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22 Jan 2003, 22:49 (Ref:482917)
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#1 | ||
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Veteran
Join Date: Jun 2001
Posts: 8,125
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American Spirit
Steven Johnson is to announce his drivers tomorrow (Thursday) at noon ET.
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22 Jan 2003, 23:45 (Ref:482962)
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#2 | ||
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Racer
Join Date: Nov 2002
Posts: 485
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I expect Jimmy Vasser should be one of them.
No so clear about who the second seat will have anymore. (Hunter-Reay? Enge? Pantani? someone else?) Should be fun! |
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22 Jan 2003, 23:53 (Ref:482970)
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#3 | ||
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Veteran
Join Date: Jun 2002
Posts: 1,301
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Steven Johnson
 Although I don't have high hopes I would really like to see Memo get one of the seats. How 'bout you Liz? 
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__________________
A good friend will come bail you out of jail. A true freind will be sitting next to you saying "Damn...that was fun!" |
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23 Jan 2003, 00:03 (Ref:482980)
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#4 | ||
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Veteran
Join Date: Feb 1999
Posts: 12,451
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I see Memo is over at Seventh Gear shaking his bonbon and wearing his "Will Drive For Food" sign.
 I think Steve Johnson (!) will take Hunter-Reay as his driver, and I have heard a lot of rumours about Vasser driving for NA$CAR next year -- plus he has said " The only thing I know for sure is that I'll be driving the Rahal car at Indy." Now, how can he do that AND drive a Champ Car in Germany in the same weekend? Last edited by Liz; 23 Jan 2003 at 00:03. |
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__________________
"If we won all the time, we'd be as unpopular as Ferrari, and we want to avoid that. We enjoy being a team that everybody likes." Flavio Briatore |
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23 Jan 2003, 00:32 (Ref:483009)
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#5 | |
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Veteran
Join Date: Dec 2002
Posts: 579
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Vasser, Hunter-Reay sign with new team
Posted on Wed, Jan. 22, 2003
Vasser, Hunter-Reay sign with new team Associated Press INDIANAPOLIS - Former CART series champion Jimmy Vasser and highly touted rookie Ryan Hunter-Reay will be teammates this season on the new American Spirit team. The driver announcement Wednesday made the team owned and directed by former Formula One and CART driver Stefan Johansson of Sweden the only one in CART with American drivers. "This has the feeling of six, seven, eight years ago when teams were smaller and more hands-on," said Vasser, the 1996 series champion. "And I think CART is going to be more of a drivers' series now." Johansson, who previously owned an Indy Lights team, said he and Vasser are close friends. "But more important, it's hugely important for a team like ours to have somebody with his experience to give everybody direction," the team owner said. The 37-year-old Vasser has 10 victories and eight poles, and has made 165 consecutive Champ car starts. Al Unser Jr. made a record 192. The 22-year-old Hunter-Reay won three races and three poles last season in the Toyota Atlantic Series. "He has talent and raw speed, and I think having Jimmy as a teammate will help him make gains in a hurry," Johansson said. Besides the 20-race CART schedule, Vasser plans to compete in eight to 12 NASCAR Busch series events for Braun Racing, which has been fielding cars in the ARCA stock car series. Vasser had the fastest lap Tuesday in Busch testing at Daytona International Speedway. 
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23 Jan 2003, 00:34 (Ref:483011)
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#6 | ||
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Racer
Join Date: Nov 2002
Posts: 485
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Liz,
Germany is May 11, Indy is May 25. But it does mess up qualifying for sure. One possibility you should consider is that Adrian Fernandez, Jimmy Vasser and perhaps even Bruno Junqueira may have substitute European drivers fill in at Lausitz, so they can get ready for Indy qualifying. Brands Hatch is less of an obstacle. On Vasser, he told reporters that he is dipping into his own money to pay for his CART ride. Also his BGN Dodge ride is only for a dozen races, not the full season. |
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23 Jan 2003, 00:35 (Ref:483012)
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#7 | ||
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Veteran
Join Date: Aug 1999
Posts: 9,208
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Wow, great stuff
Is that officially the 18 we need?BTW- is Hunter-Reay the real deal? How will he stack up in the field of Rookies and non-rookies? |
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__________________
Love you long time |
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23 Jan 2003, 00:37 (Ref:483014)
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#8 | ||
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Veteran
Join Date: Jul 1999
Posts: 6,038
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He's very quick, but if there's a first corner incident, he seems to be involved in it. Haven't heard from him in a while...
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__________________
"I used to hate writing, but now I enjoy it. I realized that the purpose of writing is to inflate weak ideas, obscure poor reasoning, and inhibit clarity. With a little practice, writing can be an intimidating and impenetrable fog!" - Calvin and Hobbes |
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23 Jan 2003, 01:16 (Ref:483050)
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#9 | ||
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Racer
Join Date: Nov 2002
Posts: 485
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http://customwire.ap.org/dynamic/sto...RICAN_DRIVERS?
