Items of Interest & Some Thoughts....

Tim Northcutt · 26 Jun 2006, 00:03 (Ref:1641213)

Here are a few news items, plus a few observations that I tought I'd throw out there for discussion:

1. IRL personnel are apparently going to some international conference in Montreal early this week, and while they are there, they will be talking with promoters about possibly racing at the F-1 circuit in Montreal in the future...
How would the show be there??? From what I watched today, many corners have very little runoff at all...

2. Brian Barnhart told the Indy Star that next season's schedule could include Iowa Speedway in June, and Milwaukee is considering being the week after the Indy 500, the way it was in the past with the Rex Mays 150 that followed Indy for decades...

3. If Iowa joins the fray for 2007, where does Watkins Glen go in the compressed schedule???

4. Cheever apparently has broadened the search for a second driver to Max Papis again, plus Chesson...no deal will happen before Kansas....Chesson has a "My Space" site, and shared that he is working on getting the WWF or Gibson Guitars as a sponsor....what happened to Carmelo???

BTW....I'd rather see those potential sponsors and their money go to someone else besides Cheever....spend it on a good team that needs it in this Series...

5. Speaking of sponsorships....Vitor Meira and Panther "Deserve" a good sponsorship deal!!!!

Vitor has really come together with the crew at Panther, and IMO, they have always been one of the most talented operations in the Series...

6. I'm anticipating the "Mid-Season Report Cards" this week from media on the teams....Penske has to be an "A+"...Ganassi's grade may surprise us...they've let wins slip away with mistakes....Rahal, D&R and others won't want to even see their grades......

Your thoughts????

deejay · 26 Jun 2006, 00:33 (Ref:1641221)

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tim Northcutt

1. IRL personnel are apparently going to some international conference in Montreal early this week, and while they are there, they will be talking with promoters about possibly racing at the F-1 circuit in Montreal in the future...
How would the show be there??? From what I watched today, many corners have very little runoff at all...

Well that would be very cool. If it's safe enough for F1 and then it's safe enough for IRL. However with cars hitting the walls we'd be likely to get a lot of long pace car periods.

Cars would be quite a lot slower than F1 due to the brakes I'm sure - which some people will moan about - but for the same reason there'd bound to be more passing.

drdisque · 26 Jun 2006, 03:24 (Ref:1641270)

I'd rather see the Montreal race be a Busch Series/Grand Am weekend, I think the course suits those cars better and don't think the IRL needs to be there right now, especially considering that with a merger the series will definitely be in Toronto. Molson Indy Montreal has never been a smashing success.

D.R.T. · 26 Jun 2006, 10:36 (Ref:1641499)

I remember 2002 getting a rather nice crowd.

mountainstar · 26 Jun 2006, 23:54 (Ref:1642190)

Quote:

Originally Posted by drdisque

I'd rather see the Montreal race be a Busch Series/Grand Am weekend, I think the course suits those cars better and don't think the IRL needs to be there right now, especially considering that with a merger the series will definitely be in Toronto. Molson Indy Montreal has never been a smashing success.

Actually it did quite well at the beginning, but last year with a hostile promoter it was a problem. Hopefully Labrosse can right the ship again for this year.

drdisque · 27 Jun 2006, 04:22 (Ref:1642234)

honestly how often does a race get "turned around"? It seems once attendance for a race starts falling it just keeps falling no matter what is done.

Oh well, it'll get tested, because when the merger gets done it'll be the first GOOD reason for fans to come back to the track.

indycool · 5 Jul 2006, 21:19 (Ref:1649153)

Going back to Tim's original thought:

1. I'd think if F-1 and CC could race at Montreal, IRL could. The show might not be much different than the others, though.

2 and 3. I would think the schedule would be expanded and perhaps "uncompressed" a little for expansion, although it's a big juggling act considering TV, what races are against on TV, how they fit with each individual track's schedule properly, how they fit for travel for the teams, etc. So, if Iowa and Montreal (or San Antonio or something else) are added, that's part of the figuring they're already doing.....just more of it. NASCAR's second Cup dates at Fontana, Phoenix and Texas ended an IRL race at those tracks. There's a lot "in play" that really has nothing to do with "the split."

4. Think Carmelo may have gone the way of Latrell Sprewell a few years ago. These deals with celebrities, by and large, have wound up pretty phony.

5. Amen on Vitor and the Panther team.

6. Expect you're right.

Bluewolf · 9 Jul 2006, 19:33 (Ref:1651641)

Tim you're so right about Panther deserving a sponsership deal -- this is a legit quick team and they deserve a big buck backer.

luke · 10 Jul 2006, 13:41 (Ref:1652289)

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tim Northcutt

2. Brian Barnhart told the Indy Star that next season's schedule could include Iowa Speedway in June, and Milwaukee is considering being the week after the Indy 500, the way it was in the past with the Rex Mays 150 that followed Indy for decades...

So you think that Champ Car won't be at Milwaukee next year? As you do know the date they want is currently a Champ Car tradition and race date.

Tim Northcutt · 10 Jul 2006, 13:51 (Ref:1652298)

I just reported what the Indy Star had stated....

indycool · 10 Jul 2006, 13:58 (Ref:1652300)

Luke, I don't think they'll be at Milwaukee again. I don't think they're going to make conversion kits on the DP-01 with excessive costs to make them right for just one oval on the trail.

rustyfan · 10 Jul 2006, 14:50 (Ref:1652339)

Quote:

Originally Posted by luke

So you think that Champ Car won't be at Milwaukee next year? As you do know the date they want is currently a Champ Car tradition and race date.

