Commentaries From The Paddock

[mlittle]

Naw, we've just got a 140+ yr. truce w/them Yankees...They leave us alone, we leave them alone...Only problem is, julian, we've left them alone and....well, I'd explain more, but how would I be able to censor anything?

Besides, you should see all the Civil War re-enactments in the South; they're a great historical sight and a way to teach history w/out having a open up a boring textbook.

[Julian Mayo]

Those damn yankees seem to be responsible for a hell of a lot! Mind you, wasn't it them that bought in prohibition, which started the bootleg runs, which started engine mods and suspension development, which led to competition, which led to....damn...Tony George, .....ah well . you gotta admit I was runnin' high for a while

[mlittle]

Yeah, but griping about them Yankees does allow you to let off a lot of steam. Besides, I have a new commentary coming up---I just haven't decided what it's gonna be yet. Don't worry, though, it'll be a good one.
All I know is that it(hopefully) won't involve George and Co.

[mlittle]

With the IndyCar series taking the week off, I'd thought about turning my focus this week to the other major open-wheel series, the ChampCar World Series. Now, this commentary came to me yesterday while watching the American LeMans Series race at Lime Rock Park, Conn. on July 4th, and a couple of random thoughts came to mind:

1-Boy, I wish ALMS had more teams and cars,
2-So does ChampCar,
3-Wouldn't they be good for each other,
4-Especially on Independence Day!

Unless something tanks their plan, it is almost certain that the two series will host several joint events in 2006 and beyond. Have they done this before? Twice, at the Grand Prix of the Americas(Miami) in '02 and '03; both events were successful. Now why would this partnership work for both sides?

Reason 1:The American LeMans Series needs the fans, the sponsors and the teams to expand beyond their current 12 race schedule. Now, granted, I prefer open-wheels to closed-wheels, but I've seen a few ALMS events(all on TV, unfortunately ) and I've grown to like the close-quarter(okay, no-quarter given at times) racing on such hallowed grounds like Mid-Ohio, Laguna Seca, Road America and Road Atlanta. When you consider all the open-wheel fans who've been turned off by the split(or worse, turned into NASCAR fans) this plan of theirs makes sense. It could potentially bring more fans to ChampCar or even IndyCar road/street events in the future.

Reason 2:While the LMP-1 class seems set w/Audi and Lola contending for that class title, LMP-2 could get very competitive. Why? With Porsche set to enter later this year and Honda(?) soon to follow, there's an almost endless list of drivers that the two sides could field. Just look at the potential drivers who could be in an LMP-2 car next year. CCWS drivers like Paul Tracy, Jimmy Vasser and Sebastien Bourdais have competed in sports-car events before, along w/Newman-Haas co-owner Paul Newman. At the 24 Hours of Daytona, several IndyCar Series drivers competed, such as Scott Dixon, Darren Manning and Dario Franchitti. Other IRL competitors have ALMS experience too:2 of the three series rookies, Tomas Enge and Danica Patrick, have ALMS events on their resumes too(Enge also has a few 24 Hours of LeMans events under his belt; at this year's running, his Aston-Martin DB(GT-1) car led until about 3-4 hrs til' the end, when fuel-pump problems retired his car).

Reason 3:Imagine the extra venues that ChampCar could travel to. They could start the season at Sebring when ALMS opens w/the 12 Hours of Sebring. Or CCWS' two support series, Toyota Atlantic and Trans-Am, could run on ALMS-series weekend separate from ChampCar, just as the IRL's Infiniti Pro Series ran at Indy during the weekend of the USGP along with Formula BMW. While ALMS would benefit by drawing upon drivers from ChampCar and the IRL, ChampCar could really benefit by possibly drawing a few to their ranks(and believe me, ChampCar need a couple of extra full-time drivers in the series).

To conclude...all I can say is that the possibiltites are endless. What will happen? Who knows. Would their plans work? As the line in that song by the band Asia put it, Only time will tell.

[Julian Mayo]

Surfers Paradise gets the fans it gets because of the combination of Open wheeler and premier tin- top racing. It should work in the USA.

[mlittle]

Good comment, julian...That's why ChampCar's been going there since 1991.

