famed oval but his first under the lights at any stock car
track. In February Fittipaldi raced the Daytona 500 in a car
prepared by Andy Petree Racing. He also raced the ARCA race
during Speed Weeks in a Petty Enterprises-built Dodge.
Fittipaldi, who normally drives the #43 Cheerios/Betty Crocker
Dodge, will step into the #44 Bugles Dodge for this event. It
is the first of three 2003 races for Fittipaldi under the
Bugles colors, other events planned at Talladega, Ala., and
Concord, N.C. He will also drive a New York Yankees car in
August at Watkins Glen, N.Y.
Boris Said qualifies for
Budweiser Shootout
Boris Said's first career Bud Pole Award on the road course at
Sonoma, Calif., earned him his first career berth in the
Budweiser Shootout at Daytona International Speedway in
February, 2004. Said, a road course veteran filling in for the
injured Jerry Nadeau in the No. 01 U. S. Army Pontiac Grand
Prix, won his first pole at the Winston Cup level in
record-breaking fashion as he turned a lap of 76.522 seconds
at an average speed of 93.620 mph. After his fast lap, Said
was already looking forward to the Budweiser Shootout. "If I
can get the pole and show up at Daytona in February, that'd be
a great vacation for me in the winter," Said said. Said's
first appearance in the Budweiser Shootout would also be his
first race in a stock car on the high banks of Daytona
International Speedway. He has competed in the past at the
historic track in the sports car ranks. The Budweiser
Shootout, a non-points race that will serve as the kickoff to
the 2004 season, will be held under the lights Saturday night,
Feb 7 as a part of Speedweeks 2004. Said becomes the 19th
driver to qualify for the Budweiser Shootout. Drivers that
have already secured spots by winning poles this season
include Jeff Green, Dave Blaney, Bobby Labonte, Ryan Newman,
Elliott Sadler, Jeremy Mayfield, Jeff Gordon, Terry Labonte,
Steve Park and Jimmie Johnson. Past winners already in the
field are Dale Earnhardt Jr., Tony Stewart, Mark Martin, Rusty
Wallace, Ken Schrader, Bill Elliott, Dale Jarrett and Geoffrey
Bodine. The 2004 Budweiser Shootout field now stands at 19
drivers. The record for most cars appearing in the Budweiser
Shootout was set in 2002 with 22 drivers.
It's all about heroes
It's not about the car, or the team in motorsports. In the end
it is all about the human aspect - the drivers, the heroes of the
fans. We have stated that on numerous occasions.
This NY Times
article talks about Germany's big influence on F1, but in the
end, above this German influence stands Schumacher. "People don't
relate so much to a car, or brand," said Ove Andersson, head of the
Toyota team. "The important thing is the human aspect, the hero. And
in Germany you have the Mercedes Silver Arrows and all that, but in
the end Schumacher is the driving force behind the popularity." Sauber
estimated that fans were about 90 percent interested in Schumacher, 10
percent in the car. NASCAR has learned this secret and the sport
has grown in leaps and bounds. Their drivers are featured in all
their sponsors TV commercials. The drivers have become household
names. Coca Cola has an ad now when you sit and watch a movie in
the theater. NASCAR drivers are everywhere - print ads, TV ads,
movies, weekly NASCAR talk shows, etc. Meanwhile, CART's drivers
remain invisible to the general public - few print ads, no TV ads, no
movie ads, no talk shows. Chris Pook can do all he can to try to
grow the big city races, but CART is nowhere if its drivers are not
heroes. This holds for any sport, and any form of racing.
Related AR1 article
Do heroes make
a sport, or does a sport make heroes
Yoong says he has no ties to Minardi
Malaysian woes, Stoddart owes him money In response to
the June 29, 2003 Reuters report in regard to an interview with
Minardi boss Paul Stoddart at the Nurburgring, Malaysia's 2002 Minardi
driver, Alex Yoong refuted his former boss' allegation that the
$300,000 driving fees for 2002 with the Faenza based squad is directly
linked to the Malaysian sponsors of the team.
"The driving fees are not linked to the Malaysian sponsors in anyway.
The contract does state that my drive is dependent on Malaysian
sponsors coming in support with Minardi for 2002 and once I started
driving for Minardi, the fees for my employment were due in accordance
to the schedule in the contract." said Yoong.
