2016 Verizon IndyCar SeriesOpen Wheel

[Blake]

The moment I best seem to remember was watching the highlights of when Alessandro (otherwise Alex) Zanardi pulled off that incredible pass on the Laguna Seca corkscrew to win the race.

He so should have been penalised for that. “Hmm, I’ll cut the corner and win the race!” 💡

 

[JohnBM01]

Here's one more discussion question I'd like to ask you all on the IndyCar Series:

The IndyCar Series recently ended its 2007 season at Chicagoland. Do you think the IndyCar Series ended too early? I know they wanted to try to get the deal complete in time for football season, but do you think the series could have lasted longer this year rather than get the racing done before [NFL] football season?

What do you think?

 

[VNAF Ace]

2007 Australia GP Starting Lineup
The 2007 Australia GP airs tonight at 11:30 PM EDT on ESPN Classic! And for those of you who don't have ESPN Classic, the race we re-air tomorrow at 6:00 PM EDT on ESPN2. Please refrain from talking about the race results until Sunday night at 8:00 PM EDT so you don't spoil it for your fellow race fans.

 

[VNAF Ace]

2007 Australia GP Race Results
Congratulations to Sebastien Bourdais for winning the 2007 Australia GP and his fourth consecutive Champ Car World Series Championship. He becomes the first driver to win four consecutive Champ Car World Series titles.

Sorry for posting the results a week late. I had two midterms last week.

 

[VNAF Ace]

2007 Mexico GP Starting Lineup
The 2007 Mexico GP airs tomorrow at 2:00 PM EST on ESPN2!

 

[VNAF Ace]

2007 Mexico GP Race Results
Congratulations to Sebastien Bourdais for winning the 2007 Mexico GP.

 

[VNAF Ace]

CHAMP CAR: Tracy to Stay with Forsythe
Written by: Robin Miller
Indianapolis, Ind. – 1/7/2008

Paul Tracy and Gerry Forsythe have agreed to stay the course, stay together and stay in Champ Car – at least for 2008.

During the past few weeks, Tracy had been talking indirectly with Tony George about coming to the Indy Racing League because he believed his ride at Forsythe Racing was in serious jeopardy.

The 39-year-old Canadian said he received an email from Forsythe Racing vice president Neil Mickelwright several weeks ago informing him that his contract had to be renegotiated or he would be terminated. That missive had to come from either Forsythe or new partner Dan Pettit and Tracy flew to Chicago to meet Forsythe the day after Christmas.

“I went into that meeting expecting the worst, that Gerry was going to low-ball me and I would be forced to leave, but Gerry never mentioned my contract situation,” said Tracy, who signed a five-year contract in 2006 thought to be in the neighborhood of $13 million. “It was a very good meeting, we cleared the air on some things and we’re both committed to trying to win another championship.”

The 2003 CART champion only has one win in the past two years and his team has gone through massive personnel changes trying to find the right chemistry.

“When I first joined this team, Gerry gave me everything I needed and I asked for and we won the title,” continued Tracy, who suffered a broken back last season at Long Beach and missed two races. “Since then, it’s gone downhill and I don’t feel like I’ve had any input. It’s no secret than Neil and I haven’t been on the same page.”

Veteran Tom Brown became Tracy’s engineer near the end of ’07 and they seemed to click. Kenny Siwieck, an 18-year employee at Newman/Haas/Lanigan, has been brought on board to manage Tracy’s team.

“I’ve got a lot of confidence in Kenny and Tom,” said Tracy, who owns 31 career victories. “And Gerry made it clear he’s serious about winning so I’m looking forward to this season.”

George had some informal dialogue with a third party about the availability of Tracy but nothing ever materialized in the form of an offer.

http://www.speedtv.com/articles/auto/champcar/42301/

Thank god Forsythe didn't fire Tracy. That could've destroyed what's left Champ Car. I just hope Forsythe and the rest of the series owners get their act together this year.

 

[CAMikaze]

Anything as to what the schedules for both series will be for this year?

 

[VNAF Ace]

I already posted this year's schedules on the 1st page.

 

[RACECAR]

This has somewhat a little to do with Champ car:



One interesting thing I found in this video: At 00:54 and again at 5:43, there is a 2002 Corvette C5R sponsored by Champ Car. WTF?

 

[V1P3R]

They're desperate?