It used to be a tradition, in the sense that it was the first event after the Indianapolis 500 each year, but since Champ Car no longer races at Indianapolis the tradition has been broken for ten years.

indycool · 10 Jul 2006, 15:27 (Ref:1652363)

Absolutely right, Rusty. That particular card isn't in the deck any more.

luke · 10 Jul 2006, 15:35 (Ref:1652367)

Quote:

Originally Posted by indycool

Luke, I don't think they'll be at Milwaukee again. I don't think they're going to make conversion kits on the DP-01 with excessive costs to make them right for just one oval on the trail.

I love the way you speculate your opinion based on nothing.

luke · 10 Jul 2006, 15:37 (Ref:1652371)

Quote:

Originally Posted by rustyfan

It used to be a tradition, in the sense that it was the first event after the Indianapolis 500 each year, but since Champ Car no longer races at Indianapolis the tradition has been broken for ten years.

No tradition has been broken. Champ Car still races at Milwaukee on the same weekend. It hasn't been broken overthe past ten years just because of 'the greatest spectacle in racing'. Champ Car has always raced on that same weekend apart from 2003. And to say the tradition is broken because Champ Car no longer races at the Indy 500, is bull **** as the Indy 500 was never Champ Car's.

indycool · 10 Jul 2006, 16:07 (Ref:1652397)

Whoa up there and get back to reality, luke.

Milwaukee was traditionally the race after Indy, with the same cars and drivers. It no longer is. But that was the draw, to see the cars and drivers of INDY at Milwaukee a week later. To say that CC goes there isn't apparently enough because its drivers DON'T run Indy.

And I consider your post ridiculous about "speculating on nothing." CC has one oval (Milwaukee) this year and may well not have ANY ovals in '07. So, constructing the DP-01 for ovals or even coming up with an oval kit for them is a waste. Just what do you think teams are going to do with an oval kit when they don't race on ovals, and it would be quite expensive to get a kit for it for just one oval. What don't you want to understand about that?

luke · 10 Jul 2006, 17:20 (Ref:1652443)

What do you not understand about the fact that the dp 01 will run on ovals. Champ Car eyes more ovals in it's future. Champ Car's last attendance at Milwaukee was 26,000 something, some 21,000 imporvement from the year before. It's getting a little boring now when you always like to bend things after what you hear from your buddies at tf.

paul-collins · 10 Jul 2006, 19:04 (Ref:1652736)

luke, the story about Milwaukee being an IRL event for after the Indy 500 came from Brian Barnhart via the Indy Star - and it was noted as conjecture at the time. Obviously nothing is settled at this time as far as dates are concerned, but it's being floated by IRL staff. Perhaps there should be some information from proper sources on the CC side to deal with this, otherwise we're left with conjecture only.

Oh, btw, welcome back.

IC, I don't know why you feel that the DP01 would need an update kit to run at the Mile. For the 1.5 mile high banked tracks I can understand your point, but frankly I don't see the need for this one. We know Elan announced that the car would incorporate all the safety they've developed from their other chassis, and that it is (was?) intended to be capable of running on ovals. We have not heard of any change in spec since then, have we? And I think, of any ovals currently on either series schedule, this would be the easiest one for them to prepare for?

indycool · 10 Jul 2006, 20:45 (Ref:1652852)

paul, the car hasn't even hit the ground yet, hasn't moved six inches with the engine running and would most certainly need modifications to run ovals, but I agree that Milwaukee is the least sensitive of the ovals out there.

Besides, why would a car be built for just ONE oval?

Luke, if CC's going to run on ovals as you suggest, please list them for me.

luke · 10 Jul 2006, 20:59 (Ref:1652870)

Look you know it's going to be launched this month at your favourite race, the San Jose grand prix. Nothing has changed no matter how much you may doubt or believe or from what your 'behind the scenes buddy' at Panoz or whereever said whatever.

Secondly again next year's schedule looks to be launched very soon. So Indycool that's when we're see how many ovals if any, if many, will be on the schedule.

#21

paul-collins · 10 Jul 2006, 21:02 (Ref:1652873)

Quote:

Originally Posted by indycool

paul, the car hasn't even hit the ground yet, hasn't moved six inches with the engine running and would most certainly need modifications to run ovals, but I agree that Milwaukee is the least sensitive of the ovals out there.

As I've said, I understand your concerns about oval safety and chassis. I just think on this issue (ie the certainty of modifications being needed) I'll have to await, you know, actual data instead of assertion and appeal to unknown authority. We've been told:

Quote:

The design also incorporates a collapsible steering column, new side intrusion panels and a two-stage nose crush and a rear crash structure for oval events.

-CCWS press release

Is there a retraction somewhere?

indycool · 10 Jul 2006, 21:50 (Ref:1652946)

Ok, luke, we'll see.

paul, they might say anything they want to like that but maybe those safety factors are already built into the IRL cars, too, and they're just not saying.

**Adam43** · 10 Jul 2006, 22:01 (Ref:1652955)

I don't think Paul is comparing cars, I'm sure they have versions of those safety features. Isn't the point that the new CC has, from the outset, been designed to cope with ovals and they haven't said otherwise?

indycool · 10 Jul 2006, 22:18 (Ref:1652976)

Adam, yes, they've said it, but why? They aren't going to have any ovals if Milwaukee goes down. So what's the difference in THAT being a come-on?

**Adam43** · 10 Jul 2006, 22:27 (Ref:1652986)

I am not really making a point other than, fundamentally, the CC can run on ovals. (Considering my post) whether or not it does run on a oval is separate to the clarification I was seeking about Paul's post.

And I'm not trying to come-on to anyone

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