ChampCar Commentaries

All about the Champ Car World Series (CCWS)

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Champ Car Musings.....

Post by mlittle » Fri Apr 14, 2006 1:11 pm

If there was an interesting highlight concerning the Champ Car silly season in '05-'06, it was watching Team Australia(a/k/a Walker Racing) figure out who they would sign to drive alongside rookie Will Power. First it was Tag, then Briscoe, then Tag......you get the idea. When Ryan Briscoe turned down Team Oz's best offer, everyone(myself included) in the NA motorsports community wondered....what in the h--- is going on there? Apparently there was more to the story......

When Craig Gore signed on to assist Derrick Walker last year, it was agreed that Walker would handle the racing side of Team Australia, while Gore would handle the commercial side of the team(the assumption was that this included, to an extent, driver signings...) Now, when Briscoe, who had been with Toyota's F1 program and Chip Ganassi's IRL team, turned down an offer to drive for Team Oz, it was generally agreed that it was a boneheaded decision, especially when it was reported in some circles that Briscoe then turned around and bashed PKV Racing for declining to sign him, essentially leaving him without a ride in 2006. Now, being the cynical type at times, I wondered....there's more to this than meets the proverbial eye. There was..... :shock:

Here's what happened, according to the ChampCar paddock rumormill. After Briscoe's test with PKV Racing, the word was that PKV's principles, Kevin Kalkhoven, Dan Pettit and Jimmy Vasser, were impressed w/Briscoe's tests and were willing to sign Briscoe for the 2006 season....that is, until Gore heard about it and shot a missive over to Kalkhoven. No one knows exactly what was spoken btwn. them, but rumor has it that Gore said, in essence, that "any Australian driving in ChampCar in 2006 should be with Team Australia, or it will affect their sponsorship chances back in the land down under." Since Team Oz already had Will Power signed, this most likely was the reason Alex Tagliani was worried whether he would be back in 2006. Put simply, Gore wanted two Australians for Team Australia in 2006, and if he didn't get his two drivers, he would end his partnership w/Walker Racing and let Derrick Walker twist in the wind. Threatening this action, he figured, would force Kalkhoven's hand and allow Gore to sign Briscoe.

And, to some degree, he was right. Kalkhoven declined to sign Briscoe. Then, when Briscoe found out what had happened, he quickly turns down Gore's offer to drive for Team Oz, effectively allowing Tagliani to return in 2006. In essence, Ryan Briscoe, for what it is worth, believed that Craig Gore didn't have his best interests in mind and wasn't happy with all the political.....(you fill in the blank here.) that was going on.

My take.....Kalkhoven should, just for the heck of it, offer Briscoe a contract this year, even if it's just as a driver consultant(similar to the position Ryan Dalziel had w/the team in 2005). Then, in 2007, if it's possible, sign him to drive a third PKV car alongside Servia and Legge. It would be very interesting to see Gore's reaction. :shock: :shock:
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Stats, More Stats, and Even More Stats.....

Post by mlittle » Thu Apr 27, 2006 12:29 pm

With the five plus weeks between the first two rounds of the 2006 Champ Car World Series season(Long Beach to Houston), I started wondering what kind of interesting, neat, cool.....heck, even weird stats are floating out there., and you know me(tireless interest scribe, genius graduate of that great, august center of higher learning, the University of North Carolina @ Charlotte{class of 1997}), any chance to quote stats is fair game. Thus, this commentary.....

Here are some interesting statistics floating around.....
1}While Sebastien Bourdais is attempting this year to tie Ted Horn for three consecutive championships, he is, in just over three years, already tied with Ralph Mulford and Danny Sullivan for career wins, at 17

2}Further up the list is his arch-rival, Paul Tracy, who is seventh on the all-time list with 30 wins, sandwiched between a couple of fellow Penske alums, Al Unser, Jr.(31 wins), and Rick Mears(29 wins)

3}What do Champ Car titlelists Jimmy Vasser(1996 champion) and Juan Pablo Montoya(1999 champion) have in common.......they each have 10 wins to their credit

4}Besides being great drivers, there is one oddity that 1980 CART champion Johnny "Lone Star J.R." Rutherford and current Newman-Haas Racing driver Bruno Junquiera share.....they're the only drivers ever to finish 2nd three straight years(Rutherford did it in 1974-1976, while Junky did it from 2002-2004)

5}The furthest back any Champ Car driver has ever started in winning a race is 25th; the late Mike Mosely started there back in 1981 in Milwaukee and won, and "Mad" Max Papis started there in 2001 at Laguna Seca.

