Indycar News & Rumors.

[Paradise City]

I think the winter will be a great test for this series and we'll know the results by seeing how many full time entrants do ultimately line up for the first race in 2014. Then I'll breathe a sign of relief - or not.

I'm not sunny with optimism now because several key sponsors have left and I don't know what outside the 500 will entice replacements. It won't be the ratings that's for sure. If an American champ doesn't stimulate TV ratings what will? This is what concerns me for the short term.

[bjohnsonsmith]

I Wasn't too sure where to post this as the race is over and there's some speculation as to his career, so here it goes under Indycar News & rumours

Dario out of hospital but will undergo further surgery on his ankle.

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/110510

[HJJ]

It's thought to be the best sponsorship package in the IndyCar paddock and it's heading to another team in 2014.

RACER has learned that the National Guard is leaving Panther Racing following the Oct. 19 finale in Fontana, Calif. in favor of the team of Bobby Rahal, David Letterman and Mike Lanigan.

And 25-year-old American Graham Rahal will become the new face of The Guard for the IndyCar Series.

Panther owner John Barnes, who landed the National Guard as his primary sponsor in 2008, did not return phone calls but a source familiar with the inner workings of the Guard confirmed the change.Bobby Rahal, who began fielding a car for his son this season, was unavailable for comment, as was Lanigan and young Rahal.

The Guard sponsorship has reportedly been anywhere from $10-13 million per year and includes a substantial at-the-track program for current Guardsmen and women, in addition to honoring past war heroes.

Barnes, who started Panther Racing in 1998, captured back-to-back Indy Racing League championships with Sam Hornish Jr. in 2001 and 2002 in addition to winning 15 races with Scott Goodyear, Tomas Scheckter and Hornish, but the last of these wins came in 2005. Since The Guard came on board, Panther hasn't won a race – scoring eight top-three finishes with Vitor Meira, the late Dan Wheldon, Ed Carpenter and J.R. Hildebrand. The latter came within one corner of winning the 2011 Indianapolis 500 before hitting the wall and finishing second but was fired following an early accident last May at Indianapolis.

Australian Ryan Briscoe and Spain's Oriol Servia have shared the No. 4 Dallara/Chevy since Indy and Briscoe was supposedly in line to get the ride for 2014.

The Guard bids its contract annually and its believed several teams, including Sam Schmidt, Andretti, Rahal/Letterman/Lanigan and Panther all submitted proposals for 2014.

Rahal/Letterman/Lanigan Racing is currently a two-car team with James Jakes and Graham Rahal but this new deal figures to allow the 1986 Indy 500 winner to hire a winner like Justin Wilson, James Hinchcliffe, Briscoe or Servia to join young Rahal, who has been sponsored by Blu Cigarettes, Midas and Big O Tires in 2013.

.

[rwintle]

Thanks for that. Interesting tidbit I hadn't realized - cigarette sponsorship is alive and well? Blu cigarettes, really? Wow.

[Stefvh]

it's an e-cigarette brand.

[mythoughtsareracing]

I'm pretty sure that Blu and other e-cig brands can market because they technically aren't tobacco products.

An e-cig is a small vaporizer. What you're vaporizing is some compound (likely an infused oil) that includes nicotine, which is what gets you hooked on tobacco products. It's just a delivery method for nicotine that's less likely to give you lung cancer. After all, it's the smoke and the by-products that kill you, not the highly addictive nicotine itself.

Sure, they're manufactured, marketed and sold by Philip Morris and the other tobacco brands. But so what?

[Yannick]

The article above asks the question: What now, Panther Racing?

Though I've never been a fan of this team, it would be quite sad if yet another motor racing organisation were to leave the series.

[Nikki Katz]

Yeah, I don't really want Panther to leave either, though I do think that Rahal are probably more deserving of the sponsorship, and I'm not really expecting a turnaround in Panther's form next year. I think I'd rather see Herta survive the winter if they field Filippi than Panther though.

I'm still very unimpressed by last week's accident - the corner was clearly dangerous enough without putting the stands right behind it??? But I do think that the car pretty much did its job - you can't seriously expect a car in that sort of impact not to get airbourne, and considering the number of poles it hit Franchitti was relatively uninjured. It would have been a different story had he gone in the other way around though.

But for all its faults, it's still better than F1 has been the last 5 races.

[NaBUru38]

Sébastien Bourdais joins KV Racing to replace Tony Kanaan.

"Sebastien is a proven champion and we look forward to working with him to produce more championships," Kalkhoven said.