 

[VNAF Ace]

Champ Car is dying. Look at their pathetic TV schedule. If this is the best Champ Car can do, then the owners mind as well sell the series to the Indy Racing League (which runs the IndyCar Series) while they still have something to offer. There's absolutely no point for Champ Car to prolong the split if they aren't willing to fight to win.

 

[RACECAR]

Champ Car is dying. Look at their pathetic TV schedule. If this is the best Champ Car can do, then the owners mind as well sell the series to the Indy Racing League (which runs the IndyCar Series) while they still have something to offer. There's absolutely no point for Champ Car to prolong the split if they aren't willing to fight to win.

Hehe, thats if the IRL can afford Champ Car seeing as from what I hear, They aren't doing too well either. As for the schedule, JUst great. I had enough of ABC's idiot commentary with Nascar and Indyand now Champ Car. You know your series is starting to suck when its only on ESPN and ABC.

 

[VNAF Ace]

The IRL is doing way better than CC now. Let's compare...

Schedules: The IRL offers race fans mix of oval/road/street races in a nice compact schedule. CC no longer offers race fans oval racing. And CC still hasn't learned that 1 race a month is bad.

TV packages: ESPN pays the IRL for live race coverage on HDTV. CC pays ESPN for tape-delayed races and 1 hour highlight shows. CC can't even afford to broadcast its races in HD.

Sponsors: Look at what is on the IndyCars and then look at what is on the Champ Cars. The IRL's sponsors (such as Honda, Firestone, GoDaddy) still air commercials featuring the cars and drivers. CC's sponsors don't air commercials period.

Manufacturer support: The IRL still has Honda. CC lost Ford last year.

Drivers: The IRL understands the importance of driver continuity. CC doesn't.

Pay: IRL teams and drivers make much more than CC teams and drivers.

I actually wanted CC to defeat the IRL, but they're not going to survive, let alone, defeat the IRL if this the best they can do. There's absolutely no point in prolonging the split if CC isn't willing to do what it takes to win.

 

[RACECAR]

The IRL is doing way better than CC now. Let's compare...

Schedules: The IRL offers race fans mix of oval/road/street races in a nice compact schedule. CC no longer offers race fans oval racing. And CC still hasn't learned that 1 race a month is bad.

TV packages: ESPN pays the IRL for live race coverage on HDTV. CC pays ESPN for tape-delayed races and 1 hour highlight shows. CC can't even afford to broadcast its races in HD.

Sponsors: Look at what is on the IndyCars and then look at what is on the Champ Cars. The IRL's sponsors (such as Honda, Firestone, GoDaddy) still air commercials featuring the cars and drivers. CC's sponsors don't air commercials period.

Manufacturer support: The IRL still has Honda. CC lost Ford last year.

Drivers: The IRL understands the importance of driver continuity. CC doesn't.

Pay: IRL teams and drivers make much more than CC teams and drivers.

I actually wanted CC to defeat the IRL, but they're not going to survive, let alone, defeat the IRL if this the best they can do. There's absolutely no point in prolonging the split if CC isn't willing to do what it takes to win.

Hmmm, Well the IRL is doing better then I thought. They lost Their champion Dario Franchitti to Nascar(along with Sam Hornish Jr) and most recently Scott Sharp(and their Patron sponsorship) to the ALMS, but It obviously hasn't affected them to Champ Car's level. And wow, a race a month? They really are dying. Either way, Now would be a good time for them to come back together.

And guys, I just found out the corvette in the video I posted has Champ Car sponsorship because its promoting the Zolder race. I guess that is pretty desperate, huh?

 

[RACECAR]

INDYCAR: Qualifying Rules Modified for '08

Indy Racing League president of competition and operations Brian Barnhart says with an alteration to oval racetrack qualifications “we’ll bring a little bit of Indy with us everywhere we go.”
The sanctioning body of the IndyCar Series and Indy Pro Series will implement four-lap qualifying runs at ovals, beginning with the season opener March 29 at Homestead-Miami Speedway, with a car’s cumulative time determining its starting position. Previously, the better of two timed laps was used.
“Qualifying is one of the most nerve-racking experiences for an IndyCar Series driver,” Barnhart said. “At Indianapolis, that has meant 10 miles of error-free driving at 225-plus miles per hour. We’re going to take that kind of intensity and drama to every other oval on our schedule.”
Including the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, site of the 92nd Indianapolis 500 on May 25, there are 11 ovals on the schedule. Single-lap, single-car qualifications followed by the Firestone Fast Six (10-minute rally-style shootout to determine the first three rows) will remain in place for road/street course events. The format, introduced in 2006, has added elements of strategy to qualifications and has been well-received by fans.
Now, car preparation and driver consistency are enhanced dimensions on a variety pack of ovals.

