Petit's future

[D.R.T.]

Originally Posted by JohnSSC

One has gone to one car, one essentially has nothing going on, one is fielding two cars and the other planned on only one car last season.

Explain essentially nothing going on ? Taking into account that up untill november 15 he still has 1 Rusport car and is openly talking about participating in another team.

In regards to Forsythe, made a threat of 1 car and then has run two all season along with two Atlantic cars.

[JohnSSC]

"Participating" in a team and running your own operation are two very different things. I find it somewhat unsettling that he has no plans to have his own team and instead is looking to partner with someone else. This eliminates an opportunity to retain the current one car teams and then have his go to a two car team (with a net gain of one car). If he participates with a one car team then the status quo remains the same on the grid.

[mountainstar]

Originally Posted by JohnSSC

I find it somewhat unsettling that he has no plans to have his own team and instead is looking to partner with someone else.

I know, it is pretty terrifying for sure.

Now that we've got all the anxiety out over it, probably the best thing to do now is to wait and see exactly what he is or isn't going to do, then go from there.

[indycool]

Time will tell. "Unsettling" is one proper term. "Erratic," IMO, is another.

[JohnSSC]

"Terrified" is light-years from being "unsettled" about something. The actions (rather than speculations - see the RuSport/Rsport mating ritual/divorce/Termination of Life Support process as an example) are unsettling to watch.

That you have one of the series owners speaking of hooking up with another hobby racer in the CC Business Model version of on-line dating rather than speaking of setting up his own team somewhere is indeed unsettling. If Petit is in a mode where he is being this cautious about fielding a team, why would anyone else be overly enthusiastic about it themselves?

So yes, I am curious about this. Anxious? Terrified? Definitely not.

[stradlin21]

Originally Posted by indycool

Well, with other people doin' the talkin', I would agree, D.R.T. But Petit has taken over RuSport and cut it to one car, merged it (sort of) with Rocketsports, another team with a series owner that cut back to one car, unmerged it (definitively) with Rocketsports, then closed the doors on the team. He took an ownership position somewhere along the way in the series and between the time he took over RuSport and the upcoming Nov. 15, CC will have lost two cars from one series owner's team and one car from another series owner from '06.

None of that tells me that saying the right things now is going to result in the execution of something good later.

Good points Indycool

The Rocketsport/RuSports/RSPORTS whole situation was a joke

It's highley likely that neither of those teams will be on the grid in 2008, the merge didn't help anyone

they've could go from 4 cars between them to 0 cars between them in a year

[D.R.T.]

Originally Posted by stradlin21

It's highley likely that neither of those teams will be on the grid in 2008, the merge didn't help anyone

Based on what ? Obviously Rusport wont be there but what are you basing Rocketsports highely unlikely participation off?

[stradlin21]

whether or not KK has the money to give them after his court case

[cptkablamo]

http://www.paddocktalk.com/news/html...icle&sid=69862

I think we will see a stable Champ Car grid in 2008...

[stradlin21]

i wouldn't count on it until they actually line up on the grid!

Remember how excited everyone was last season about Gelles Racing

What happened to them?

[indycool]

Time will tell.

[D.R.T.]

Originally Posted by stradlin21

whether or not KK has the money to give them after his court case

Amazing post stradlin, amazing.

[indycool]

Well, the court case DOES provide an interesting look at KK, regardless of whether he's found liable or not or whether he's hidden all his money well so if he's found liable, it won't hurt.

The allegations, T or F, show that JDSU was being built in 2000 by the "Pacman" concept when KK was in charge, buying up suppliers and vendors and competition and trying to build a quick empire. The bottom dropped out of this deal and no one can dispute that.

Now comes 2003 and KK shows up in motorsports waving a barrelful of money around and picturing himself as the great businessman who's going to take CART/CC to the promised land.

Almost immediately, he engages in the same practices, buying up Pi Research (why, nobody knows, because the teams buy the systems) and Cosworth (rejoicing in saying it "guaranteed" the series engines when plenty of engines were available in the U.S....a NASCAR engine pulls a 3,000-pound stock car around Talladega at 190 miles an hour, there are hundreds of them and certainly they could push a 1,500-pound CC car a lot faster).