"As for the assignment offer of debts owed by Malaysian sponsors to
Minardi, Paul (Stoddart) did make the offer in February this year in
Kuala Lumpur when he was en route to Melbourne, but it was in respect
of only one company against which legal actions have been commenced by
Minardi. He told me in the presence of my father that it's no point
suing as the team is unlikely to make it past Brazil (round 3) and we
are unlikely to get any payment if the team collapses. He suggested
that there's a better chance if we assisted Minardi to collect from a
Malaysian sponsor on whom legal actions have been started by Minardi
to recover some $400,000."
"However, we do not know nor have ever met any of the key
personalities of this Malaysian sponsor whom Minardi have taken legal
action upon but we are of course interested to consider any better
alternative that has a better chance of recovering the money owed to
me by Minardi."
"Furthermore, we are not aware of any other Malaysian sponsors who
still owe any money to Minardi from the 2002 season other than this
sponsor, which Paul had said legal actions have commenced against. As
for the other Malaysian sponsors who were with Minardi in 2002 we've
met their management but we have no contracts whatsoever with any of
them as all communications and subsequent contracts with these
sponsors were done by Minardi directly with them without any
involvement or input by me or my management."
"I definitely would not have done the deal with Minardi to drive in
2002 if not for the contracted fees as these fees were needed badly to
pay part of the huge debt I've incurred during the racing years prior
to this. What's the point of driving in Formula 1 if it means
incurring more debts that I cannot repay?"
"The financial situation of Minardi had changed after Canada when
Minardi found new sponsors and new investors. It is only fair and an
honorable thing to do if Minardi pay me the balance of my fees
amounting to $200,000 immediately. This amount had never been disputed
by Minardi through our many written reminders and monthly statements
of accounts sent to Minardi, and it has been outstanding for more than
half a year now." explained Yoong.
Montoya Hits Back At Ferrari
GPWC Saga 'Going Nowhere'?
Coulthard To Be Retained
Stoddart Calls On Yoong's
Williams Defend Racy Ralf
Thumbs-Up To Schu's Heroes
'Iceman' Kimi Shrugs Off
Alonso Refuses To Accept
McLaren Will Honor Testing
Michelin Claim Supremacy
Webber's 10-Day Marathon
Shaken Coulthard Slams
McLaren Start Work On
Ferrari's Worst Race
Tempers Flare Over Schu
Ralf Takes Revenge On
McLaren May Not Race New
Why are Americans slower? UPDATE
Feedback on this topic, Dear AR1, I've been working on both sides for
a while and there are two additional items: European teams seem a
little more focused on driver coaching throughout the junior ranks...I
am not saying that American teams don't care or try to help their
young drivers develop but the European teams almost always have a
driver coach on payroll and the US teams rarely do. I also believe the
competition is equal near the top in both Europe and the US...it just
runs deeper into the grid both in drivers and operations in Europe and
the UK, so you learn a lot whether you're running 3rd or 23rd.
Donnie Graves Another writes, I enjoy your site very
much. I must take exception to your comments regarding the Toyota
Atlantic Series. As a former driver and now team owner I believe the
series provides drivers a good foundation to work from to move up to
more powerful Champ Cars. Most of us owners agree we need to make some
minor modifications to the future engine/chassis combination to
provide a closer transition to the Champ Cars but that can be
addressed by a little more horsepower and a little less tire. As far
as the chassis is concerned the Dallara chassis has proven to be a
competitive chassis at a cost efficient price. For the engine, most of
us that have been in the series for years realize the series would not
be what it is were it not for the support of Toyota. That association
has been very successful and we would like to continue it in the
future. Toyota could provide a motor in the 350 horsepower range and
run 1500 miles between rebuilds and still keep the package light and
agile. With less tire and more horsepower this would provide a car
more difficult to drive, and keep costs within reason, and keep the
"identity" of a series that has a deep and rich history. John
Brooks, Brooks Associates Racing Dear John, CART needs some
crossover between F3000 Europe and F3000 USA. When American drivers
win the CART F3000 championship, it will mean something....i.e. it
will mean they won a F3000 championship - the whole world will
recognize it for what it is. Right now we have nothing to gauge our
drivers against, and the Europeans keep coming over and cleaning our
clocks while young Americans get their butts kicked in Europe. As long
as the USA has a unique series we will never get a measure on how the
young Americans are doing or how good they are. Why do we have to be
different than Japan, Europe and South America? What makes the USA so
special? If CART uses the identical chassis to F3000, then economies
of scale will mean less cost for F3000 Europe and F3000 USA. Perhaps
the Atlantic teams should become Junior teams of the Champ Car teams.