6}While he is currently Honda Racing F1's Sporting Director, former Champ Car/IRL alum Gil de Ferran is also "the World's fastest driver"; in 2000, he set the fastest closed-course speed at Fontana, an ear-splitting 241.428 mph

7}Finally......If you think the Formula One season's long, it ain't nothing. Back in 1969, Bobby Unser won the USAC National Championship series after a March-December, 26-win marathon that saw 13 paved oval races, six road courses, five dirt oval races, and the Pikes Peak Hill Climb on the calendar. In addition, the weekends at Indianapolis Raceway Park(IRP), Langhorne, Mosport and St. Jovite were two-race weekends.


Whew.......now if they would just package all these stats into one concise, thick book.....like that's going to happen! 8) 8) :shock: :shock: :shock: :lol: 8) :shock:
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Another case of collusion......

Post by mlittle » Fri Jun 02, 2006 1:36 pm

(From the Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary.......)

collusion:(noun)secret agreement, cooperation or activity for an illegal or deceitful purpose

.......Keep that definition in mind above....... :x :shock: :shock:


In a press conference today at the Milwaukee Mile, Champ Car officials announced their intent to fight a proposed piece of legislation in the Arizona Legislature which would "place" a noise-limit on outdoor motorsports events, possibly banning outdoor street races.(more on that later.....)

In discussing the issue with the assembled press, ChampCar co-owner Kevin Kalkhoven expressed anger at NASCAR and ISC(International Speedway Corporation), saying,
NASCAR and ISC have spent the past few weeks trying to undermine our proposed race in Phoenix and it's my understanding that NASCAR has hired 22 lobbyists to beat us up.
Series co-owner Gerry Forsythe added,
Why are they afraid of our product? Is big, bad NASCAR afraid of open competition?
In response, NASCAR Vice President of Communications Jim Hunter replied from Dover,
Neither NASCAR, nor any of its' representatives, agents or employees, has taken a position on Champ Car's proposed event in Phoenix or participated in any conduct that would impede Champ Car's ability to run an event, nor is it in NASCAR's interest to do so. NASCAR understands that in order to keep motorsports vibrant and healthy in North America, it is imperative that race track and race fans have a broad "product list" from which to choose.

Hmmm......okay, Mr. Hunter, then could you please explain these remarks recently by Phoenix International Raceway(PIR) President & ISC VP Bryan Sperber on Phoenix-area roadio station KTAR, AM-620. Citing the failed Formula 1 race held in Phoenix from 1989-1991 and having begun efforts at a referendum opposing ChampCar's efforts, he added,
It's a stupid Mickey-Mouse, dinky-toy race. Street races have proven not ot be successful and this thing has been developed under a colud of darkness. Let's get out of this hokey street race and strong relationship between NASCAR and downtown.
Apparently, Mr. Sperber's forgotten that such events in Long Beach, California, Surfers Paradise, Australia, Toronto, Canada, Monaco, and St. Petersburg, Florida have been successful for several years, if not decades.