[Julian Mayo]

Good comment, julian...That's why ChampCar's been going there since 1991.

Yep, initially the V8s were treated like country bumpkins, and there was a bit of resentment. Once they got some accurate assessments of why the fans were fronting up, the V8 boys suddenly got treated a whole lot better. They responded by taking it a tad more seriously. Everybody wins. I hope there is not too much rivalry for your blokes. I see Brabham is still a serious punter.

[mlittle]

You know, last year when Walker Racing had Besnard drive one of their cars at Surfers Paradise in 2004, he didn't do that bad, considering the short learning time he had to adapt to the 750+hp, non-traction ctrled. Ford-Cos./Reynard Derrick Walker used then(he's since begun using F-C/Lola cars, now). Maybe when this year's race comes around, one of the bigger teams(Forsythe, RuSport, Newman-Haas, PKV) will tag one of the top V8 Super drivers(perhaps Ambrose or someone at the top of the standings there). There's not much animosity, though, nowadays. There is at least one driver, julian, in both the IndyCar and ChampCar series' from Australia, Ryan Briscoe(Target/Ganassi Racing) and Marcus Marshall(Walker Racing/Team Australia), and both seem to be holding their own in each series(Marshall, though, seems to be doing better than Briscoe at the present).

[Julian Mayo]

You know, last year when Walker Racing had Besnard drive one of their cars at Surfers Paradise in 2004, he didn't do that bad, considering the short learning time he had to adapt to the 750+hp, non-traction ctrled. Ford-Cos./Reynard Derrick Walker used then(he's since begun using F-C/Lola cars, now). Maybe when this year's race comes around, one of the bigger teams(Forsythe, RuSport, Newman-Haas, PKV) will tag one of the top V8 Super drivers(perhaps Ambrose or someone at the top of the standings there). There's not much animosity, though, nowadays. There is at least one driver, julian, in both the IndyCar and ChampCar series' from Australia, Ryan Briscoe(Target/Ganassi Racing) and Marcus Marshall(Walker Racing/Team Australia), and both seem to be holding their own in each series(Marshall, though, seems to be doing better than Briscoe at the present).

Marshall is very quick, and "schumaker" ruthless, he does not get many xmas cards from the porsche cup drivers in OZ. Besnard was not the first to drve a champcar at Surfers, I think it was Bright , a couple of years before.

[mlittle]

Julian, you're right; unless the ChampCar archives are incorrect, Jason Bright competed in the 2000 race at Surfers' Paradise. He started 24th, and finished 18th after retiring w/contact on lap 44 of the 59-lap race.

[Julian Mayo]

Julian, you're right; unless the ChampCar archives are incorrect, Jason Bright competed in the 2000 race at Surfers' Paradise. He started 24th, and finished 18th after retiring w/contact on lap 44 of the 59-lap race.

That has found a spark of recognition in one of the few remaining brain cells.
I think he had other problems in the running...Battery ?

[mlittle]

Since this is an off-week for the IRL, attention now moves(for this weekend) to Round 6 of the ChampCar World Series, as they visit Toronto, Ontario for the 20th running of the Molson Indy Toronto, run on the Harbour Street Circuit(officially known as Exhibition Place) since 1986.

With a one-point lead going into the race, all eyes will be on series pts. leader Paul Tracy as he continues his season-long fight w/the current series titleist, Newman-Haas Racing's Sebastien Bourdais. But nipping on both their heels' are the two impressive racers from second-yr. team RuSport--2004 rookie winner A.J. Allmendinger and former F1-driver Justin Wilson.

The track itself will provide plenty of challenges to the series drivers, w/one of the longer back-straights(Shoreline Dr./Lakeshore Blvd.) in the series plus plenty of overtaking areas, especially in what F1 would refer to as Sectors 2 and 3. The best overtaking area, though, is right at the end of Lakeshore(drivers will reach speeds of up to 180-185 mph before braking to around 50-65 mph for turns 3 & 4; time it just right and you can squeeze by into 3; time it wrong and you'll either go down the escape road or into the outer wall at 3).

