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Actually, Pook has been talking a lot with Panoz. And it's not a bad match, except that they are in that "we better hang together or else" situation. From what I've heard it sounds more like Panoz has quite resigned himself to the fact that ALMS is in trouble, since they aren't owned by the Florida Mafia and Bill France can't really tolerate any competition, and doesn't want to relinquish power over his baby anymore than anyone else.
And as for Champ Car vs F1's, I've gotten a lot of first hand accounts on which is better and seen a lot of side by side comparisons over the years. What it usually comes down to is the brakes. Champ Cars blow F1's off the track on speed. But, once the brakes get warmed up, they make up the time on the corners. And that advantage is negated if you find the right line. In fact, I watched an underpowered T91 Lola this weekend almost bury a 93 Ferrari F1.
Who has the advantage changes year to year. F1's are a more prestigeous ride. It's kind of like comparing a BMW against a Mercedes. Performace wise they are pretty close. But, you historically pay a lot more for Mercedes than you do for BMW.
As for Uncle Bernie, like I said, that's a double edged sword, Liz. Gives me the shakes just thinking about it. On the one side, if he buys in, which I think would be far more likely than his buying out, CART does become the feeder series for F1 the way Pook wants. But part of what makes CART a great fan event is the fans being able to get into the paddock and get up close and personal with the drivers and cars.
Ultimately it's what is missing from F1. And Bernie likes it that way. It gives F1 this exotic air I guess. But, for North American fans who are used to CART events where they can wander through the Paddock, it is as snobbish and stupid as most F1 Europhile race fans who think the world begins and ends with European racing.
The idea of not being able to wander through Road America's paddock during CART race weekend takes a good piece of the fun out of the experience.
As for CART becoming NA's F3000 circuit, I'm not so sure it would. Bernie has been after that Spec racing league for a while. And since Premire One looks stillborn, CART gives him a lower cost alternative. It also gives him a place for younger drivers wanting to eventually move up to F1, and Vets who don't have a ride to prove they are still razor sharp.
Barbarosa
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