2010 Silly Season

[jondownunder]

Couldn't find any mention here but Sebastian Saavedra will do the Indy 500 for Bryan Herta Autosport:

http://www.indycar.com/news/show/56-...00and-39-ride/

[marcostraz]

Originally Posted by jondownunder

Couldn't find any mention here but Sebastian Saavedra will do the Indy 500 for Bryan Herta Autosport:

http://www.indycar.com/news/show/56-...00and-39-ride/

Yes, I read it few days ago...it's a good news, Saavedra really impressed me last year in Indy Lights...

[DanicaFan]

Originally Posted by JagtechOhio

Isn't that the race where Danica got punted off from behind by Conway, when she was running like 11th?

Yes, 2009 was when Mike Conway took Danica out and sent her car into the dirt trap, clearly his fault.

[DanicaFan]

Originally Posted by mountainstar

What was the year at Mid Ohio Milky Donuts gave danica a run for her money and danica couldn't keep up at all and then came back and exploded into fury at Milky? 2007?

You got it all backwards. Danica was much faster and when she tried to pass, Milka kept blocking her becoming dangerous to Danica. Danica did get by her but that shows that Milka has no business being on the track. Danica then approached her about it in the pits and Milka got all angry. That happened in 2008.

[JagtechOhio]

Yeah, and where was Danica running at Mid-Ohio 2009 when she got run off? And was she on the lead lap at the time?

And is there a point where Milka has been blamed for blocking the leader who was attempting to lap her, like Marco did at Watkins Glen '09?

[DanicaFan]

Originally Posted by JagtechOhio

Yeah, and where was Danica running at Mid-Ohio 2009 when she got run off? And was she on the lead lap at the time?

And is there a point where Milka has been blamed for blocking the leader who was attempting to lap her, like Marco did at Watkins Glen '09?

Why does it matter where she was running. If you need to know, Danica was on the lead lap, it was lap 45, on a restart, she was in 12th place when Conway knocked her off course. Oh, and Milka was already 3 laps down...LOL

[JagtechOhio]

Great, so Milka was hopelessly uncompetitive at that race and they black flagged her, whether it was admitted or not.

So where do you draw that line? Did Milka finish last in every race she ran? And it's OK to pull somebody off if they are in 20th, but 12th is competitive?

Milka Duno running in the 2010 IndyCar Series gets Dale Coyne food on his table, maybe some extra juice to help fund the Boy Scout car, and keeps his crew employed. That is another car on the grid to keep the car count above minimums.

What you think of Milka Duno's driving skill doesn't matter a bit.

[Alwaysfirst]

Rumours are springing up that Mario Moraes will be in the third KV car in Brazil. The car will then be taken over by James Rossiter for the rest of the season with a forth KV car being entered if Moraes can find a full season budget. Conquest have also supposedly signed Bertrand Baguette to drive their second car in the Indy 500, and if there is no hope of a F1 ride by mid-season he may look at running in the ICS at a few more races...

[JagtechOhio]

Yes, fulltime for the third KV (Lotus) entry would make that 21.

Outstanding, the way things were shaping up. The more the merrier, right?

[madman16]

Wether Duno deserves to be there or not is not up to us, unless you got a few mill spare to put someone else in the car

The good news its another car on the grid, and being in Aus about the only times we heard anything about Indycars was with her or Danica's dramas at the races. (I'm not singling out any particular moment there DanicaFan because i know that you know everything that has either happened or going to happen to her. Can i ask, "Are you her Father?")

Anything that brings attention, money and people to the sport can only be good for it. I too can think of any number of guys that deserve rides but at this point it's not going to happen

[bjohnsonsmith]

Temper excluded, Milka reminds me of a Mexican driver by the name of Hector Alonso Rebaque, who though very wealthy had a rather undistinguished career in F1 from 1977 - 1981. He never completed an entire season, though he missed completing the '78 season by one race. He ran his own team from 1978 - 79, driving secondhand Lotuses and a car made for him by Penske, of all people.

His best results were three 4th places in 1981, when he drove for Brabham alongside Neslon Piquet. Obviously then Brabham team principle Bernie Ecclestone new a good cash cow when he saw one and Rebaque fitted the bill.

He moved to in CART in 1982, where he finished 13th at the Indy 500 and won at Road America.