Unlike the IndyCar series, where qual. is single-car, 2-lap attempts(most of the time), a CCWS qual. session is a veritable free-for-all, where the drivers get up to 15 laps in a 30-min. session to post fast lap(QS-1 on Friday at 2:25 PM, QS-2 on Sat. at 2:10 PM). And, believe me, it's very important to get P1 here at Toronto--the last three winners(Cristiano da Matta-2002, Paul Tracy-2003 and Sebastien Bourdais-2004) all started P1 at the green flag.

As w/the IndyCar Series events, I'll provide a brief summary of each qual. session plus a brief race summary and observations afterward. The race itself will be at 1:00 PM on Sunday, July 10(CBS-United States, Global TV-Canada). Although this is on the IRL category, I'll try to provide a running tally on the ChampCar season as w/the IndyCar Series season this year(will probably set up another thread for ChampCar).

[mlittle]

And so that attempt goes "belly up"....

For the third time in the past years, talks aimed at possibly merging the two major AOWR series are, according to ChampCar officials, "done"(their words) and that, in the words of CCWS co-owner Kevin Kalkhoven, "(we're confident) America's two open-wheel (series) will never come together." Kalkhoven also said that "its' very simple--there is no merger. It is as simple as that."

If this is truly the case, then somewhere NASCAR officials must be laughing their collective heads off. Ever since George and Co. split American open-wheel racing apart in 1996, both sides have been on a collective death spiral w/neither side admitting that this was their fault. Supposedly, the break was over who would run a reunified series. CCWS officials wanted a 50-50 split while the IRL wanted majority control(51+) over such a series. If I'm not mistaken this is what caused the split in the first place! Back in 1992 when George became president of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway(IMS) he attempted what amounted to a coup'd'etat agst. the then CART leadership, citing a need to protect the interests of that series' 5 oval tracks(Phoenix, Indy, Milwaukee, Nazareth and Michigan). It didn't work, and George was removed from the series' board of directors. Now, at the time, it didn't make sense, and it still doesn't. For all the glamour, pageantry and excitement of the Indy 500, it was but one race on CART's schedule(and CART didn't even run the event--USAC ran it) and George knew this.

If the end of merger talks didn't drive a dagger at the opposing side, Kalkhoven decided to fire some broadsides at the IRL and its' new-found media success. When asked whether ChampCar would rush Toyota Atlantic driver Katherine Legge into a ChampCar ride, KK said, "I think she is going to be a strong and competitive driver, but she has to earn her stripes." The reason for all the attention is twofold:1-the media attention surrounding IndyCar Series rookie Danica Patrick following her performance at this year's Indy 500, and 2-the fact that, unlike Patrick, Legge has actually won an Atlantics race(at Long Beach) back in April 2005. Personally, from what I've seen of both drivers' performances so far this year, I think both of them have a solid future ahead of them; Legge in a ChampCar someday(maybe next year or 2007) and Patrick in an IndyCar or in Formula 1. Whatever the end of merger talks may bring, one thing's for certain--both sides need to stop yakking at each other and get back out on the track. Both series are good at what they do, and they need to keep doing what they're good at.

[mlittle]

In the past two weeks or so, both the Indy Racing League and the Champ Car World Series have begun their annual scheduling dance, putting out little bits of news about where they want to go, where they don't plan on returning, etc...Well, here's what I've gathered so far(don't worry, though, like most things on this side of the pond, its' subject to change. It always is.)