"I have raced against him and can say without a doubt that he is an exceptional driver and a true champion. We look forward to winning a lot of races with him," said Vasser, the 1996 CART champion.



This year has seen a far better showing from Bourdais as Dragon has put forth a more stable effort. Bourdais has three podium finishes, including a runner-up finish to Scott Dixon in Toronto.


"I want to thank Kevin Kalkhoven, Jimmy Vasser and Sulli for this opportunity," said Bourdais. "The fact that I have an agreement with KVSH Racing so early, and that I have a two-year contract, shows the team's commitment to their new era in the IndyCar Series. I am looking forward to meeting the crew and getting started with testing as soon as possible."

In other news...

Andretti could be poised to announce his 2014 manufacturer alliance this weekend, with all signs pointing to a switch to Honda.

Hinchcliffe, meanwhile, seemed close to locking down a deal before Saturday night's season finale. Intent on not rushing into a decision and making his next contract the best for his long-term future, Hinchcliffe's decision could be to return to Andretti Autosport. The team appears to have locked down the sponsorship needed to resign Hinchcliffe.

It's not clear if Jay Penske will need a replacement for Bourdais at Dragon because it's not known if Dragon will return to the IndyCar grid next season. He's already announced he'll field entries in the FIA Formula E

[GTRMagic]

We shall see whether KV Racing shall be a better landing place than Dragon for Mr Bourdais... here's hoping...

Wonder if Ms Silvestro might stay also?

[Formulahistory]

Dragon out of IndyCar? Would be a surprise. Formula E starts when next season's IndyCar is almost over.

And De Silvestro is safe at KV for next season.

[rwintle]

Originally Posted by Stefvh

it's an e-cigarette brand.

Ah, thanks, I hadn't clued in to that.

[bjohnsonsmith]

Dixon and Castroneves get grid penalties.

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/110684

[FstrthnU]

http://www.racer.com/andretti-indyca...rticle/316796/

Andretti switching back to Honda, Hinchcliffe will stay with Andretti

[Paradise City]

Originally Posted by FstrthnU

http://www.racer.com/andretti-indyca...rticle/316796/

Andretti switching back to Honda, Hinchcliffe will stay with Andretti

I always have to wince looking photos of those blasted cars.

Anyways, good news for Hinchcliffe. I'm glad Bourdais has found a berth.

[mythoughtsareracing]

Originally Posted by GTRMagic

Wonder if Ms Silvestro might stay also?

Originally Posted by Formulahistory

And De Silvestro is safe at KV for next season.

She may be safe at KV, but she may not stay, according to Marshall Pruett:

http://www.racer.com/de-silvestros-m...rticle/316775/

[Formulahistory]

by the way: Is James Sullivan related to Danny Sullivan=?

[bjohnsonsmith]

Marco Andretti extends contract to 2015.

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/110724

[mountainstar]

Originally Posted by bjohnsonsmith

Marco Andretti extends contract to 2015.

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/110724

I think it's clear now nepotism is keeping him employed rather than results.

[HJJ]

Some updates from AR-1.

0/18/13 Did low TV ratings just cost IndyCar another major sponsor? The noose tightens as Tony George's 'Vision' for IndyCar Racing reaches full maturity - kill CART and let my family run the show. With TV ratings on NBC Sports Network now reaching all-time lows of around 0.1, the sponsors are abandoning ship. The 'family' is more than happy to collect the NBC Sports Network 'check' while the teams struggle to survive because they cannot land sponsorship with such low TV ratings. Hence they revert to ride-buyers, which leads to a revolving door of drivers, which leads to zero fan retention, which leads to even lower TV ratings. It's a vicious downward spiral that appears to have no happy ending.

So who is the latest victim in the family's 'vision'? Hewlett Packard's primary sponsorship of the No. 77 Schmidt Hamilton Racing Honda Indy car will come to a conclusion at the end the season, according to SHM co-owner Davey Hamilton.

Ric Peterson took an ownership stake in the Schmidt team for 2013, with the No. 55 Honda driven by rookie Tristan Vautier carrying the Schmidt Peterson Motorsports name on its entry list. The departure by HP will not impact the SPM program, but the reigning Firestone Indy Lights series champion, who has had a variety of sponsors piece a full season of funding together, could also be looking for funding to continue.

“It's still up in the air,” said Peterson of Vautier returning next season. “We just found out about HP, and went from having to find funding for one car to now needing to find it for two. We have some lines on things, and we'll be back, no question about that. It's just tough news, but we'll be working over the winter to get both cars funded.”