[mz2k]

Originally Posted by bjohnsonsmith

Indy Car racing at the moment reminds me a lot of F1 in the mid to late '70s. There are the top teams, then are the privateer teams running on a shoe string budget, not always racing the whole season. Then there are pay to drive drivers, who can bring a bit of much needed sponsor money, plus a couple of female drivers.

It just seems to have this hint of disorganisation that pervades the whole thing, as if no one is quite sure what is going on, even the teams at the top but somehow they will get through.

IMO, Indy Car racing looks a lot like Indy Car racing of the mid to late 70s- owners starting to wonder why the racing is run the way it is, with only the Indy 500 getting the exposure and none of their concerns being addressed or taken seriously.

We all know how that story unfolded...

[Atle Gulbrandsen]

What is happening with IndyCar? They need American (and maybe Canadian and Mexican) drivers to not loose interest. But where is:
-Graham Rahal
-Richard Antinucci
-Ryan Hunter-Reay
-Ed Carpenter
-Towsend Bell
-JR Hildebrand
-John Edwards
-Jonathan Summerton
-Paul Tracy
-etc.

[marcostraz]

Originally Posted by Atle Gulbrandsen

What is happening with IndyCar? They need American (and maybe Canadian and Mexican) drivers to not loose interest. But where is:
-Graham Rahal
-Richard Antinucci
-Ryan Hunter-Reay
-Ed Carpenter
-Towsend Bell
-JR Hildebrand
-John Edwards
-Jonathan Summerton
-Paul Tracy
-etc.

Hunter-Reay has a part-time ride that could turn into a full-time ride...Hildebrand could be in the second Coyne car...Rahal refused a two years cntract with Coyne...Bell will be at Indy, Tracy could be at Indy, Toronto and Edmonton...

[mz2k]

Originally Posted by marcostraz

Milka Duno is no longer the moving chicane that was three years ago...she made some improvments, and now she is simply the latest in grid...I said before, we need also the last...

You can be last but competitive. In her case, she is just last- tooling around the back of the grid.

She is there to support the car count, not the on track product.

[mz2k]

Originally Posted by madman16

Wether Duno deserves to be there or not is not up to us, unless you got a few mill spare to put someone else in the car

The good news its another car on the grid, and being in Aus about the only times we heard anything about Indycars was with her or Danica's dramas at the races. (I'm not singling out any particular moment there DanicaFan because i know that you know everything that has either happened or going to happen to her. Can i ask, "Are you her Father?")

Anything that brings attention, money and people to the sport can only be good for it. I too can think of any number of guys that deserve rides but at this point it's not going to happen

I don't think Indy Car is getting any good press with this. The money is a pittance (though as JagTech has pointed out, it keeps DCR's lights on), and sponsorship is still a huge problem.

I'm of the opposite opinion, Indy Car needs to fix the on-track product. It means more competition for the Penske/Ganassi cars (however way that can be accomplished) and relevant attention- not the Danica/Milka cat fight or Danica in stock cars, or Danica in a swimsuit, or Danica commercials during the Super Bowl.

[Jay]

^^ You mean there are other drivers in addition to Danica in GoDaddy Racing?

I've always had an appreciation for Dale Coyne - he's one of the nicest guys you'll ever meet in the racing paddock. He runs a small team that usually punches above their weight. When possible, he'll have a better driver/car to be competitive... when that isn't possible, he'll do what it takes to keep his guys working and to ensure they have a place on the grid. Many people have questioned some of the people he's put into cars over the years, but I know he takes a lot of pleasure in seeing someone who "shouldn't on the grid", make it to the grid and stay with the pack. They always have been a participation team.

[bjohnsonsmith]

Originally Posted by mz2k

IMO, Indy Car racing looks a lot like Indy Car racing of the mid to late 70s- owners starting to wonder why the racing is run the way it is, with only the Indy 500 getting the exposure and none of their concerns being addressed or taken seriously.

We all know how that story unfolded...

I don't know the ins and outs of this period but yes we all know how that story unfolded.

Further up the thread I said there were similarities with mid to late 70s F1. Prior to the 1981 F1 season things were about to implode. There were disagreements with Fédération Internationale du Sport Automobile, or FISA, an organization subordinate to the FIA, which the rules for F1 at that time. There were frequent clashes with FISA and Formula One Constructors Association, FOCA, which represented the teams' interests. FOCA's chief executive was Bernie Ecclestone. Things got so bad Goodyear thretened to pull out and it was a meeting held in the Place de la Concorde where things were eventually settled.