The proposed bill, if passed, would effectively ban street races in Arizona by setting a decibal limit of 90 db for such events(that's roughly the noise level of an average riding-lawnmower. By comparison, the turbo-engine on a ChampCar registers at 115 db, and the Honda H-16R Indy V8 registers at 120 db. Champ Car's general counsel, Matt Breeden, addressed the bill's intentions, stating that Champ Car has sent a "cease and desist" letter to NASCAR & ISC's respective counsels, adding that,
NASCAR and ISC have been put on notice that we will not put up with their collusive and anti-competitve business practices. While I cannot disclose specifics, it is sufficient to say that we have engaged litigation counsel and will vigoriously pursue legal remedies if NASCAR and ISC do not cease their illegal bullying tactics.
Ironically, this isn't the first time either NASCAR and ISC have been sued for "collusive" actions. In 2000, Texas Motor Speedway, along with ISC rival Speedway Motorsports, Inc.(SMI) filed an anti-collusion lawsuit agst. both NASCAR/ISC on behalf of SMI sharholder Francis Ferko over the awarding of NASCAR (then-)Winston Cup(now Nextel Cup) racedates, a suit that was settled in 2004 when NASCAR was ordered by the U.S. District Court for the Central District of Texas(i.e. Dallas) to award a second date to Texas Motor Speedway. Last September, they were sued for collusion a second time, this time by Kentucky Speedway officials, citing the same collusive activity by NASCAR/ISC over the awarding of Nextel Cup. (Now you see why I put that definition in at the beginning of the commentary.) Kalkhoven concluded the press conference by stating,
It's morally deficient (what NASCAR is doing) and underhanded because it eliminates choices for fans, cities and promoters. This is a monopolistic effort designed so that racing can only be held at tracks governed by NASCAR's cartel. They are trying to destroy the history of motorsport. Street racing is where motor racing started, not at some superspeedway. They say they don't want any street racing in this country so that includes the IRL's race in St. Petersburg as well, and they're supposedly friends with Tony George. Clearly, the implications of this are significant for the future of open-wheel racing and we are very troubled by NASCAR's mafia-like behavior.

And you wonder why I really consider NASCAR to be a "four-letter" word....just keep Kalkhoven's remarks in mind. We could be in for a very ugly, very bitter, and very public legal fight. Stay tuned........
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Post by Julian Mayo » Fri Jun 02, 2006 2:03 pm

Might be time for youall to take musket in hand. :evil:
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Post by mlittle » Fri Jun 02, 2006 2:15 pm

Julian Mayo wrote:Might be time for youall to take musket in hand. :evil:

I suspect there will probably be a LOT of NA open-wheel fans(myself included!) who feel that the 800-lb gorilla has gone just a step too far, this time....... :shock: :shock: :shock: :evil: Hopefully, there will be a lawsuit and NASCAR's dirty laundry can be aired for all motorsports fans, both here in the States' and across the world to see. Considering their sometimes underhanded tactics, I doubt either Max Mosely or Bernie Ecclestone could stoop to NASCAR's level..... :shock: :shock: :shock:
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Post by Julian Mayo » Fri Jun 02, 2006 2:37 pm

mlittle wrote:
Julian Mayo wrote:Might be time for youall to take musket in hand. :evil:

I suspect there will probably be a LOT of NA open-wheel fans(myself included!) who feel that the 800-lb gorilla has gone just a step too far, this time....... :shock: :shock: :shock: :evil: Hopefully, there will be a lawsuit and NASCAR's dirty laundry can be aired for all motorsports fans, both here in the States' and across the world to see. Considering their sometimes underhanded tactics, I doubt either Max Mosely or Bernie Ecclestone could stoop to NASCAR's level..... :shock: :shock: :shock:
Perhaps they were all from the same litter :evil:
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Post by mlittle » Fri Jun 02, 2006 2:46 pm

Julian Mayo wrote:
mlittle wrote:
Julian Mayo wrote:Might be time for youall to take musket in hand. :evil:

I suspect there will probably be a LOT of NA open-wheel fans(myself included!) who feel that the 800-lb gorilla has gone just a step too far, this time....... :shock: :shock: :shock: :evil: Hopefully, there will be a lawsuit and NASCAR's dirty laundry can be aired for all motorsports fans, both here in the States' and across the world to see. Considering their sometimes underhanded tactics, I doubt either Max Mosely or Bernie Ecclestone could stoop to NASCAR's level..... :shock: :shock: :shock:
Perhaps they were all from the same litter :evil:
That would be considered cruel.....to Bernie and Max. Even Tony George gets more sympathy in NA open-wheel circles than NASCAR's bunch of moronic idiots. :shock: :shock: :shock: :evil:
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A Strange Week in the Paddock.......