 

[RACECAR]

Well, here's something very intriguing:

Tony George Makes an Offer for Unity

Free cars. Free engines. Long Beach, Toronto, Edmonton, Mexico City and Australia added to the Indy Racing League’s schedule. A unified open-wheel series for 2008.
SPEEDtv.com has learned that’s what Tony George proposed to Champ Car’s ownership group several weeks ago during meetings here in Indianapolis.
According to a well-placed source inside the open-wheel community, George presented his plan to Gerald Forsythe, the primary co-owner of Champ Car with Kevin Kalkhoven, along with minority owners, Dan Pettit and Paul Gentilozzi.

 

[TS]

$100 million?

 

[RACECAR]

$100 million?

Yep.

 

[TS]

Yep.

lol, I don't even think CCWS has brought in $100 million in its 12 year existence, but if Tony George really wants 1 US open wheel series, I'm sure he'll write the check.

 

[RACECAR]

lol, I don't even think CCWS has brought in $100 million in its 12 year existence, but if Tony George really wants 1 US open wheel series, I'm sure he'll write the check.

We'll see what happens. From what I'm seeing, Tony George seems to be the one thats trying to see fit the survival of american open-wheel racing.

 

[RACECAR]

Well, this just got interesting,

Cotman Headed for IRL

As speculated the past two weeks on SPEED, Tony Cotman will be named vice president of competition for the Indy Racing League on Friday.
“I’m just going where I think the future of open-wheel racing is going to be,” said Cotman, who quit as Champ Car’s executive vice president earlier this month. ”It’s a good job. I’m going to oversee anything that has to do with competition, technical issues, tracks and assist Brian (Barnhart) in race control.”
The 40-year-old native of New Zealand went to work for Champ Car three years ago after serving as team manager for Barry Green’s CART team and the Andretti Green operation in IndyCars.

 

[TS]

So I guess all of champ cars' head executives have planned to start leaving one-by-one until Kalkohven accepts Tony George's merger proposal.

 

[RACECAR]

So I guess all of champ cars' head executives have planned to start leaving one-by-one until Kalkohven accepts Tony George's merger proposal.

Wouldn't jump the gun just yet. I'd wait till the others begin following since at the moment its only cotman.

 

[Blake]

The momentum certainly sits with the IRL though.

 

[RACECAR]

The momentum certainly sits with the IRL though.

Thats very true.

 

[CAMikaze]

Some questions for you...

1. Should the merger happen, how many races a year do you think there will be? Maybe 20 rounds?
2. Should a second Indy race be added to the schedule using the F1 course or the new MotoGP course?
3. Should they keep the existing formula in place for the cars in the series or maybe try their hand at making Formula 1 styled racecars?

That's pretty much what I have on my mind at the moment. I would like to see what you have to say.

 

[RACECAR]

Well, thats an interesting. Hard to tell if we want our own distinctive American Open Wheel cars or do we want F1 inspired cars.

 

[Blake]

Well, thats an interesting. Hard to tell if we want our own distinctive American Open Wheel cars or do we want F1 inspired cars.

I think they should be unique.

How often to you hear people calling Indy Cars F1 cars? There should be something identifying them – a problem most open wheel cars have, though…

 

[TS]

Some questions for you...

1. Should the merger happen, how many races a year do you think there will be? Maybe 20 rounds?
2. Should a second Indy race be added to the schedule using the F1 course or the new MotoGP course?
3. Should they keep the existing formula in place for the cars in the series or maybe try their hand at making Formula 1 styled racecars?

That's pretty much what I have on my mind at the moment. I would like to see what you have to say.

1. Probably, the proposed deal would be to include all 16 (or 17) IRL races plus Long Beach, Mexico City, Surfer's Paradise, Toronto and Edmonton.
2. No.
3. If the merger happens, all changes would take affect in the 2009 season, which is when the IRL is supposed to debut a new spec Dallara chassis.