In NASCAR, many Cup team owners field Busch and Truck teams. It would
be good if CART could get the Atlantic teams to pick a Champ Car team
and do some sort of business deal whereby they were either owned by a
Champ Car team, or be called their "Junior" team. This would allow the
elimination of redundant staff, consolidation of race shops and the
flow of personnel and engineering knowledge. Overall costs would be
reduced and Champ Car teams would have an official minor league
team......like other professional sports. Then you can afford the
proper cars and engines for Atlantics. It will be unfortunate if CART
locks into its own formula again for 2005 and beyond when it's
changing both chassis and engine in 2005. What's
shocking is that if the rumors of Bernie Ecclestone getting involved
in CART are true, that he would even entertain anything other than a
F3000 formula. Perhaps the rumors are false. Mark C.
6/28/03 -
A reader writes, Dear AR1, I have a British friend who called me today,
and we were chatting and he commented on how Americans that go to
Europe can't seem to win anything. I was not able to argue with him.
In every single case, the American driver is behind their teammate. In
F3000 they are all more than half a second behind, with the exception
of Giebler who is only about a tenth off. I just don't get it.
Scott Morris, Orlando, FL Dear Scott, This has been the
topic of much discussion recently. The Americans are at a
disadvantage in Europe the first year because they are not familiar
with the circuits or the cars. It's no secret that the Toyota
Atlantic series needs to be converted to 100% F3000 spec machines,
which have the proper HP to weight to tire contact patch area to
really challenge a driver and teach them how to drive a car with low
downforce that is a bit overpowered for the tires. We need to give our
kids the right tools with which to learn with. Unfortunately, we
hear CART and Toyota have, as of yet, not been able to come to an
agreement to supply engines that are pretty much identical to the
Zytec engines used in F3000. It's possible CART will have to
contract with Zytec to supply the engines and sell the badging rights
to another passenger car company. That would be too bad because
Toyota has been good for the series, however, if CART locks itself
into another car that is not 100% F3000 spec, then young European and
South American drivers will continue to clean Americans clocks.
For direct comparison and training purposes, CART's ladder system
needs to be perfectly in step with the rest of the world, however,
CART is so desperate to keep Toyota in the series, we are afraid they
will bow to whatever Toyota wants and once again not do what is right.
The cost of the engine and new cars is also an issue. CART must
keep it affordable for the teams. Mark C.
Full throttle lawyering
This Daytona
Beach Journal article is an
update on the Ferko vs. NASCAR antitrust lawsuit. It
will be interesting to see if others such as CART or ALMS join in on
this lawsuit.
Not everyone is against Toyota
moving to NASCAR
A reader responds, Dear AR1, I agree partly with you on Toyota in
racing as far as they do belong in NASCAR after all which is more
American, a Dodge made in Canada like the Intrepid or a Camry made in
the states. On the other hand they are not what I would call
world beaters. They spent 160 million to win LeMans in 96,97,
and 98 and never won. After three years in F-1 I believe they
have 3 points this year. Not what I would call unstoppable!
Doug Ferguson, West Palm Beach FL Dear Doug, but the point we
made was Toyota versus American car companies, and in that case their
performance in F1 and at LeMans is probably better than what an
American company could do today. Mark C.
6/29/03 - Many
people in the NASCAR paddock are complaining about Toyota
moving into Winston Cup in a couple of years, some against it
because they are not "American," others concerned about the
amount of money they will spend to win. However, we
don't share that view. Most Toyota passenger cars are
built in the USA and when it comes to beating the USA-owned
companies, they are doing it both on and off the track.