It's official. That makes 13 drivers announced. PK Racing is the 14th entry I'd call firm. Autoweek has a soft count of 17 - I presume they add Bourdais at Newman-Haas, Moreno at Herdez (I think this one the most likely to happen), and I assume a second Walker car with Lavin. They also offer speculation about an 18th car with Emerson Fittipaldi fronting for a 2nd Patrick entry, perhaps with Bryan Herta. But I am inclined not to include any of these yet. We are getting there. Relax. |
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23 Jan 2003, 06:51 (Ref:483184)
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#10 | ||
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Veteran
Join Date: Jul 2001
Posts: 7,294
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Great news.
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__________________
Sunderland Til I Die! |
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23 Jan 2003, 12:01 (Ref:483367)
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#11 | ||
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Veteran
Join Date: Feb 1999
Posts: 12,451
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Excellent news! That is one more settled then. Best of luck to the team and I do hope HR doesn't turn out to be another Mr. Bell.
Glad to have the update on Vasser; I couldn't make out what he was doing, and that schedule sounds very stressful but keeps his feet in all camps I guess. Since when did NH want to run at the IRL 500? Mr. Newman has been VERY vocal on the subject in the past. Or will they take his name off the team for the duration? |
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__________________
"If we won all the time, we'd be as unpopular as Ferrari, and we want to avoid that. We enjoy being a team that everybody likes." Flavio Briatore |
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23 Jan 2003, 14:03 (Ref:483497)
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#12 | ||
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Veteran
Join Date: Sep 2001
Posts: 13,000
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No surprise here, but it should be a strong team. The series did need some Americans present, and its good to ahve a team they can cheer for, even if it's Steven Johnson in charge.
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23 Jan 2003, 16:51 (Ref:483666)
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#13 | ||
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Veteran
Join Date: Sep 1998
Posts: 2,762
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At Indy, its not about the driver as much as the car. Anyone can go and qualify a car for the grid and then someone else can drive it, but they give up their grid position. So, Rahal can have someone qualify the car and then Vasser can drive it from last place. Now thats the way it used to be and TG may have changed it by now.
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__________________
Never forget #99 |
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23 Jan 2003, 18:03 (Ref:483720)
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#14 | ||
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Racer
Join Date: Nov 2002
Posts: 485
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Liz,
It might happen. TRD has reserved an engine after talking with Mr. Haas. Whether it happens or not I don't know. But I do know Junky wants to be at Indy and so does Adrian. Putting Memmo Gidly or Luiz Diaz in for one race in far off Germany wont change the Championship much, but it will make Adrian's sponsors happy. BTW, Mr. Newman hasn't said peep lately. Also wasn't Bobby Rahal real vocal too? |
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23 Jan 2003, 19:55 (Ref:483798)
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#15 | |||
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Veteran
Join Date: Nov 2002
Posts: 4,744
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Quote:
I am concerned about the numbers now. The first race day is exactly 1 month away. Where are the announcements? Last edited by Snrub; 23 Jan 2003 at 19:59. |
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__________________
No Rotor, No Motor. |
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23 Jan 2003, 20:19 (Ref:483809)
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#16 | ||
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Veteran
Join Date: Jun 2001
Posts: 8,125
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True dat. Driver announcements are great, but we need team announcements!
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__________________
Don't make a fuss, just get on the bus! |
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23 Jan 2003, 22:26 (Ref:483924)
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#17 | ||
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Veteran
Join Date: Jul 2001
Posts: 7,294
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Well, I'm not too worried because it's expected some team-driver combinations just won't make it to St. Petersberg as it's just too early for them to get it all together. As long as we have 16-18 cars there, we should have 20 by Long Beach. It just takes time...
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__________________
Sunderland Til I Die! |
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23 Jan 2003, 22:53 (Ref:483970)
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#18 | ||
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Veteran
Join Date: May 2001
Posts: 5,702
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Quote:
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24 Jan 2003, 00:37 (Ref:484069)
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#19 | |
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Veteran
Join Date: Sep 2002
Posts: 1,480
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If Fernandez is Haas are going to Indy then
it will be the other way around and they will have the cars qualified by another driver and start at the back. 2 rounds is too much to miss if you're after the Championship seriously. |
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__________________
"All this amateur analysis leads nowhere and is insignificant......So you waste hours, days, months, years of your life for what end? A bit of one-upmanship on the internet?" - Wilton969 |
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24 Jan 2003, 18:34 (Ref:484816)
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#20 | ||
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Veteran
Join Date: Jun 2001
Posts: 8,125
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Just did a quick search to see if the American Spirit team had a website up yet. What I came up with is another team running by the same name. Are they somehow linked?
http://www.americanspiritracing.com |
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__________________
Don't make a fuss, just get on the bus! |
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24 Jan 2003, 18:58 (Ref:484827)
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#21 | ||
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Veteran
Join Date: Mar 2000
Posts: 2,739
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American Spirit Team Johansson is Stefan Johansson's CART team name, the ALMS team is a different entity. This could get confusing.
Attached is a link to Stefan Johansson's website, primarily it still deals with his prototype racing http://www.johanssonracing.com/ |
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__________________
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 !" |
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24 Jan 2003, 19:09 (Ref:484831)
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#22 | ||
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Veteran
Join Date: Jun 2001
Posts: 8,125
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Thanks. A search for "Steven Johnson Racing" didn't yield much!
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__________________
Don't make a fuss, just get on the bus! |
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