|
||||||||||
|
||||||||||
1 Feb 2005, 13:30 (Ref:1214617) | #1 | ||
Racer
Join Date: Feb 2005
Posts: 269
|
Newman-Haas Vs. RuSport?
Hi all,
I only started to really pay an interest in Champ Car last year when Justin Wilson moved from Formula-1 to MiJack. I then met him at last years Goodwood Festival of Speed (top bloke) and this heightened my interest further. Anyway...how much of a challenge do you think Wilson and Allmendinger will pose to Newman-Haas this year what with the budget and experience defecit between the two? |
||
|
1 Feb 2005, 13:34 (Ref:1214629) | #2 | ||
Veteran
Join Date: Sep 2001
Posts: 13,000
|
Not very much, to be honest. Initially Newman-Haas will simply be too strong, although I'm sure RuSport will win at least one race. AJ has an advantage over Justin within the team, as it moved into ChampCars purely to create a drive for him (they only added their second car in 2004 at the last minute, remember), so Justin will be doing well to match him, although I'd regard him as equally-talented.
|
||
|
1 Feb 2005, 13:35 (Ref:1214631) | #3 | ||
Veteran
Join Date: Feb 2003
Posts: 5,721
|
RuSPORT could do very well. If you think about it, given drivers and budgets, Newman-Haas have in some ways underperformed over the past twenty years. Allmendinger/Wilson is a good line-up (though Bourdais might be a shade quicker than either of them); much may come down to consistency, as so often the way in Champ Cars.
|
||
__________________
Interviewer: "Will the McLaren F1 be your answer to the Ferrari F40?" Gordon Murray: "Hmm... I don't think we have anyone at McLaren who can weld that badly..." |
1 Feb 2005, 16:40 (Ref:1214752) | #4 | ||
Veteran
Join Date: Nov 2002
Posts: 4,744
|
It's a tough call. RuSport defied all expectations last year, will they make a big jump forward in performance? If so they have a chance against NH. Look at teams like Herdez, Rocketsports and PKV. In 2003 they were pretty competitive and I think a lot of people were expecting them to perform at the top in 2004. That didn't really happen. I mention that as a suggestion that it may not be easy to advance a team's standing.
One thing that goes in everyone's favor is that there should be broader based competition to NH. Even if NH is always at the top, if each weekend a couple of drivers have "surprised" performances, it could mean that they are competition to NH that weekend. I think there's reason to suspect all the teams of this, with the possible exceptions of Conquest, Walker and Coyne. Even among those teams there are possibilities. Last year we saw Wilson up front a couple of times, Walker has a good history and they were pretty successful with Manning in 2003 and obviously Servia had some good showings last year. |
||
__________________
No Rotor, No Motor. |
1 Feb 2005, 17:41 (Ref:1214785) | #5 | |||
Veteran
Join Date: Aug 2003
Posts: 995
|
Quote:
I do think that Rusport will be a formidable opponent this year though. Both of their drivers now know all the tracks, and Rusport is prepared to run 2 cars from the start, not as a last minute thing like last year. I think Allmendinger suffered a bit last year having a teammate added at the last minute. Also, I don't know the actual budgets betweeen NHR and Rusport, but I would doubt that there is a big difference. Carl Russo is a VERY successful man. |
|||
__________________
"You will never know the feeling of a driver when winning a race. The helmet hides feelings that cannot be understood." - Ayrton Senna |
1 Feb 2005, 18:08 (Ref:1214816) | #6 | |
Registered User
Veteran
Join Date: Feb 2003
Posts: 16,661
|
I think RuSport will be the main challenger, along with Paul Tracy, but there's no reason to think the Newman-Haas/Bourdais combination won't be too strong for everyone again.