The ChampCar series made some noise in Toronto this past weekend on what the 2006 schedule will look like. As expected, at least three weekends will be partnered w/the ALMS, most likely w/the season opener at Sebring the weekend of the 12 Hrs. of Sebring, along w/potential dates in Portland, Houston and Long Beach. Toronto, however, was nixed from the list, and for a simple reason. The ALMS already has a successful event just down the road at Mosport, and unless ChampCar wants to partner there, then Toronto is off the list. The projected schedule looks like this at the moment:1-Sebring(#), 2-Monterrey, 3-Long Beach(#), 4-Houston(#), 5-Milwaukee, 6-San Jose, 7-Cleveland, 8-Toronto, 9-Edmonton, 10-Portland, 11-Denver, 12-Montreal, 13-Las Vegas, 14-Beijing, China, 15-Ansan, S.Korea, 16-Surfers Paradise, 17-Mexico City.
(Dates TBA). The only problem w/this proposed schedule:The series' last U.S. event is the oval in Las Vegas; if they want more US-based fan support, there has to be at least one event in the last 4-5 w/in the US. Perhaps another oval, but where? Fontana is off the list; when ChampCar cancelled the 2003 event there due to the wildfires in southern California, that event got dropped. They could go a road or street course, but where? Laguna Seca for years was the series' finale in many a season, but that track got dropped due to declining interest. Ditto for Miami or St. Petersburg(the IRL has St. Pete, and Miami lost money in 2002-2003). Don't worry, though, for I doubt this is the schedule for 2006.

But at least they've got a tentative schedule; the IRL hasn't released theirs yet. However, two things of interest have come up. First, Phoenix Intl. Raceway recently sent its' ticket renewal forms to season ticket holders and the IRL event wasn't listed. On the track's website, the event is listed as TBD(read:don't expect it to be around in 2006). If it's dropped, don't cry for it; the track that once saw 64,000+ people watch CART race there in the late 1980's-early 1990's mustered a grand total of 8,600 people on a Saturday afternoon in late March for their race this year. The last time I saw a track w/that few people for a race, it was CART's 2002 race at Chicago Motor Speedway--they had only 15,000 people show up, and the track was dropped for 2003. The second thing of early interest revolves around Homestead-Miami Speedway, where the series begins its' season. Apparently, they want to move the race to a later date, and make the race a nighttime event, like w/Texas, Richmond and Nashville. This wouldn't be a bad idea if the race was in the middle of the schedule and not at the beginning. Then again, this yr's schedule had them starting in Homestead, then going to Phoenix, then coming back to St. Pete, and then going across the pond to Motegi. I just hope the series got lots of frequent-flyer miles for the effort.

What is anyone to make of the early scheduling news? I wouln't put too much faith in the early news; wait until August or Sept. because that is when they generally release a final schedule, but it is very entertaining to watch both series' muddle through this time of the year.

NOTE:(#) denotes CCWS events w/the ALMS

[mlittle]

Back on July 15th I commented on the fact that the Indy Racing League had not come up with a tentative schedule, compared to their ChampCar counterparts....Well, they have a tentative schedule(which will probably change at least once or twice...it always does), and there are 2 changes.

The first is that the schedule will likely be compressed from its' current March-October trajectory to an April-September trajectory. Why do this? My guess...they figure that, once Sept. rolls in, the NFL(American style-football) will, as always, dominate the headlines most places, relegating auto racing(NASCAR excepted) to the backhalfs of newspapers. Condense the schedule, and hopefully they'll keep interest in OWR up through the year rather than allow it to lag. It might also allow some of the top-end teams(Penske, RLR) to do some one-off races in the ALMS, if not a full-on schedule.

The second is that Phoenix is gone from the schedule the way of other former venues(Atlanta, Las Vegas, Dover, etc.). This once-hallowed venue in the Phoenix suburbs has indeed seen its' last IRL race due to poor attendance. Speaking of poor attendance, if Michigan doesn't start selling tickets for 2006, they're going to soon follow Phoenix. As to the schedule, there are a few changes. Texas will, by the tentative schedule, lose its' traditional spot after Indy but will move back a week for Kansas, which will take the coveted first post-Indy spot. Both Florida races(St. Pete and Homestead) are at the front, while Fontana will move to late June to accomodate NASCAR's Labor Day race. Finally, Chicagoland will be the season finale, which should be sometime in September.

Here, then, is the proposed schedule for 2006:
April:1-St. Petersburg, 2-Homestead, 3-Motegi, Japan
May:4-Indianapolis
June:5-Kansas, 6-Texas(#), 7-Kansas(#), 8-Fontana
July:9-Nashville(#), 10-Milwaukee, 11-Michigan
August:12-Kentucky, 13-Pikes Peak, 14-Infineon, 15-Watkins Glen
Sept.:16-Chicagoland

NOTE--(#) denotes night race; dates to be announced later on this year