Their street cars are simply better from a quality standpoint,
and we have seen them go to IMSA and win, go to CART and win
(though not before a couple of years of fielding 1-lap hand
grenades) and now this year where they are totally dominating
in the IRL on both small ovals and Superspeedways. Last night's
1-2-3 finish on the Richmond bullring proves their engines not
only put out a lot of HP at places like Indy, they also have
plenty of pulling power off the slow corners. There is a
reason why the company is so profitable - they simply spend
whatever it takes, both on and of the track, to get it right,
knowing in the end it will pay off. And who can blame them for
that? This is opposite the American car companies who
are run by bean counters looking to cut corners wherever they
can to bring the cheapest product possible to market.
Mark C.
Will Langhorne Nurburgring report
The Nurburgring race was
race number two for me and day four in an F3000 car. It was not the
result that I was looking for, but we made improvements throughout the
weekend and I feel confident for the next event at Magny-Cours. After
stalling the car at the start I was on pace with the mid-pack runners
and the improvements that the BCN Team did to the car for the race
helped tremendously. As the race wore on I got comfortable in the car.
I have treated these races as testing and have made progress in each
session. The changes planned for Magny-Cours are an additional step to
make the car fit my driving style. Therefore, we should be more
competitive at the Magny-Cours. The BCN F3000 Team did an excellent
job in car preparation and I continue to be impressed with the
dedication and professionalism of the team and their intense desire to
win. On a different note, I spotted Tommy Kendall in the paddock at
the Nurburgring and believe F3000 could use his brand of sarcasm and
Americans at Nurburgring
(L to R) Bell is out but is 4th on
his board 2. Phil Giebler is hanging tough 3. Bell runs
4th 4. Derek Hill had a good weekend 5. Hill talks to team
owner David Sears 6. Townsend Bell on grid
- Giebler's roller coaster weekend
Often in car racing a driver
has a better car and more talent than the results show on a particular
day. On rare occasion a driver is able to show better than the car
would like to allow. Phil Gieber had much of both this weekend at
Germany's Nurburgring. Giebler in just his fourth time in the car,
first time on the circuit and very first day ever driving an F3000 car
in the rain, managed to stay in the top spot on the board for all but
forty-five seconds (where he ran in third) in Friday morning's
practice session. He and teammate Nicolas Kiesa maintained fourth and
fifth spots in qualifying up until the final four minutes when cars
began coming in for their last set of new tires. Both drivers were
rolling out on new rubber when the yellow came out for the balance of
the session making it impossible for them to make their last run at
speed. They dropped to tenth and eleventh, a tenth of a second apart.
Saturday ended up according to Phil to be: "The hardest race of my
entire career. It was just one of those days that happens. I had
clutch problems from the second I rolled off the grid requiring me to
tiptoe in order to not stall the car, my battery died on the grid,
requiring a swap seconds before the start, having to roll off at a
slow pace resulted in Tony Schmidt running into the back of me on the
start and knocking out the lower half of my rear wing. So there I was
sliding through the high speed turns with too little down force and I
discover a major gearbox problem that cost me a half second (combined)
on the straights...effectively not having use of my top gear. I picked
up a major vibration that transferred into my recently injured
shoulder making turning the car a nightmare...I have never been so
happy to see a green flag in my life. I love driving in this series
and for the Den Bla Avis team. All things considered, I am happy with
a ninth place finish and I stayed in a points paying position until
two laps from the end. David Sears' teams did a fantastic job today in
picking up the win, third, fifth and ninth and I am proud of my
teammates. I want to thank Dr. Martens & Beverly Hills Motorsport.com
for their help." The team was impressed with the fact that Phil
managed to bring the car home despite all of his problems. Phil had
clutch problems and a battery go down on the grid, and it's never the
best thing mentally for a driver to have problems right before the
start," said team manager Paul Jackson. "He also had gearbox problems
during the race which made it very difficult for him, but, despite his
ninth position, I have to say he drove an excellent race, bringing
home a car that was obviously very difficult to drive. Phil improves
every time he's in the car and his efforts in yesterday's practice
session were near miraculous"
Schumacher calls it a racing accident
Michael Schumacher refused
to blame Juan Pablo Montoya for their collision during the European
Grand Prix here. Five-time world champion Schumacher spun off into the
gravel on lap 43 of the 60-lap race after Montoya pulled off an
ambitious overtaking move in his Williams on the outside of turn 1.