10/19/13 Did low TV ratings just cost IndyCar another major sponsor? (Update) UPDATE The sponsors are dropping like flies now as the low TV ratings noose tightens. Honda has issued the following statement regarding its decision to drop title sponsorship of the IndyCar Series’ Grand Prix of St. Petersburg after nine seasons:
“We continually evaluate our marketing promotions to assure that we have a portfolio of programs which reaches Honda’s broad customer base. The 2014 season will mark a strategic shift for American Honda in the allocation of its motorsports and marketing resources, in order to amplify its visibility at key events on the IndyCar Series schedule. We believe race sponsorships provide a unique at-track opportunity to reach racing enthusiasts and expose them to our brand and products. Moving forward, we will focus our efforts on the goal of providing the best fan experiences possible.”

In a Friday evening report from Danielle Paquette of the Tampa Bay Times, race president Tim Ramsberger seemed to indicate that the event was caught off-guard by the decision.

“To say we’re surprised is an understatement,” Ramsberger told the Times. “It’s a tough thing to experience but I don’t think it’ll damper the race. It won’t affect us going forward.”

Honda had been the race’s title sponsor since its first edition under Indy Racing League/IndyCar sanction in 2005; it had been a Champ Car race for its inaugural running in 2003.

However, both Ramsberger and St. Petersburg mayor Bill Foster were bullish about the race’s long-term future in comments made for the Times’ report.

“Sponsors come and go,” Foster said. “No one’s married to Honda. We’re married to the Grand Prix of St. Petersburg.”

In a press release, Ramsberger said he learned last week of Honda’s decision, but that the race is “grateful for their support over the years and are pleased by the way in which the event has grown during this time.”

The release also expressed confidence about the race’s ability to attract new sponsors that can augment the current support of the race from local and national partners, such as Firestone.

“They’ve all experienced first-hand the many benefits of the event both on-site and through the visibility of a global television audience,” Ramsberger said. “We’re at the cusp of a new era for our event and I’m confident new and existing partners will step up and enjoy the growing benefits the Grand Prix of St. Petersburg has to offer.” NBC Sports

10/20/13 Low TV ratings cost IndyCar yet another major sponsor (2nd Update) UPDATE #2 Any big name sponsors IndyCar and its team have continue to drop like flies as a result of the series low TV ratings because the owners of the series won't pay to put all the races on ABC so ratings average at least 1.0 and over 1 million viewers per broadcast. As a result money is flowing out of the paddock much faster than it is coming in. The latest to fly the coup - McAfee it would appear. Dragon Racing owner Jay Penske said the current 2014 budget only allows for a couple of IndyCar events and a Formula E program. Dragon will compete in the two IndyCar events at Indianapolis Motor Speedway (May 10 on the road course, May 25 on the oval), Penske confirmed. We have updated the 2014 IndyCar Silly Season page with the recent losses in sponsors and driver changes.

[Peat]

urgh. Greeeaaat.

So, the series will struggle on into next summer and then disappear down a hole (and no-one will hear it scream).

That makes some bleak reading.

[Marcus666]

The world is not fair. Although I didn't watch the race, the highlight showed that it must have been a heck of a race. How can ratings go down that far when there is a championship decider on a Superspeedway? How can there be so few people in the grandstands? I can't believe there is always millions who watch Vettel win every weekend, but this there have been battles and 10 different winners in Indycar...

Is Indycar in such a bad shape as Champ Car was in 2007-2008?

[Paradise City]

America is now NASCAR country. It used to be Indycar and NASCAR country. You watched Unser, you turned over to Earnhardt.

Indycar subdivided, cut off its fans, NASCAR swooped them up and they just had no interest in coming back now matter what marketing trick the IRL went with. I guess the motorsport landscape has changed. F1 can be very sterile but its wealthy and carries authority and you can pull in an audience with that.

Anyway - Hinchcliffe did draw in a sponsor to replace GoDaddy so he's on the grid for next year.

[bjohnsonsmith]

A truncated series, with races crammed in, a seven month off season, TV ratings down, sponsors leaving; it doesn't bode well at all. If the series survives into 2015 it will be nothing short of a miracle.

[FstrthnU]

My question is, where will everybody go if Indycar tanks? And what will happen to the Indy 500? Some of the big teams like Ganassi and Penske already have NASCAR programs, but the smaller programs would suddenly have an empty year.

Surely the Indy 500 would survive in some shape or form. Would USCC have anything to gain?