|
|
|
1 Feb 2005, 19:03 (Ref:1214874) | #7 | ||
Veteran
Join Date: Sep 2001
Posts: 13,000
|
I can see the top 10 beign something like:
1 Bourdais 2 Junquiera 3 Tracy 4 Allmendinger 5 da Matta 6 Dominguez (if he remains, which looks 80% likely to me) 7 Tagliani 8 Wilson 9 Vasser 10 Hunter Reay But it's a fairly tough call. |
||
|
1 Feb 2005, 22:00 (Ref:1214999) | #8 | |||
Veteran
Join Date: Nov 2002
Posts: 4,744
|
Quote:
|
|||
__________________
No Rotor, No Motor. |
1 Feb 2005, 22:09 (Ref:1215016) | #9 | ||
Veteran
Join Date: Sep 2001
Posts: 13,000
|
PKV did get better in reality, considering that Jimmy had a solid top-10 season. They did well enough to lure a former champion in, and that says something? And Rocketsports got a lot closer, especially in the first half of the season. And both Herdez drivers won races for the first time ever.
|
||
|
1 Feb 2005, 22:22 (Ref:1215028) | #10 | |||
Veteran
Join Date: Aug 2003
Posts: 995
|
Quote:
|
|||
__________________
"You will never know the feeling of a driver when winning a race. The helmet hides feelings that cannot be understood." - Ayrton Senna |
2 Feb 2005, 10:05 (Ref:1215328) | #11 | |||
Racer
Join Date: Feb 2005
Posts: 269
|
Quote:
|
|||
|
2 Feb 2005, 19:49 (Ref:1215811) | #12 | |||
Racer
Join Date: Aug 2002
Posts: 221
|
Quote:
|
|||
|
2 Feb 2005, 19:51 (Ref:1215818) | #13 | |||
Veteran
Join Date: Aug 2004
Posts: 7,263
|
Quote:
The future looks more than bright. |
|||
__________________
The thrill from west hill |
2 Feb 2005, 22:18 (Ref:1215981) | #14 | ||
Veteran
Join Date: Mar 2000
Posts: 2,739
|
It does look good doesn't it.
|
||
__________________
A torrential afternoon practice session in Watkins Glen saw Villeneuve out-qualify everyone. By 11 seconds.Scheckter stated: "I scared myself rigid that day, I thought I had to be quickest. Then I saw Gilles's time and - I still don't really understand how it was possible. Eleven seconds !" |
2 Feb 2005, 22:50 (Ref:1216018) | #15 | ||
Veteran
Join Date: Sep 2001
Posts: 13,000
|
It certainly is promising - that top 10 features 4 past champions, 6 North Americans including 3 from the US, 3 F3000 champions and 2 with F1 experience - something for everyone, I'd say.
|
||
|
2 Feb 2005, 23:21 (Ref:1216041) | #16 | ||
Veteran
Join Date: Mar 2003
Posts: 1,236
|
It's certainly an interesting prospect, you'd have to say last year was a bit of a case of the newer teams still finding their feet compettitveness wise while you'd have expected the teams that ended up leaving would've used their greater experience to beat them had they stayed, but now the new teams and drivers have had a full Champcar year under their belts the sky is the limit hopefully!
Well, Newman-Haas is the limit, and I look foward to see which of the newer teams can take them on in 2005! (And if Forsythe wakes up and gives them what for too! ) |
||
__________________
We need to win like you need to breathe.... |
2 Feb 2005, 23:42 (Ref:1216053) | #17 | ||
Veteran
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 4,536
|
it seems un fair the Juggernaut legend team versus the Newbies
Allthough the RuSport chemistry and team dynamics are well put together and they have tremendous experience, and they have shown well, they are new to this level and have much to learn compared to the N-H superteam. the battles though will be good this year, N-H forythe, PKV, RuSport, oh what fun |
||
__________________
SuperTrucks rule- end of story. Listen to my ramblings! Follow my twitter @davidAET I am shameless ... |
3 Feb 2005, 22:09 (Ref:1216940) | #18 | ||
Rookie
Join Date: Aug 2001
Posts: 25
|
Newman-Haas Vs. RuSport?
This is what Bourdais has to say on the subject!
