Pook visiting Silverstone....announcement possible tomorrow...

[Jay]

This will set the rumour mill ablaze...

from itv-f1.com

CART boss Chris Pook is due to arrive at Silverstone tomorrow in the company of Formula 1 boss Bernie Ecclestone.

There is speculation that there is an announcement about the future of F1 in North America.

CART had an important board meeting on Friday and it is not yet clear what was decided but it is possible that a decision was taken about the plan to sell the company to a new investor.

Those believed to be involved in the bidding are CART team bosses Gerry Forsythe, Paul Gentilozzi, Craig Pollock and his backer Kevin Kalkhoven and Bernie Ecclestone.

The aim of an Ecclestone takeover of CART would be to promote Formula 1 in the United States and to build up CART as a secondary series for the F1 World Championship.

At the same time there are suggestions that Pook's appearance at the British GP may be the result of a plan for a second United States Grand Prix.

The race would be in San Francisco.

It is expected that the story - whatever it may be - will break tomorrow.

[Dov]

Jay, you better not be toying with me!!!!

[gttouring]

san Francisco???? oh let it be Laguna seca!
even though they should race road america not Indy

[Dov]

I thought Bernie was interested in the Big Apple? But Road America would be the best track for F1 to race on and the sooner they leave that EARL track, the happier I will be!

[Jay]

Well...you have to consider, for F1 the facilities are much more important than the track layout. Laguna Seca and Road America would both be great for F1 cars, but they have none of the facilities for it... A world class city makes a much better venue for F1, given its requirments.

[Dov]

It looks like my thread beat your thread by a few tenths, Jay!

[Dov]

From grandprix.com:

However our sources say that the appearance of Pook is unrelated to CART and rather linked to a second United States race in San Francisco. We hear that a race is being planned for a parkland circuit in the southern part of the city, which would be based on the concept developed in Albert Park in Melbourne. Whether this race would be run by Pook is not clear but it is likely to be three or four years before the track could be ready. Pook is under contract to CART only until the end of next year.

[Jay]

yeah, that'd make sense...but anything the boss of Cart does, does involve Cart indirectly... Should be interesting anyway...

[Omega99]

Paul Gentilozzi? Nice. Good guy.

However, I don't think the purpose of CART should (or will be) to promote F1. How can you promote a series that's unpopular in the US with another series that's unpopular in the US? (relatively speaking, of course)

At any rate, Ecclestone makes me a bit nervous. Cut him out of the list of interested buyers, and I'd be happy, cause the rest of it looks pretty good. Ecclestone wouldn't put CART ahead of F1 if he doesn't put F1 ahead of his own pocketbook. He doesn't care about the racing, or the tradition, just the bottom line.

Like I've mentioned before, Mario Andretti, Paul Newman, and perhaps Gerry Forsythe, Paul Gentilozzi, Craig Pollock and Kevin Kalkhoven should be in charge, because they would at least keep a North American perspective on a sport that they are actually passionate about...

[Dov]

Originally posted by Omega99
Like I've mentioned before, Mario Andretti, Paul Newman, and perhaps Gerry Forsythe, Paul Gentilozzi, Craig Pollock and Kevin Kalkhoven should be in charge, because they would at least keep a North American perspective on a sport that they are actually passionate about...

I agreed with you up until you said Craig Pollock....he is just a Bernie Ecclestone want to be! As for Mr. Kalkhoven...I don't no enough about him. That being said, while Bernie makes me a LITTLE nervous, he may be the only businessman with the resources to insure CART's long term survival.

P.S. Pollock makes me more nervous then Ecclestone does.

[Lee Janotta]

I feel kinda sick about the whole idea, and it's giving me an unhealthy distrust of white-haired Englishmen.

Should have been at Laguna Seca 15 years ago, and should still be there now!

[corkholio]

Laguna Seca is nowhere near ready to handle a F1 race.

Having lived close by I have serious doubts about any automobiles racing in San Francisco. The attitute the city has towards car leads me to believe that this will probably get about as far as the Bahrain track did.

[Omega99]

Originally posted by Dov
I agreed with you up until you said Craig Pollock....he is just a Bernie Ecclestone want to be!

That's why I said "perhaps Gerry Forsythe, Paul Gentilozzi, Craig Pollock and Kevin Kalkhoven" but I think you are right about him though. His F1/Ecclestone ties run deep. I forgot he was one of the major proponents of the "American Grand Prix Series" idea, and to make CART an F1 feeder...

[corkholio]

http://www.speedtv.com/articles/auto/formulaone/7274/

At least I got a good out of it.