Then came Long Beach and Toronto, which Dover and Molson waited till the contract was up, used the leverage of giving the sanction to the IRL unless KK and GF bought the events, and they had to pay a premium for them, probably more than they were worth.

So now KK is in court, win or lose, when the very concept that ditched JDSU is being used in CC. Except this time it's HIS money, not shareholders'.

[mountainstar]

Originally Posted by stradlin21

i wouldn't count on it until they actually line up on the grid!

Remember how excited everyone was last season about Gelles Racing

What happened to them?

They expanded too quickly with 6 Fbmws and 4 atlantics, moved their shop and had personnel problems so the whole thing combusted.

[D.R.T.]

Originally Posted by indycool

Then came Long Beach and Toronto, which Dover and Molson waited till the contract was up, used the leverage of giving the sanction to the IRL unless KK and GF bought the events, and they had to pay a premium for them, probably more than they were worth.

Both being hallmark events for ChampCar, I think each person has a different value for too much. Both events are valuable to Champcar and in time have the potential to be very valuable to the owners.

[JohnSSC]

Originally Posted by D.R.T.

Both being hallmark events for ChampCar, I think each person has a different value for too much. Both events are valuable to Champcar and in time have the potential to be very valuable to the owners.

Six years of current ownership, and all the previous years prior to that, has established quite a history for these two events. Despite that (or perhaps because of that), ownership of the rights to the LBGP and Toronto are still "potentially" very valuable to KK & GF.

Both assets have lost considerable luster. How long before that luster is regained, do you think?

[Fogelhund]

The Toronto event being so valuable that they have been/were researching other venues to hold the event, given the costs at the existing location are too high. Not that I am arguing it wasn't a necessary action at the time, because it was.

[D.R.T.]

Originally Posted by JohnSSC

Both assets have lost considerable luster. How long before that luster is regained, do you think?

Long Beach increased its attendance this season from previous years, so hopefully that is the start of some sustained growth.

However this is diverting from Petits potential involvement with Conquest or PCM.

[GTRMagic]

Why wouldnt Mr Pettit attempt to merge his operation with someone like DCR? Mr Coyne's outfit seems to be able to do a lot for less... it would make sense for a player not wishing to expend zillions, to support one of the less funded teams, while still keeping the car in the series.

[stradlin21]

Originally Posted by indycool

Time will tell.

correct, depends how much KK can spread the money around...

i'll be an interested spectator of champ car's dealings and team annoucements during the silly season

[D.R.T.]

Originally Posted by GTRMagic

Why wouldnt Mr Pettit attempt to merge his operation with someone like DCR? Mr Coyne's outfit seems to be able to do a lot for less... it would make sense for a player not wishing to expend zillions, to support one of the less funded teams, while still keeping the car in the series.

A very sensible option. One would imagine that this could very well be an option alongside PCM and Conquest. Bruno would sure be happy with the addition.

[JohnSSC]

If he goes to DCR, then DCR remains a 2 car team with Coyne needing to find only one paying driver. The net loss to the grid then is one car, leaving 16.

If Rocketsports doesn't answer the bell (or one of the other one-car operations) then you have 15 on the grid.

Petit's inability/unwillingness to field a team could have a negative impact on the grid this season.

[stradlin21]

Originally Posted by JohnSSC

If he goes to DCR, then DCR remains a 2 car team with Coyne needing to find only one paying driver. The net loss to the grid then is one car, leaving 16.

If Rocketsports doesn't answer the bell (or one of the other one-car operations) then you have 15 on the grid.

Petit's inability/unwillingness to field a team could have a negative impact on the grid this season.

i agree, i wouldn't trust Petit to run a team next season at all, he will probably buy into a team, like Coyne, but the team won't expand to an extra car

I can see Champ Car losing a car over this and like has been mentioned, with Rocketsports also looking shaky then it doesn't look good for the car count at all

[cptkablamo]

Word is that Team Australia are looking at running a third car next year - that would at least make up for RuSport not being there next year

[stradlin21]

"Word is" is something that is often said in Champ Car

I'd wait for an official annoucement on that. I'm not sure quite how Champ Car can recover from the incredibly weak season we are seeing.

But more cars on the grid is always a boost