Post by mlittle » Thu Jun 15, 2006 10:08 pm

For the multitudes of NA motorsports fans, the past seven or so days have been interesting, to say the least. First, Colorado-based RuSport Racing decided to part ways with the series' lone American, A.J. Allmendinger(for reasons yet unknown).......for 2002 series champion Cristiano da Matta. Then Forsythe Championship Racing, which got tired of seeing Mario Dominguez drop-kick teammate Paul Tracy into the wall, gave the Mexican "the Royal Order of the Boot"(i.e. they fired him!).....and yesterday brought Allmendinger into the Forsythe camp, leaving Dominguez with two options......either slot into a seat with Dale Coyne Racing or sit on the sidelines. :shock:

At first glance, someone like myself looks at the ChampCar grid and thinks......not much changed. In reality, though, the competitive balance of the series has changed. At the beginning of the year, if one were to ask me what the "pecking order" in the series was, I would've said....Newman-Haas, then (either) Forsythe and RuSport, followed closely by PKV Racing and Team Australia. Essentially, that order's still unchanged, but the moves have shook up that list some. Let's look at what the ramifications are......

1}Allmendinger from RuSport to Forsythe.........this is a lateral move for the Los Gatos, Ca. native; reuniting him with his mentor(in 2000, A.J. was in top karting ranks under PT's tutelage) although the two have had their "disagreements"(last year at Mexico City, Allmendinger referred to PT as "the world's dirtiest driver" after a couple of on-track incidents). In Formula 1 terms, though, Allmendinger basically went from being a second driver in all but name to a second driver with a better driver next to him.

2}Da Matta from Dale Coyne to RuSport..........unlike #1, this move elevates RuSport. Every major open-wheel series has a Minardi-style team.....i.e. a backmarker team that somehow manages to find drivers who get their feet in with them or who revive their careers with them and then head for the proverbial greener pastures elsewhere. In F1, Minardi(now Scuderia Toro Rosso) helped launch the careers of Mark Webber and Fernando Alonso; in the Indy Racing League, Panther Racing(albeit no backmarker per se) was home to 2-time IRL champion Sam Hornish, Jr., and in the Champ Car World Series, Dale Coyne Racing has seen some of the sport's greats pass by. Back in the early 90's a young, fresh-faced Canadian named Paul Tracy made his series debut with the Illinois-based team, and for a couple of years, current PKV Racing driver Oriol Servia gave DCR its' best results in the series. Add da Matta's name to the list.....most AOWR observers(myself included) felt da Matta this year was driving for his career......that concerns is over, with this move. Instead of having one driver(Wilson) who can contend for race wins, RuSport now has two "bullets" in the arsenal on raceday.

As for that supposed "pecking order".......it's still pretty much the same; Newman-Haas Racing is still on top of the ChampCar world.....the next two teams are still the same, but the week's machinations have possibly put RuSport ahead of Forsythe going into the bulk of the 2006 schedule, which sees the series head to some familiar stompin' grounds......the City of Roses, the Roar-by-the-Shore, and Exhibition Place(in case you're wondering which venues I'm referring to, they are Portland, Cleveland and Toronto)......as to what will happen, hopefully it won't be more of...."ca plus change, ca plus meme"(i.e. "the more things change, the more they stay the same").
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As the Racing World Turns...........

Post by mlittle » Fri Jun 23, 2006 1:10 pm

During all the post-race hubbub following the ChampCar race in Portland, RuSport's Justin Wilson said this little gem of a quote......
It was a cracker of a race---no cautions and 105 laps of qualifying.
:shock: :shock: That said.....in a week of twists and turns, A.J. Allmendinger went from being fired from his previous team, to getting engaged, to signing with Forsythe and then winning his first-ever race. Not even the best Hollywood scriptwriters could've written these events on paper. :shock: Just ask team owner/series co-owner Gerry Forsythe, who missed the race because of a prior engagement.....
I think it was good for the series and it was good for somebody else to get up there on the top step of the podium besides Sebastien (Bourdais). A.J. did a helluva good job and didn't put a wheel wrong all day.
While it may never be known why RuSport owner Carl Russo decided to give Allmendinger a first-class gassing after Milwaukee, it was apparent to the ChampCar powers that be that, A}do whatever it takes to keep the only American full-time driver in the series, and B}do whatever has to be done to get him a good ride. After all, RuSport was built around Allmendinger, who won the 2002 Barber Dodge Pro Series and 2003 Toyota Atlantic Championship and which helped him win series rookie honors in 2004. At least Russo was honorable enough to congratulate A.J. in Victory Lane.....I don't think he thought it would be when A.J. was with another team. :shock: :shock:

