Dominguez gone for 2005?

[BootsOntheSide]

According to Autosport, Dominguez is going to the newly-merged Midland-Jordan F1 team for 2005, rather than 2006 as previously expected. Thsi woudl arguably be a disaster for ChampCars, with no top Mexican driver left, and no guarantee of a second HVM entry.

[Kicking-back]

Almost certain that Dominguez will be with Jordan this year - he was part of the Midland delegation who had key meetings at Dallara and with the FIA before Christmas.

[StickShift]

This might put the whole HVM team in jeapordy. Any chance of that Pemex deal must be dead if Dominguez is leaving.

[jjspierx]

Is there any other word or confirmation of this besides autosport?

[StickShift]

The official word is supposed to come next Sunday. Autosport seems very confident in their reporting though.

[Tenoch]

The PEMEX deal was dead in principle since it begun.

[macdaddy]

I read the "Silly Season" thread before reading this one,
I think that my post there should have been in this thread instead...

This will have ramifications that we should not underestimate or ignore.

[Dov]

Things will get worse before they get better.

[Dov]

Does Dominguez have one year left on his contract or is he free to do what he pleases?

[StickShift]

Any contract he does have can easily be bought out by a Russian-billionaire.

[jjspierx]

Eddie Jordan is denying the Midland deal...
http://www.grandprix.com/ns/ns14100.html

[Kicking-back]

That doesn't mean it isn't happening, of course

[jjspierx]

You really never know with Eddie Jordan.

[Kicking-back]

Eddie's now saying that such a deal would helo the team.

http://www.autosport.com/newsitem.asp?id=41518&s=5

[Snrub]

So is the Midland thing happening this year or what? Even if it happends I thought Dominguez was signed to Wiggans for 2005? If so it might save the team because Midland would have to likely have to pony up some fairly serious cash to get Dominguez.

If you read the newest SpeedTV article on RHR it is sort of suggested that he'd be with a different team.

I think Dov may be right about things first getting worse before they're better. We're just so use to radical saves that we seem to expect it. This may not be the case.

I firmly agree with those who think this whole thing could spell disaster.

[BootsOntheSide]

It's been getting worse for each of the last 4 years - wiill it really get better if Mexico is lost as a major market, and Canada weakened? Foreign markets are much mroe fickle than the US, especially the road courses that've been lost. De Ferran, Castroneves, Brack, Dixon, Kanaan, Franchitti, Barron, Takagi, Nakano, Carpentier, Dominguez, Fernandez, Jourdain, Team Green, Penske, Ganassi, Mo Nunn, PacWest.... how long does the list have to be? Also, by rights hotshots like Rice, Wheldon and Briscoe would've gone to ChampCars. Sad to say, this is another major blow.

[Tenoch]

I hope this doesnt happen, I imagine it would be even harder for HVM to find sponsorship. They were pretty much insisting that more Mexican sponsors would take over and I seriously doubt that happening if Mario leaves. But who knows maybe the Memo Rojas, and David Martinez will come over and bring the TELMEX sponsorship they have added to the one that Adrian lost.

[Snrub]

Tenoch: What can you tell us about Rojas and Martinez?

I certainly see Boots' point and I think we all share that frustration. I will say that of that list, I don't consider De Ferran, Brack, Barron, Takagi and Nakano big losses. The later three weren't/aren't that great and have been replaced by equal or better talent. De Farren and Brack were very talented, but the first retired and somehow I doubt the second will ever race OW again. I would add Manning to the list.

[BootsOntheSide]

Maybe I'm reading too much into this, but I think the low opinions of Barron are indicative of part of the problem in OW (increasingly, IRL as much as ChampCars). Alex was a ladder series product, who paid his dues for years, scrambled around for often-underfunded rides and held on to them as long as he could, often threatening to take great results, before losing out either to guys with funding, or incoming overseas drivers. He could've been a major star, just like Jeff Gordon, Tony Stewart, Ryan Newman and so many more.

[Snrub]

I don't know, I realize Barron had lesser equipment, but I've never hugely impressed with him. Other drivers like Servia, Max Wilson (whos team wasn't able to test even once - they showed up and raced at a time when that was unheard of), Castro Neves, Franchetti and to some extent Dixon showed that they could periodically perform really well lesser equipment.

In modern CC I would equate it to Manning, Haberfeld, Tag, Salo in 2003 and Servia, Haberfeld, AJ, Wilson, Tag in 2004.

[mac]

Yeah, I've never been sold on Barron myself.

[Tenoch]

Memo Rojas finished in second place in the Barber dodge pro series in 2003, last year he raced in Formula renault V6, where he finished in with 62 points with a best being thrid place at Donnington in the supersprint and a fourth place at Dubai in the grand race.

As for David Martinez he also ran in the Formula Renault V6 I'm not sure of his results but he is scheduled to test for HVM according to Mexico's Reforma newspaper. Both of them are sponsored by TELMEX.

[Tenoch]

sorry about that only rojas is sponsored by TELMEX. Martinez is sponsored by TELCEL. he has eight top ten finishes, but he did not run a full season.

[Dov]

Originally Posted by mac

Yeah, I've never been sold on Barron myself.

Agreed. You could put most average racecar drivers in a IRL car and they'll look like an Unser, Andretti, Emmo, Tracy, etc. JMO!

[D.R.T.]

Could Roberto Gonzalez with Nextel also come into frame at Wiggins