de Ferran and Castroneves to return to CART in 2003?

[The Moon Monkey]

Does anyone think that:-

a - that these 2 guys will find IRL dull and want to return to CART forthwith?

b - that the top CART teams will be courting their signatures for 2003 season by mid summer?

I rate both drivers and it is a real shame that they are not racing in CART this season...

[Dr. Austin]

Assuming there is a CART in 2003.............

[Crash Test]

Agree with Dr Austin there

I don't think they'll do what they want themselves to do- they'll do what their sponsors tell their boss. They are obviously paid fairly well by Penske, and are surrounded by the best in the business.

And B) probably not. All of the top flight teams that are left in CART already have very capable drivers, so unless they go off the rails, there probably won't be any need to sign up new drivers

[Liz]

Helio may try to get a drive in Champ Cars if he can get a good one, if he still wants to go to F1; I doubt Gil will get another drive anywhere.

[f1manoz]

Originally posted by Dr. Austin
Assuming there is a CART in 2003.............

What the hell is it with all the negativity about CART???

The IRL is WEAKER you fools......untalented drivers, smaller and weaker teams, all ovals......

CART will be back, with a vengeance, in 2002. Penske will realise he made a huge mistake and will be back in 2003 with de Ferran and Helio.

By 2004, TG will be pleading for a resolution to the crisis as sponsors pull out and teams go by the wayside (as they are already doing *evil laughter*)

[Dr. Austin]

[QUOTE][i]Originally posted by Liz

"Helio may try to get a drive in Champ Cars if he can get a good one,"

Career suicide. CART is on the rocks, period. Brand x-tinct. All that is going to be left is the IRL, so why bail out of the best team and the best league in the business? And Helio won't be able to find anything decent in F-1. All the top spots are locked away unless Schumacher launches someone into a tree (entirely possible).

I can't see the Indianapolis 500 champion riding around in a Minardi. He is too good for anything less than a Ferrari, McLaren or Williams. The BMW powered team already has way too many talented drivers. McLaren's test driver is Mika Hakkinen. Those doors are closed, baby!


The only one of those drivers he could possibly dislodge is Rubins, but, once again, career suicide.



"I doubt Gil will get another drive anywhere."

Why leave? Anything is second class, or third, once you've been at Penske.

[Mr V]

weak series or not, (not in my opinion!) it's a shame that penske has jumped ship just to keep his sponser happy!!, and especially as helio hadn't yet won the championship!!

mega money or not (in wages) i think helio is gonna regret his decision in later years.

[Jay]

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Dr. Austin

[i]Why leave? Anything is second class, or third, once you've been at Penske.

True, but if he's willing to waste away his career in IRL...I;m sure he'd take even a Minardi ride...

The only people that actually want to race in the IRL are sponsors that have a lot of weight in teams, some has been and never will be race car drivers and rednecks that like ovals. Although they haven't stated it publicly..and I'm sure they wont... it's obvious from both Gil and Helio's comments that they'd rather be in Cart...in helio's case maybe F1...

All this will there be a Cart in 2003 is nonsense... regardless of what type of engines they are running or what rules they have there will be Cart racing on the same tracks they are now. IRL has one highly successful race that they can count on having a good audience....Cart has??? how many? Let's just say a lot more...

[gomick]

why would anyone leave the penske organization

irl aint that bad - USA is big enough for both series to compete......

round 2 of irl and liz you will be on the penske "brand x" band wagon .... how would helio and gil cope if they new you wernt supporting them

[StuiE]

Why did penske keep Gil when his strengths were street and road circuits? IRL SUX if cart werent trying to merge with IRL with the stupid engine regs cart would be much stronger

[The Moon Monkey]

any series - IE the IRL - which allows an ancient Eddie Cheever to race competitively must be suffering from a lack of credibility...

[Liz]

I'm not supporting Brand X Racing, nor watching it, nor reading about it, and if GilandHelioWho can't handle that, well, sucks to them.

Seriously, though, it seems to me that some people will still be saying Champ Cars are dead when Brand X is down to three teams and one race and Champ Cars are bigger than F1.

And as far as Helio preferring to race with a bunch of also-rans on ovals in Kansas City when he could be driving a Minardi in Monte Carlo, I think that is carrying brand loyalty just a little too far. And don't tell me Mr. Cheever wouldn't take a Minardi drive in a heartbeat if anyone were so reckless as to offer him one even in jest.

[BootsOntheSide]

Actually both of Penske's drivers are probably better on road courses than ovals, as that is their background, but Gil particularly. It'd make much mroe sense for Roger to get on the phone to Chip Ganassi and arrange a 1 year loan swap deal for Kenny Brack, who's perhaps the best open wheel oval racer in the world (only Tony Stewart and maybe Sam Hornish Jr come close) but only middling on road and street courses, and let Gil defend his title in a serious challenging team, but keep his contract in case a CART return is planned by Penske. it'd be the best of both worlds for everyone.

[The Moon Monkey]

Thinking of the quality field in the IRL how about Eliseo Salazar.

I mean what is the point of the IRL if it isn't a retirement home for washed out racing drivers?

[KC]

I would not be surprised if deFerran and Castroneves return next year and are still driving for Penske but with a different sponsor than Marlboro. I would not be surprised to see that the Marlboro IRL team continues as well with two new drivers and racing alongside Tom Kelley Racing. I think the Marlboro defection occurred before Penske could get the logistics together to maintain his presence in CART.

[Liz]

I hope you're right, KC.

[Mr V]

i hope your right aswell kc..i'm gonna miss seeing helio hanging off the fencing after a win!!!!

p.s wonder what he'll do with the extra maoney that cart won't be fineing him???

[Dr. Austin]

[QUOTE][i]Originally posted by KC

I think the Marlboro defection occurred before Penske could get the logistics together to maintain his presence in CART."

Both Penske entries (Indy 2001) practised and qualified in Marlboro livery, but one of the government lackeys must have noticed and blew the whistle. For Carb day, the cars were sans Marlboro. That must have been when the Marlboro defection started. When they won the race, it must have been pretty galling that they had to pay for advertising they didn't get.

And Penske was probably on the way out the moment that CART gave him a "punch in the nose." It is something that he promised he would "not forget." And it looks like he hasn't.

It might make CART fans feel better to try to pin the Penske defection on Marlboro, but i think it had alot more to do with the way Penske felt he had been treated. As much as Penske did (and spent) to get CART going, he must have really been peeved to feel so unappreciated.

There is always the way CART treated others this year to consider. CART just tried to outright steal money from TMS. And Honda's cheif represenative felt so aggrieved that he questioned CART's integrity right out in public and then pulled his company out.

What is the mystery?