"It was a pure racing incident," said Schumacher. "I'd have done
exactly the same thing. That's what I told the stewards and we had a
look at it. Maybe he could have given me a little more space and it
would have been nicer but I'm not complaining. In an ideal world I
would have liked more points and a better result but I have a bigger
lead in the championship now so I'm not complaining. It was a good
Ferrari slams Montoya, Montoya slams
A reader writes, Dear AR1, Ross Brawn comments about Montoya's driving
tactics during today's European Grand Prix goes to show that the
Ferrari "BOYS" only like it when they have drivers like "RALF" that
won't even try to challenge "MICHAEL". Also, Mr. Brawn should not be
crying like a little baby as I'm sure he forgets what Michael does to
other drivers. Does he needs to be reminded of what he did to
Jacques Villeneuve in Jerez, Spain in 99 or to Damon Hill in
Australia. Too bad the great Ayrton Senna is not with us anymore
or he would be having a say on this comment from Mr. Brawn. Juan Pablo
Montoya has "GUTS" and has not been, and never will be, intimidated by
Michael! Jorge Custodio, Fontana, CA. 6/29/03
- Ferrari
slammed Juan Pablo Montoya for the "mad" behavior which they felt cost
world champion Michael Schumacher second place in the European Grand
Prix. The world champion was in second place behind his brother
and race winner Ralf at the Nurburgring when Montoya tried to overtake
him on the outside. Schumacher slid up into Montoya and
haplessly spun off, while Montoya did a masterful job of keeping
control of his car even though Schumacher hit him. Technical
director Ross Brawn called the Colombian's style of driving "crude"
and said he had been responsible for several crashes. "It was mad of
Montoya. He could have taken both of them off the circuit," said
Brawn. It was a very crude overtaking move and he has done it
several times before." "He is not a classy driver in that
respect." Schumacher was left spinning in the gravel trap
anxiously waving for help from the marshals to push him out.
Schumacher kept his engine running and was able to restart.
Montoya felt Michael Schumacher was responsible for the incident when
the German spun off. He said: "I don't know what was wrong with
Michael but in the corner he was very slow. I went down the hairpin
and I went outside and we touched. I gave him plenty of room but
I wasn't going to give him all the track." Fans like Montoya
because he is aggressive and while the other drivers follow Schumacher
like sheep, Montoya isn't intimidated by Schumacher in any way and has
passed him on a number of occasions.
Kurt Busch takes in F1 race
A new face
in the Formula One paddock this weekend has been NASCAR Winston Cup
racer Kurt Busch. The 22-year-old is fanatical about single
seaters in general and Formula One racing in particular, and is tipped
by yardstick Jeff Gordon as being NASCAR's next big star. Busch
tested a CART Champ Car for team Rahal earlier this year and said he
has been interested in F1 since following Nigel Mansell when he went
to CART in 1993. Visiting Europe on a rare off week for NASCAR, Busch
said of F1, "It is just surreal." "I always try to catch it on
TV and I'd love to do a test if it was possible," Busch said. "But I
am an oval racer and I am committed to NASCAR until at least 2006."
DC Baffled By Sluggish Pace
Panis And Da Matta To Stay
Toyota Door Slams On
Charlie's 'Double Cone'
McLaren Criticize
Minardi To Sue Malaysians
Frentzen Boosts Nick
Stewart Predicts
Belgium Will Return, Says
Kimi Makes Up For
Gascoyne In
Renault-Toyota Swap
Hornish to decide future in August
The Indy Star reports that Sam Hornish has stated he will make his
decision as to his future in the IRL or NASCAR in the month of August.
Most are betting he will stay in the IRL because Tony George doesn't
want to lose him and will do what it takes to keep him in open wheel
cars. Speculation is that if Gil de Ferran were to retire, Team
Penske might pick him up.
Hot News Archives
e-mail us:
Back to the top
AutoRacing1 is an independent internet online publication and is not affiliated with, sponsored by, or endorsed by CART Inc., NASCAR, FIA, FedEx, Winston, or any other series sponsor. This material may not be published, broadcast, or redistributed without permission.
User agreement & disclaimer
Copyright 1999 - 2001, AutoRacing1, Inc., Hamilton, NJ
Watch CART, F1, NASCAR, ALMS & more on
Our Price: $29.99
Order Now
Free Installation