IndyCar Silly Season

[Down F0rce]

If Barron does end up getting the elbow from Cheever, it may very well be a blessing in disguise, if Penske and Ganassi do indeed enter a third car...

[Kicking-back]

Barron has driven for Penske before, of course.

[Down F0rce]

Originally posted by GP Racer
I havn't heard of this Mechachrome...

Did they not supply or at least badge engines for Williams in 98 and 99?

[Tim Northcutt]

Mechachrome has been involved in sportscar racing and such in many ways, shapes and forms....

Do a web search on them to find out more....I can't recall specific projects, so I don't want to share inaccurate info with you, but I've heard their name come up a lot on the Sportscar and GT Forum...

Concerning Rahal-Letterman and the tidbit about Vitor possibly being on the outside looking in....

You've got to be kidding me????

Sounds like Bobby is is letting the wrong head do his thinking for him...

It's the one that sits on your shoulders that has the brain in it...

[GP Racer]

I'm not sure if the Carl Hass rumor still has any life left in it, but...

I didn't watch the CC race from Vegas, but I caught some highlights on Windtunnel, and they showed Bruno Junquiera at the end of the race just crying and whining about God knows what again. I mean, is this guy ever happy, and will he ever toughen-up and grow up? Even Paul Newmann looked perplexed at his rant, and he had this look on his face that said "quit your crying already!"

So please Carl, if your coming our way, leave this guy behind!

My rant is over...

[Kicking-back]

Mechacrome used to be involved in servicing Renault F1 engines, yes.

And they're doing the engines for GP2 next year.

[Team Owner]

I goofed up. I was thinking about Scott Mayer when I said he would be in the #3 Brian Stewart MIPS car this weekend when I meant Marty Roth. Phil Giebler will be the replacment for Mini Al Unser if he can't drive.

[GP Racer]

I guess that means Phil Giebler lost his steady ride with Dusenburg Racing then?

Phil seems to have no luck at all. He may go down as one of our best, wasted young talents...

[Snrub]

Team Owner: You always come off as very credible, may I ask what your connection is to the series?

It seems to me that Mechachrome supplying engines to the IRL is either absurd or Chevy is bailing. Surely they nor Cheever have the $$$ to invest to run with Honda and Toyota.

[GP Racer]

Got this from the IndyCar website:

"Britton returns to Access Motorsports: Jeff Britton has returned to Access Motorsports as race engineer for the No. 13 Access Motorsports Panoz G Force/Honda/Firestone driven by Mark Taylor.

Britton, the team’s original race engineer when it was formed in 2003, has spent much of this season working for Mo Nunn Racing.

Yoshi Iwa****a, who has been with Mo Nunn Racing’s engineering staff for the last two seasons, has assumed the race engineer role for the No. 12 Pioneer Mo Nunn Racing Dallara/Toyota/Firestone driven by Tora Takagi.

Gee, Tora might be off the pace now without Jeff!

[Tim Northcutt]

Here are my questions, Team Owner:

1. Doesn't the engine have to be "Badged" as a production engine for the Series???

If YES, what badge might a Mecachrome engine carry???

2. What kind of approval process will Mecachrome have to go through with the IRL to be able to do this for Cheever???

3. Here is the big question: Do they have to be able to make this engine available to other competitors to be eligible for IRL competition???

Thanks!

[Team Owner]

Originally posted by Tim Northcutt
Here are my questions, Team Owner:

1. Doesn't the engine have to be "Badged" as a production engine for the Series???

If YES, what badge might a Mecachrome engine carry???

2. What kind of approval process will Mecachrome have to go through with the IRL to be able to do this for Cheever???

3. Here is the big question: Do they have to be able to make this engine available to other competitors to be eligible for IRL competition???

Thanks!

#1 Yes What badge? I don't know

#2 Mechachrome would be doing this for themselves not necessarily for Cheever

#3 Yes. IF they were approved they would have to supply other teams with their engines but I don't know how many.


I think the interest by Mechachrome started with the MIPS series but now they are thinking about the Indy Car Series. Why? I don't know unless an engine manufacture and/or chassis builder is leaving the series.

GPRacer. Britton is leaving because Mo Nunn Racing might not run an Indy Car next year.
Yosh has been Toras spotter and is a former F-1 engineer

Snrub. Now if I told you who I was it wouldn't be any fun anymore now would it?

I can't believe I just used a smiley. I hardly ever do that.

[Tim Northcutt]

Mechachrome's close ties with Renault, which has ties and a working agreement with Nissan and thus Mechachrome also built a sportscar engine for LMP2 class at Le Mans called the JPX that was derived from a 3.4 L Nissan V-6, and Nissan is the "badged" engine for MIPS via its Infiniti line that Mecachrome was already involved in....and Nissan was in the IRL until 2003 badged as Infiniti....

Hmmm...

Is Nissan coming back to the IRL????

I know this seems far-fetched, because they did not do well for most of their previous tenure in the League, but there are way too many relationships and very close ties going on here....

Maybe Nissan feels Mecachrome can build the IRL powerplant better than what they had before by applying what they have learned from other forms of racing in Europe....