Basically it required the signatory teams to appear and compete in every race during the season. It guaranteed their right to do so, so that the sport's television audience would have a race to watch. Most importantly, the agreement granted FOCA the right to televise F1 races and this right was "leased" to Formula One Promotions and Administration, a company established and owned by Bernie Ecclestone. Equally important was the stability in the rules, described as protecting the teams from "the whims of the governing body", as Jean Marie Balestre, head of FISA had been somewhat dictatorial.

Some people have said this was the stepping stone Bernie needed in order to eventually control F1. However what the Concorde Agreement has done is provide a stability that has allowed F1 to thrive and it would seem that IndyCar needs something like this. Maybe the FIA should be approached?

[marcostraz]

Does anyone know if it's true the rumor that from St.Petersburg Rahal would run on a car fielded in partnership between Ganassi and Rahal Letterman?

[JagtechOhio]

Hi Marco,

There is not yet more than rumor, so we will see. Rahal met with Randy Bernard, and hopes are high that a deal will be put together. I live very close to Rahal/ Letterman Racing, and may drive by next week to see if there is any activity on the IndyCar side of the shop.

Maybe will we hear something sooner!

[madman16]

Originally Posted by mz2k

I'm of the opposite opinion, Indy Car needs to fix the on-track product. It means more competition for the Penske/Ganassi cars (however way that can be accomplished) and relevant attention- not the Danica/Milka cat fight or Danica in stock cars, or Danica in a swimsuit, or Danica commercials during the Super Bowl.

I too don't know the quick fix to upping the competition for Ganassi and Penske. They are great teams with established drivers. Then again i suppose its hard to build a team when you are constantly changing drivers from season to season and scraping for cash.

The ability to promote something else besides Danica wouldn't hurt either. I think for too long they've focused on her and forgot how to do anything different

[marcel82]

Several Belgian papers are reporting that Bertrand Baguette will run the Indy 500 with Conquest Racing

[marcostraz]

I didn't understood: how many races will Rossiter run this year? All? And is he the Lotus driver? And is he the only Lotus driver?

[JagtechOhio]

Lots of rumors, very quiet here yesterday. The drivers are leaving the U.S. tonight, cars are already there and everybody should be watching asphalt cure on Wednesday. I saw a U.S. report that shows practice scheduled for Friday, and a Brazilian one that only shows Saturday


The list is 24 entries. Dale Coyne's #19 BSA car has no driver....rumors are Lloyd, Hildebrand, or a Boy Scout sitting on a milk crate.

KV's #32 car has no driver, that's the car painted up like the JPS Lotus which Rossiter tested at Barber...NOT conformed for Brazil, but it is supposed to be a full season ride. Hometown boy Moraes MIGHT race it instead, at least this once. No word on his season plans, of if Sato's car will also be in a Lotus livery.

I can tell you straight from the source that KV bought 2 of Vision's cars (kept 3 1/2). But KV would need 8 to race 4 all season, and I doubt they have that many. New chassis can still be purchased, Panther just got two and will run one of them for the first time at St Pete. The other is a fresh car for Wheldon at Indy, and they will have a seat to sell for that one race. Driver TBA.

So that's the #19, the # 32, Ryan Hunter Reay in one of his scheduled appearances, Ana Beatriz as a one-off race (so far), and we need 20 more: Which is the list from March 4

Conway
Wilson
Power
Castroneves
Briscoe
Dixon
Franchitti
Tagliani
Andretti
Patrick
Kanaan
Wheldon
Matos
Viso
Sato
Meira
Mutoh
Romancini
Duno
Silvestri

And that's all I got.

[JagtechOhio]

Oh yeah, pick your top 7 (it's lucky). Here's mine:

Power
Franchitti
Dixon
Briscoe
Sato
Castroneves
Wilson

With a one mile long drag strip for a straightaway, the Ganassi test tunnel will have given them a clear advantage in straightline speed. Power only wins this one on talent, I'll guess he pulls it off.

AA cars will have brake problems, particularly thanks to the hairpin at the end of the drag strip. People will ask what's up with Danica if Simona can give her a race. She will, if they both keep out of trouble.

I hope it is all quite safe, and a sight to behold