Where is Marco Andretti headed?

[jock25]

I noticed that Marco, grandson of Mario and son of Michael, is signed up to do another five Infinitti Pro Series races in 2005. Out of the five only two will be oval (Indy and Milwaukee) and three will be road course (Indy road course, Sears Point & Watkins Glen) - four in total if you count St Petes.

Is the heavy road/street course bias indicative or are they just getting him accustomed to more powerful machinery in familiar road racing territory before taking on the ovals full-time?

Or perhaps the ambitions for Andretti jnr jnr are not in US open-wheel racing...?

Any thoughts?

[Kicking-back]

Maybe he has an eye on F1 - but I think he will be in IndyCar in the future.

This year was always a toe-in-the-water exercise - and maybe he'll do more races after those coming up.

[Tim Northcutt]

Marco also drove Star Mazda at Sebring.....

I think his Dad and Grandpa have definite career ideas for him....

and I think they would involved the IRL first....once he gets the experience....

[rustyfan]

Isn't he set for a full season in Star Mazda Series? Also, let's not forget that the the biggest reason they extended his MIPS schedule is due to his success at St. Petersburg.

[Tim Northcutt]

Originally Posted by rustyfan

Isn't he set for a full season in Star Mazda Series? Also, let's not forget that the the biggest reason they extended his MIPS schedule is due to his success at St. Petersburg.

Marco is a natural....the kid was quick in the 2004 Barber Dodge race at Sebring....and he had a great run at St. Pete...

You're right...Marco earned this...and I also believe he is full-ride in a Star Mazda car this year...

[GP Racer]

I think Marco's future is wide open right now.

Every series would love to have another successful Andretti running with them, but I think that the IRL needs him the most IMO. IndyCars is where his father and grandfather made there reputations, and it would be a natural to have a third generation do so to. If ever there was a time for the IRL to come-up with a real, genuine, home-grown hero, it's now. Goodness know's the series is going to need guys like Marco if it ever expects to bring back some of the past glories...

Good luck to him wherever he goes though!

[rustyfan]

I say aim for GP2 in a few years then Formula 1.

Why go for anything less?

[brihev]

The IRL needs Marco Andretti and Al Unser again to start the third generation of family rivalry. Maybe more people would tune in hearing these famous names going head to head.

[trow]

Originally Posted by brihev

The IRL needs Marco Andretti and Al Unser again to start the third generation of family rivalry. Maybe more people would tune in hearing these famous names going head to head.

This is not necessarily wrong, but I do believe that it's not the IRL who needs Marco, Arie Jr., and or Rahal, Unser, etc .... it is the other way around, in my opinion!

[Snrub]

I think it's quiet interesting that the next generation of Andretti, Unser and Rahal are all entering the one rung down ladder series at the same time. During the first Star Mazda race, the camera wasn't really on Marco, because he wasn't a factor near the front (I think he finished 17th or something). It's far too early to bash the guy, but that would seem to indicate that he's not the Allmendinger kind of guy who's going to dominate a series out of the box. (nothing wrong with that, non-freaks need a little time) Rahal seemed a lot quicker, but perhaps wasn't quiet up to the level of a couple of the more experienced front runners. (nothing wrong with that, he's a rookie) As I mentioned in another thread, he sounds far more interested in sports cars.

Technically the elder Andrettis had their US OW success in Champ Car, but why let facts get in the way?

[rustyfan]

Originally Posted by Snrub

During the first Star Mazda race, the camera wasn't really on Marco, because he wasn't a factor near the front (I think he finished 17th or something). It's far too early to bash the guy, but that would seem to indicate that he's not the Allmendinger kind of guy who's going to dominate a series out of the box.

Marco finished 7th in the second race at Road Atlanta (April 16th) though, so it seems things are moving in the right direction.

[jock25]

Originally Posted by Snrub

As I mentioned in another thread, he (Rahal) sounds far more interested in sports cars.