This could be interesting....

[Tim Northcutt]

Indycool posted this info on the other open-wheel Forum:

1. Carpentier was quoted in today's Toronto Globe & Mail that he has spoken with AGR, Patrick, Cheever and Nunn, and that he was still in discussions with Nunn and Cheever...and sorry, Robin Miller, but Patrick says nothing has been signed...

2. Autosport is reporting that Mecachrome is looking to partner with someone to buy Cosworth, so that they can keep the F-1 engine program going and, in turn, continue the IRL engine program as well...

Just thought I'd share that over here....

Thanks, Indycool....

[GP Racer]

That partner for Mechachrome could be none other than Flavio Briatore! The full article is on the Speed web-site.

"Flavio Briatore is considering a joint bid with French engine specialist Mechachrome to acquire Cosworth Racing, Autosport.com reports."

Geez, what a life that Flav leads...

[Down F0rce]

I think Nunn would really benefit from Patrick. Tora has lost his edge it seems....

[GP Racer]

Got this from the Rumor Bin of paddock talks web-site:


IRL: Tomas Scheckter Signed???

The rumormill says... Tomas Scheckter is signed, or PM verbally committed for a second year at Panther Racing.


Is this a good thing fellas? I'm still up in the air about how good Tomas really is...

[Down F0rce]

I'd say yes. Tomas was a bit of a crash artist at Cheever, and at the start of his Ganassi carrer, but since the '03 Indy 500 he has really improved, but suffered from real bad luck.

[BootsOntheSide]

Tomas is supposedly brilliant when it comes to car setup - if this has helped Pantehr get better setups than Cheever, their respective championship positions are even mroe puzzling. Although they've been unlucky, and things have improved with Bell at the wheel, Tomas has always strugged to bring results home. He's had enough chances now, and I'm not sure I'd keep him on.

[GP Racer]

Well, it sounds like I'm not the only one who doesn't know what to do about Tomas!


Some of you guys might remember that NASCAR had bought some property to build a mile long oval, here in New York City, Staten Island to be exact.

Well, like I thought all along, the plan got squashed yesterday by our good Mayor Bloomberg. He said the traffic caused by this track would be monumental, and while he is correct, his attitude in the press conference towards car racing in general, was just awful, and I'm quite sure that he guaranteed that NASCAR, or F1 for that matter, will not build a track anywhere in this city now, they'll take it to New Jersey.

I guess my dreams of seeing the IRL in my good city are over...

Very smart Mr Mayor!

[Kicking-back]

Tomas Schekter deserves to be kept on by Panther.

The lack of results recently has not been of his own making.

[Snrub]

Originally posted by Team Owner
Snrub. Now if I told you who I was it wouldn't be any fun anymore now would it?

You can keep your identity safe, I just want to know if you are actually involved with an IRL team directly, work indirectly, etc. Otherwise I'll just assume your name is "Roger".

[GP Racer]

The newest rumor going around, as it was broadcasted during the Fontana race, and by RM on Windtunnel, is that the Delphi car, along with Scott Sharp, will be going to Panther Racing, as their 3rd car. My only problem with this is the Delphi car is a Toyota, and Panther runs Chevies. Could that prove to be a problem?

I like this deal for Scott, simply because it puts him on a winning team, albeit a team with no luck, but still, a winner! Maybe he can bring some expierience and more importantly, some stability to that team.

Looks like everyone wants a 3 car team! Great stuff!

[Tim Northcutt]

Maybe we should consolidate some of the "news" that is floating around in other threads into this one....

Supposedly, the International Announcing team was saying that Pat Patrick will have Enge and Jacques Lazier for 2005, and that the two-car effort for the final race at Texas for Access Motorsports will be for 2005 as well....

The Indy Star says Mo Nunn is probably going to part ways with Tora....and he could be fielding Alex Barron and Patrick Carpentier next year....not quite sure on the drivers, but Nunn wants to possibly expand to two entries....and Tora doesn't seem to be in the mix....

Ganassi also is looking at adding a 3rd entrant....

Fernandez was mentioned in Sunday's Indy Star as a likely 3-car team for 2005....

We already know about Dreyer & Rheinbold's plans....

The Star also said Rahal will probably run Buddy, Danica and Vitor next year...with a possible 4th, or even a 5th entry at Indy....one driver noted in this "Indy effort" is Brack...I don't see that happening...but the other is Yashukawa...happened this year...maybe next as well???

Cheever is supposedly talking with Carpentier...but interesting news also gotten from the Star said that neither Barron, nor Ed Carpenter have been signed for next year...Carpenter's agreement has an option for 2005 that Cheever has not picked up yet...


Finally, Foyt said that unless he picks up a sponsor to replace Conseco, he could become a part-time team...

If teams are going to expand, I'm hoping it will be with new drivers and entries added onto current numbers, as opposed to teams "transferring" to another race operation...like the Sharp & Delphi move....

[luke]

It makes sence Tim but hasn't Adrian got his own team and I fought he was expanding! is he going to keep his team and run at Chip Ganassi?

I really have no idea!