2006 ChampCar Awards Thread............

All about the Champ Car World Series (CCWS)

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2006 ChampCar Awards Thread............

Post by mlittle » Fri Jul 21, 2006 1:41 pm

Well, we're halfway through the 28th season of ChampCar racing, and it is once again time to drag out the mid-season awards...........so, step up to the plate, and swing away!! :lol: :lol: :shock: :shock: :shock:


Driver of the Half:(tie)Sebastien Bourdais and A.J. Allmendinger. From Long Beach to Milwaukee, Bourdais had managed to win four consecutive races, and it looked like a third cons. series title was his to lose. My, how times have changed......there's a new sheriff in the paddock, and (......... :shock: ...........) it's an American. Since Portland, Allmendinger's been a hotstreak, with three cons. wins. Maybe its' just me, but I think we have a battle for the championship now. :shock: :shock:

Team of the Half: none................normally, one team usually dominates, but this year, so far, no one has completely dominated, so this award will have to wait 12 months to be awarded. :(

Rookie of the Half: Will Power, Team Australia. Considering how close the rookie standings are, this was a tough award to issue. Despite challenges from PKV's Katherine Legge and CTE-HVM's "Speedy" Dan Clarke, the Aussie battler has done the best of the rookies so far, finishing consistantly in the middle of the pack at each race, and he's managed to keep his nose clean during the races, which also helps.

Race of the Half: Houston. Normally, street races are known as "follow-the-leader" races, but Houston was pretty good. There was passing a-plenty throughout the field, and even taking into account track officials' decision to put that stupid-*** chicane in turn 1-1A, it was still a good race. (Apologies for the above language..... :oops: )

Surprise of the half: Nelson Phillipe. Two years ago, everyone(myself included) thought he was simply a rich-kid playing race car driver......boy, were we wrong; Phillipe's proven himself to be a steady competitor in his ChampCar career, and he's getting closer to that first win. Given a top-shelf team, look for this guy to challenge for the Vanderbilt Cup sometime soon.

Disappointment of the half: knowing, that in all likelihood, ChampCar has run its' last oval race. I've said it before; to even claim to have a diverse schedule, it must have at least one oval-track on the schedule. There is a little consolation, though....if they do drop the Mile, the IRL will most likely place the race the week after the 500(thus reviving that lost tradition.......).
Last edited by mlittle on Thu Dec 07, 2006 3:52 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Post by Julian Mayo » Thu Dec 07, 2006 2:41 pm

I reckon Bourdais gets the end of year big- mouth award for his comments when Will Power got the Passion For Excellence award :evil:
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End of Year Awards.................

Post by mlittle » Thu Dec 07, 2006 4:12 pm

With the Christmas season now upon us, I think its' time to dig around the sandbox and find some awards..................here goes the end-of-year awards:

Driver of the Year: Sebastien Bourdais. Unlike the first two years, when he either had sewn up the title early or watched as everyone else(namely, his chief nemesis, Paul Tracy) crashed themselves out of the way, this year SeaBass had to earn the title. Seven wins, though, can go a long way towards that goal, and although he'll be the first to argue the contrary, he and the late Ted Horn are still the only drivers in NA motorsports history to win three consecutive drivers' titles, and that puts him in very exclusive territory.

Team of the Year: Normally, one team usually outshines the others, but this year, I didn't notice any particular team do so, but the award still has to be issued, so by a narrow whisker the award goes to Newman-Haas Racing.

Rookie of the Year: No contest here; Team Australia's Will Power easily wins this award, for he had, by and large, the best season of any of the rookies in 2006.

Race of the Year: Surfers Paradise. Every year the land Down Under provides the backdrop to some of the best racing in the world, and they didn't disappoint; watching the last laps btwn. Nelson Phillipe and Mario Dominguez were worth the price of admission. If there is one race a ChampCar fan should attend, Surfes Paradise is the race; the promoters know how to stage an event of this magnitude, and the fans are some of the most die-hard racing fans in the world. If there is ever a merger between the two major NA open-wheel series, this event, with its' history and racing, shouldn't have a problem being on the schedule.

Disappointment of the Year: Watching A.J. Allmendinger take the money and hop on the NASCAR bandwagon. Considering all that transpired this year, my own opinion is that A.J., after getting gassed by RuSport, looked at all the options out there, decided to leave for stock-car country but, out of loyalty to ChampCar, stayed as long as possible. It will be a shame not seeing Allmendinger challenge for another series title, though, but as they stay, c'est la vie......

Well, unless there any other awards from the floor........as certain cartoon characters would say.......that's all, folks! See you in 2007!
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Post by cmlean » Thu Dec 07, 2006 10:18 pm

I had AJ earmarked for a ride in F1. He would have had the American public embrace Formula 1 and himself with his charasmatic nature.
Now, he'll be just one of the good ol' boys. Big in his own country.............

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