I read earlier this month that Bobby is trying to encourage his son to go down the sportscar route to compensate for his height. Apparently the kid is VERY tall and Rahal thinks that will cause too many problems in single-seaters and prevent the kid from getting a level playing field on which to show his talents. It makes sense as height can be a real problem in single-seaters and lots of people would be just waiting to criticise if Rahal Jnr got into single seaters (albeit uncomfortably) and was really slow.

IMHO Marco Andretti is not heading for the IRL unless the schedule continues to incorporate more road/street races. If the championship gets towards an almost 50/50 balance of oval and road/street then i think he will aim there, otherwise Europe is my tip.

[rustyfan]

Originally Posted by jock25

IMHO Marco Andretti is not heading for the IRL unless the schedule continues to incorporate more road/street races. If the championship gets towards an almost 50/50 balance of oval and road/street then i think he will aim there, otherwise Europe is my tip.

How does a Star Mazda car compare to the different championships in Europe, i.e. Formula Renault 2000, Formula 3 Euro Series, Renault World Series and Formula GP2? I reckon it's somewhere between Formula Renault 2000 and Formula 3, no?

[Tim Northcutt]

Originally Posted by jock25

I read earlier this month that Bobby is trying to encourage his son to go down the sportscar route to compensate for his height. Apparently the kid is VERY tall and Rahal thinks that will cause too many problems in single-seaters and prevent the kid from getting a level playing field on which to show his talents. It makes sense as height can be a real problem in single-seaters and lots of people would be just waiting to criticise if Rahal Jnr got into single seaters (albeit uncomfortably) and was really slow.

IMHO Marco Andretti is not heading for the IRL unless the schedule continues to incorporate more road/street races. If the championship gets towards an almost 50/50 balance of oval and road/street then i think he will aim there, otherwise Europe is my tip.

The Rahal son has publicly stated that he is on the sportscar track...that was reported anyway during the Telecast of the Star Mazda race at Sebring on Speed Channel...

[Snrub]

I haven't seen the Road Atlanta race on speed, so I didn't realize he'd had an improved finish. 7th is quiet respectable for a rookie. I just looked and Rahal finished 9th.

Originally Posted by rustyfan

How does a Star Mazda car compare to the different championships in Europe, i.e. Formula Renault 2000, Formula 3 Euro Series, Renault World Series and Formula GP2? I reckon it's somewhere between Formula Renault 2000 and Formula 3, no?

Star Mazda cars are a tad slower than a Atlantics car, so it's not close to GP2 in that respect. The field appears to be pretty strong. I'm not particularly familiar with the lower European formulas, but I think it's sort of between F3 and GP2, but probably closer to F3.

As for height, unless Rahal is aiming for F1, he should be fine in open wheel. Anyone ever heard of Justin Wilson?

[luke]

Michael Andretti did say that eventually he'd want Jr racin' in one of his cars, and I'm sure he will.

[rustyfan]

Originally Posted by Snrub

Star Mazda cars are a tad slower than a Atlantics car, so it's not close to GP2 in that respect. The field appears to be pretty strong. I'm not particularly familiar with the lower European formulas, but I think it's sort of between F3 and GP2, but probably closer to F3.

Here's the info I found. Not sure how accurate it is though, since I had major problems finding some of it and had to rely on rather dodgy-looking sites in a few cases:

Formula Renault 2000 - ca 190 hp
Formula 3 - ca 200 hp(?)
Star Mazda - ca 240 hp
Toyota Atlantic - ca 250 hp
World Series by Renault - ca 425 hp(?)
Formula GP2 - ca 600 hp

If those numbers are at least somewhat close to the truth, I'd say someone graduating from a few years in Star Mazda should be able to go to WSbR or GP2 without too much of a problem.

[Snrub]

Atlantics drivers can clearly cut it in Champ Car and the IRL. We also see a number of Atlantics grads in Grand Am and ALMS. Star Mazda is pretty similar and last year's champ, McDowell appears to be doing well in his sportscar ventures. To the best of my knowledge the bottom 4 series listed have correct power numbers.