[Lee Janotta]

"Right Bernard, so when CART goes tits-up, you'll give me a nice break on the fees when F1 takes over Long Beach?"

[Superunknown]

Originally posted by Dov
From grandprix.com:

ro f'ing ock on.

[Superunknown]

Originally posted by corkholio
Laguna Seca is nowhere near ready to handle a F1 race.

Having lived close by I have serious doubts about any automobiles racing in San Francisco. The attitute the city has towards car leads me to believe that this will probably get about as far as the Bahrain track did.

should be fine as long as no one steps on grashoppers, or blocks bike paths, or displaces the homeless... yea, that should be about it

[Jay]

As I said before, you have to remember that F1 is about facilities - NOT the track layout. F1 would have left Spa long ago if they'd not installed the facilites (garage, pitside boxes, fancy media centre, helicopter landing areas etc). And that's part of why Silverstone might not have a GP despite putting on the best race of the year so far.

I wonder what Pook and Bernie discussed in their meeting? Guess the announcement was just speculation by the press...which makes sense. Any press conferences that have any significance are announced days in advance. My guess is Pook was just updating Bernie on the board meeting...perhaps getting some advice.

[Tailwind]

Does Paul Gentilozzi have the kind of money to compare with the others on the list? Those are some heavy hitters. I know Paul is well off, but still.

I don't know about San Francisco. Is that a market with strong ratings numbers? Do they like open wheel racing or would they be trying to creat a market and intrest. "If we build it, they will come."

[corkholio]

Originally posted by Tailwind
Does Paul Gentilozzi have the kind of money to compare with the others on the list? Those are some heavy hitters. I know Paul is well off, but still.

Gentilozzi owns Trans Am. Literally.

Originally posted by Tailwind
I don't know about San Francisco. Is that a market with strong ratings numbers? Do they like open wheel racing or would they be trying to creat a market and intrest. "If we build it, they will come."

I can tell you this much - the city of San Francisco likes cars about as much as Al Qaida likes Americans.

[Dov]

Originally posted by Superunknown
ro f'ing ock on.

WTF.... :confused:

[Superunknown]

Originally posted by corkholio
Gentilozzi owns Trans Am. Literally.

I can tell you this much - the city of San Francisco likes cars about as much as Al Qaida likes Americans.

that would explain the armada of beetles and jettas running around

[sgw2]

False rumor ...

SF will not have any motor race in the city streets anytime soon. Budget crisis and Democratic Party politics mean it is DOA. Actually I talked with my dad this morning and he tells me nobody has had the SFGP motorrace idea (any kind) on the radar screen of the planning department or Mayor's office in well over a year.

The rumor is a complete fabrication.

BTW, Paul gentilozzi was give just under $2M to take the Trans-Am off Don Panoz's hands (Panoz-Sanchez group), and run it. The cash was meant to cover the expected operational losses for 2003 and then some. Panoz has had to transfer money into the T/A for the last few yaers and was looking to dump it. Gentilozzi is now the benefactor of that series.

[Fish_Flake]

Conspiracy Theory: Arnold Schwarzenegger was at Silverstone "in relation" to the release of Terminator 3. For those of you who don't know, the state of California is planning a recall on the Democratic governor, Gray Davis. If a Republican receives more votes in the recall than Gov. Davis, who would be the only Democrat on the ballot, that person will assume the office. Polls show there is a dead heat among the top three Republican contenders: Congressman Darrell Issa, Los Angeles mayor Richard Riordan, and a certain actor named Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Perhaps, just perhaps, Ah-nold had a few arrangements on the side this weekend with some very important people, talking about the prospects of a second USGP race in California in the case that the recall is successful and Mr. Schwarzenegger becomes governor.

[Liz]

The other "facilities" necessary for running a USGP is something for the Beautiful People, Eurotrash and High Rollers to do and somewhere for them to stay, within reasonable distance of the race course. Road America and Laguna Seca fail both those tests almost as thoroughly as Indianapolis. Surely you don't expect the average F1 fan to jet into Eau Claire, Wisconsin for a weekend of hilarity and high rolling ... and think of the traffic jam getting to and from the tracks.

I heard the Budweiser guys talking about putting on some off-track events to attract people back to the USGP Indy who have discovered that they are paying huge sums of money for basically nothing -- no access to drivers, no support races, no festivals, no events, and no coverage -- and are not coming back for a second round. Perhaps they will wait to see if anything can be made of the Tony George Show before they try to set up a second round in another boring and isolated location where only people with cars or helicopters can go.