'I think it's going to be much harder to win this year. First, because RuSPORT is going to be much stronger. To me, that's the number one opponent. Not that I underestimate Tracy, but I'm not quite sure that Forsythe is working as hard as RuSPORT.' 'I definitely think our first opponents are going to be Wilson and A.J. They're both very fast drivers and strong racers. They were strong last year and finished well even though they didn't know some of the tracks and were new to the series. They're going to show up this year with two very good drivers. I know Justin very well. I've competed against him many times and I think they're going to be a very strong package. With A.J. and Justin and (engineer) David Brown I think they're going to be tough to beat. I don't expect an easy year.' |
||
__________________
Never give up! |
4 Feb 2005, 01:11 (Ref:1217043) | #19 | |||
Veteran
Join Date: Mar 2000
Posts: 2,739
|
Quote:
"BRING OUT THE CHROME HORN!!!" Last edited by enemy-ace; 4 Feb 2005 at 01:12. |
|||
__________________
A torrential afternoon practice session in Watkins Glen saw Villeneuve out-qualify everyone. By 11 seconds.Scheckter stated: "I scared myself rigid that day, I thought I had to be quickest. Then I saw Gilles's time and - I still don't really understand how it was possible. Eleven seconds !" |
4 Feb 2005, 01:19 (Ref:1217044) | #20 | ||
Veteran
Join Date: Aug 2004
Posts: 588
|
Predictions? I'll go with:
1. Bourdais -- Easily the favorite. Several wins. 2. Allmendinger -- Will be the most impressive. A few wins 3. Wilson -- IMO, has been underrated by a lot of people. A few wins 4. Junqueria -- A propensity to underwhelm. A win or two. 5. Tracy -- Forsythe is in decline. A win or two. 6. Da Matta -- PKV just isn't a top team yet. Maybe a win or two. |
||
__________________
Ten-Tenths F1 Results Prediction Competition—2005 Champion! |
7 Feb 2005, 18:33 (Ref:1219679) | #21 | |||
Racer
Join Date: Dec 2003
Posts: 343
|
Quote:
|
|||
|
7 Feb 2005, 20:29 (Ref:1219747) | #22 | ||
Veteran
Join Date: Nov 2002
Posts: 4,744
|
I don't feel like I can make a good prediction... I feel like Bourdais will have less success, PT will have a similar average, but better lows, Junquiera similar, AJ a win or two, CDM a couple of wins, Jimmy a win, Wilson maybe a win.
I find it frustrated that Forsythe has dumped all this money into the series, but he won't pay that little bit more to make his team a championship contender. I can't blame him, but last year it took a lot of the excitement out of the series. I really hope the lesser teams can get up to the front on a regular basis. Guys like Tag, Servia, Dominguez have the ability to do it, they just need the car. It would be great to see Valiente in the series and getting a few podiums for Walker. Both deserve it. |
||
__________________
No Rotor, No Motor. |
8 Feb 2005, 16:53 (Ref:1220569) | #23 | ||
Veteran
Join Date: Jun 2001
Posts: 8,125
|
It's only testing, but RuSport was quicker than N/H in Sebring.
50.64 - Allmendinger 50.90 - Wilson 50.90 - Junqueira 50.99 - Vasser 51.60 - Philippe 51.70 - Figge Other teams are expected to join Forsythe in Homestead, Feb. 17-18. |
||
__________________
Don't make a fuss, just get on the bus! |
|
|
Similar Threads | ||||
Thread | Thread Starter | Forum | Replies | Last Post |
Haas to run 2 in IRL: Newman | indycool | IRL Indycar Series | 139 | 3 Sep 2004 20:53 |
Newman and Haas at it again? | Dov | ChampCar World Series | 25 | 22 Sep 2003 00:25 |
Second Newman/Haas car | Laagri | ChampCar World Series | 18 | 30 Jan 2003 23:00 |
Dixon to Newman Haas?? | tanalised | ChampCar World Series | 10 | 25 Sep 2002 12:52 |
Newman-Haas to IRL? | paul-collins | ChampCar World Series | 21 | 21 Sep 2002 12:12 |