Of course.......it wasn't just a one-act play; Cristiano da Matta went from driving for his proverbial career with Dale Coyne to inheriting a top-shelf ride with RuSport, and "Shorty" parlayed it into a respectable top-10 finish. The loser in this was Mario Dominguez, who went from a top-end team to Dale Coyne and finished 14th in Portland. The general assumption in the paddock is that Dominguez, if he ever wants to see the sharp end of the leaderboard, must rehabilitate his career at Coyne; at least he can take solace in that both Oriol Servia and Cristiano da Matta came back from obscurity to their current spots on the grid. Also, the series needs Dominguez, who is Mexico's lone driver in the series, on the track when the season ends in Mexico City.

The fans also enjoyed seeing someone other than Bourdais win; after Allmendinger won, the crowds could be heard chanting, "USA, USA...." which hasn't happened since Ryan Hunter-Ryan won in Milwaukee. Indeed, since 2002, only four Yanks have won a ChampCar race: 2006-Allmendinger, Portland; 2004/Hunter-Reay, Milwaukee; 2002-Mi. Andretti, Long Beach and Vasser, Fontana. Granted, Americans love cheering for the Bourdais' and Tracy's of the series BUT they'll cheer even louder when they see the Stars'n'Stripes atop the flagstand.

It's also a good historical omen for Allmendinger as he races for Forsythe Championship Racing. Back in the early 1980's, Gerry Forsythe, who had just begun running his own team, Player's/Forsythe, hired a young American named Danny Sullivan. If history is anything similar, I suspect Allmendinger will have a bright future in store. Count on it. :) :) :)
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Open Wheel Musings................

Post by mlittle » Mon Aug 07, 2006 12:28 pm

With all the wheelings and dealings of NA open-wheel racing, I thought I'd open up the musings notebook and answer some of the more interesting questions that have come up recently...................

1}What's with all the open-wheel teams(Penske, Ganassi, Aguri-Fernandez, etc.) fielding sportscar teams?
Answer}2 reasons........one, it gives sponsors a new way to advertise themselves(that's what all those names are on the sidepods..... :lol: ), and two, it gives them an "out" if AOWR collapses.

2}With all the silly season talk, who will be where in ChampCar next year?
Answer}Depends on the team.......FCR looks steady(Tracy, Allmendinger), Newman-Haas looks increasingly like it will be Bourdais and Graham Rahal(yeah, the kid's that good....)and then it gets very murky afterwards.............

3}Are the production crews who televise the ChampCar races that moronic?(in regards to the San Jose race.........)
Answer}Yep......why else would they cut away to watch SeaBass getting fuel and tires instead of watching PT and Tag tradin' punches....(just wait til' they get to Montreal later this month..... :lol: :lol: :shock: :shock: )

4}What will the car count be in both series for 2007?
Answer}ChampCar........likely 20-22; IRL...........likely 18-21

5}Are there plans for a new engine/chassis package for the IndyCar Series?
Answer}If there are, no one's told me. By rights, there should have been a new e/c package for this year in the IRL, so who knows. My guess is that Dallara will rework the older 2005-spec chassis' and upgrade them to 2006-b spec's for next year. As for engines, the word on the street is that HPD will continue refining the H-16R Indy V8 for 2007. Speaking of Honda........

6}Does Honda have an "out" clause in their engine contract with the IRL?
Answer}In theory, yes. Honda can announce their departure from the IndyCar Series no later than April 2008; chances are, unless their's either a merger or a competing engine, Honda will bolt, giving Tony George a new headache.

And the final OPM question is......
7}With Danica Patrick heading to Andretti-Green Racing in 2007, which of their current drivers got the proverbial axe from the team?
Answer}Most likely, Bryan Herta. Kanaan and Marco were already signed for 2007; Danica's contract is in the 3-year range(2007-2009), and my guess is that the team will retain Dario Franchitti for another 1-yr. contract. Don't fret about Herta, though; sources report that he's likely going to spearhead AGR's American LeMans Series LMP-2 effort(those same sources also keep saying that Danica, Marco and Michael will be driving an LMP-2 next year at Sebring and possibly at the Petit Le Mans at Road America).


Well, that wraps up the OPM notebook. Enjoy......... 8) :lol: :lol: :shock: :lol: :lol:
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